<HTML>In a message dated 10/12/2002 8:56:22 AM Pacific Daylight Time, RNossaman@cox.net writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">Subj:Re: Bridge cap materials Date:10/12/2002 8:56:22 AM Pacific Daylight Time From:<A HREF="mailto:RNossaman@cox.net">RNossaman@cox.net</A> Reply-to:<A HREF="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> To:<A HREF="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> Sent from the Internet >         How are you milling maple that thin? >         Dale The time consuming hard way, re-saw and thickness planer. If I was running a high volume operation or building pianos, I'd just buy a load of rotary cut maple and save a lot of time. I'd make my own pinblocks too, since I'd have all that nice maple lying around not being used up fast enough in bridges and caps. So for now, if I want to use a nice laminated cap that I can hand notch, I'm stuck with the milling.                                                               Ron N </BLOCKQUOTE>                     Ron                      If flat sawn material is exceptable then what about the multi-lam. flat sawn Maple supply house blocks. I don't have any and am curious as to what thickness the lams. are.        I would think using this material would be labor saver and an economical alternative even if not as optimal as the quarter sawn variety you currently are manufacturing. Also with stock that thin (2mm) it tends to split up in the planer when it hits grain that's running out towards the surface. Do you find this?         Tonally speaking do you find any observable aural (though probably subjective) enhancement or deficit? I'm only looking for an opinion here. Certainly the lack of false beats and the hardness around the top of the pin should contribute to a very effiecent energy transmission resulting in a solid tone. Oh yes and of course bridge integrity and longevity a big plus in my book.             Dale Erwin </HTML>