<br><br> <div><span class="gmail_quote">On 10/30/07, <b class="gmail_sendername">Willem Blees</b> <<a href="mailto:wimblees@aol.com">wimblees@aol.com</a>> wrote:</span> <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">If you can find it, bowling lanes are great for this. <br><br> <div style="CLEAR: both">Willem (Wim) Blees, RPT<br>Piano Tuner/Technician<br>Honolulu, HI<br>Author of <br>The Business of Piano Tuning<br>available from Potter Press<br><a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://www.pianotuning.com/" target="_blank"> www.pianotuning.com</a></div> <div><span class="e" id="q_115f25d2a580c2d0_1"><br><br>-----Original Message-----<br>From: Jack Houweling <<a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:jackhouweling@dccnet.com" target="_blank"> jackhouweling@dccnet.com</a>><br>To: Pianotech List <<a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org" target="_blank">pianotech@ptg.org</a>><br>Sent: Mon, 29 Oct 2007 6:40 pm <br>Subject: Action Regulating Bench <br><br> <div> <div><font face="Arial" size="2">I am building an action regulating bench for my shop and would like to hear some suggestions what other may have.</font></div> <div><font face="Arial" size="2">I am building the base out of maple and want to know what material is best for the table top, and</font> </div> <div><font face="Arial" size="2">what is most practical for table dimensions, height, width, and length?  </font></div> <div><font face="Arial" size="2"></font> </div> <div><font face="Arial" size="2">Sincerely,</font></div> <div><font face="Arial" size="2">Jack Houweling</font></div><br> <hr> I am using the free version of SPAMfighter for private users.<br>It has removed 7501 spam emails to date.<br>Paying users do not have this message in their emails.<br>Try <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://www.spamfighter.com/len" target="_blank"> SPAMfighter</a> for free now!<br> </div></span></div> <div> <hr style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px"> Email and AIM finally together. You've gotta check out free <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://o.aolcdn.com/cdn.webmail.aol.com/mailtour/aol/en-us/index.htm?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000970" target="_blank"> AOL Mail</a>!<br> </div></blockquote></div> <div><br>Hi Jack,</div> <div> </div> <div>I used to use a regulating TABLE that a friend of mine built, it was on wheels so it could be moved out of the way when space was needed for other things. It was about 5 feet long probably 3 feet deep and he had set it quite high, guessing I'd say 36 " perhaps a little higher, so that you could sit in a chair comfortably to level keys, set your hammer line, most of the stuff you have to sit on the floor to do in a grand. </div> <div>The top was a double thickness of particleboard supported by a framework of 2x6's with crossmembers with a sheet of 1/4" plate glass over it so it was dead flat! I imagine that glass cost him a bundle. He had also taken an old Damp-Chaser rod cut it in half and attached it to either end of the table. He had stretched string trimmer line, bright red, easy to see, between them for setting hammer lines, they attached to a radiator hose clamp that went around the rod and could be raised or lowered as needed <br clear="all"></div> <div>When I build mine( my shop is finally in the finishing stages but I'm still using basement space at this writing) I thought I would use torsion box construction. If you aren't familiar with it google the words torsion box and a wealth of options will come up, here's a link to an Adobe drawing    <a href="http://www.geocities.com/bawanewsletter/jun02/torsionbox1.pdf">http://www.geocities.com/bawanewsletter/jun02/torsionbox1.pdf</a> </div> <div>as you can see it is just a bunch of small square box like structures placed together which when attached together with a top"skin" and bottom "skin"  is stiff, flat and stable. If the top and bottom skins were MDF you would have the added advantage of not having a great deal of variance between dry and humid times. Once constructed you could place a second piece of plywood, masonite(my choice) or something else on top of it to protect it from actions sliding around. It's a little more labor intensive but I believe the end result will be worth it, at least for me. </div> <div>Good luck with yours,</div> <div>Mike<br>-- <br>Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is to not stop questioning.-- Albert Einstein<br><br><br><br>Michael Magness<br>Magness Piano Service<br>608-786-4404<br><a href="http://www.IFixPianos.com"> www.IFixPianos.com</a><br>email <a href="mailto:mike@ifixpianos.com">mike@ifixpianos.com</a> </div>