My guess is because the newer tops are thicker than the older ones, so you must plane off the keystick to make up for the difference :-). Matthew John Delacour <JD@Pianomaker.co.uk> wrote:<blockquote class="replbq" style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(16, 16, 255); margin-left: 5px; padding-left: 5px;"> At 19:41 -0400 7/8/08, Matt Wynne wrote: >I have been using a table saw to remove old keytops for years and I >would like to switch to a planer, which seems to be a little more >civilized. Can someone please explain how planing, milling or routing off key-tops can be more reliable, faster, more accurate or cleaner than simply using an iron, a cloth and a table-knife? JD </blockquote>