Yes please, and publish it here as well for all to take advantage.<br>Tips and tricks about this subject are back-saving.<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On 17 January 2012 08:47, Douglas Gregg <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:classicpianodoc@gmail.com">classicpianodoc@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">Thanks everyone who put in their advice, sympathy, and commiseration<br>
on the issue of the "round bottom" pianos. It boils down to doing what<br>
I have been doing by putting a block under front of the bottom board.<br>
My "Steinway Stick" is a 60 inch long 1 x 6 yellow pine decking board<br>
that slips under the piano front edge and is long enough to also fit<br>
under both leg supports too. I think I will improve this and use a<br>
1x3 oak board 60 inches long with a 45 degree ripped bevel edge to<br>
match the bottom board bevel. That will fit inside my all terrain<br>
home made dolly with 10 inch pneumatic tires. This dolly is about as<br>
wide as a regular one and the piano fits inside the wheels rather than<br>
on top as the 6 wheel all terrain commercial dolly does.I think that<br>
one is very high and tippy.<br>
<br>
I suspect that the old timers tipped these pianos on their side, took<br>
off the wheels and used the bottom board as a skid. It is still too<br>
narrow to be very stable but it might work OK. I was hoping there was<br>
a secret that I missed on this one.<br>
<br>
As luck would have it, I just got a call to do another Victorian<br>
Heintzman upright that is similar to the Steinways, I think. . There<br>
are also a bunch of steps to go up. Those are regular steps spaced at<br>
4 foot intervals. Uggh! Too long to easily ramp and too short to stop<br>
and move one ramp.<br>
<br>
I do almost all solo moves ( since the gorillas sometimes don't show<br>
up). I have my piano moving very mechanized as I weigh only 150 lbs. I<br>
have a two story shop with about 15 pianos on the second floor. I get<br>
them there solo with a winch with no sweat. For remote locations with<br>
steps I use a ramp and a 12 Volt ATV winch with a wireless remote and<br>
a car battery for power. I have two big U bolts on the back of the<br>
winch. I rig it off a door frame or a window frame spanned with a pipe<br>
or a stout rectangular square bar. I have on occasion even rigged the<br>
winch off a tree trunk on the opposite side of the house with a<br>
minimal stretch climbing rope going through a window and through the<br>
house, and winch the piano up a ramp on the other side. Whenever<br>
possible, I let my finger do the work. I rarely directly lift any<br>
piano. When all else fails, I have hired a crane.<br>
<br>
FWIW, I also made a grand tipper similar to the "horse" but I<br>
consider an improved model I made with plywood sides and 2x6 width.<br>
It is lighter, less likely to scratch, easier to position and has no<br>
long adjusting screw. Also it does not screw into the keybed like the<br>
new one advertised. Best of all it cost about $20 to build if you<br>
don't find the materialsfor free. I was considering doing an article<br>
for the PTGJ on "solo moving without sweat" if there is an interest.<br>
Let me know.<br>
<br>
Doug Gregg<br>
Classic Piano Doc<br>
</blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Bruce Browning<br>The Piano Tuner<br>