David <div>  I agree. Having the contour match the crown of the board is a good thing. The rasten bevel is usually about 1 1/2 degrees.  The 1 1/2 degree bevel doesn't add any  bending stress either. IMO a flat one does. <div style="color: navy; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', sans-serif; clear: both;">Dale Erwin R.P.T. Erwin's Piano Restoration Inc. Mason & Hamlin/Steinway/U.S. pianos www.Erwinspiano.com Phone: 209-577-8397 <tt style="font-size: 10pt;"><tt>   </tt></tt></div> <div style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: 10pt;"> <div id="AOLMsgPart_0_f30ab6ce-30c3-4d52-b459-926bb7c7f4a1" style="margin: 0px; font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <pre style="font-size: 9pt;"><tt> The panel will be crowned and so will match the slight slope of the inner rim and belly rail so that you don't have to force the panel down to the inner rim at the inner edge. The ideal amount of slope on the inner rim should match the crown of the panel in my opinion. Why force unnecessary stress onto the panel? Some would argue, in fact, that if the inner rim isn't sloped by design that you should endeavor to make it so. Assuming we're talking about the same thing, that is. David Love <a href="http://www.davidlovepianos.com" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">www.davidlovepianos.com</a> -----Original Message----- From: <a href="mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">pianotech-bounces@ptg.org</a> [<a href="mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org?" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org</a>] On Behalf Of Jim Ialeggio Sent: Friday, November 30, 2012 9:29 AM To: <a href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">pianotech@ptg.org</a> Subject: [pianotech] Belly talk Rebuilding a 40's aeolian knabe grand, new works, including RC&S belly of my design. In prepping the case/rim for Fish, Cutoff and new rib placement, the belly rail and curved side of the rim have what I would consider a significant and (to my mind) superfluous "crown" machined into them. I don't want the gratuitous complications, and will be removing the crowns in the next day or so. This is especially true on the belly rail, where, because of the location of the cutoff, a significant portion of the "crown" radius is not even located in the "working" part of the board. A question to other rib crowned belly heads...what do you do with these "crowns"? Leave'em or hack'em off? Since it's a bit of work to remove them, do others leave them without undo complications? Jim Ialeggio -- Jim Ialeggio <a href="mailto:jim@grandpianosolutions.com" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">jim@grandpianosolutions.com</a> 978 425-9026 Shirley Center, MA </tt></pre> </div>  </div> </div>