<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en"> <html> <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> Terry, <br>    Yes I read it. The link didn't work (for me) but i saw the unit from a previous search anyway. I saw the price as the $1,600 that del mentioned but the used one i saw this morning was $900. More of a possibility for me than new. I'll have to keep looking. <p>Greg <p>Farrell wrote: <blockquote TYPE=CITE><style></style> Thanks Del. I feel like I've got some good ammo now. <font color="#000080">"But, I suspect you're thinking like a boatbuilder now. The method you're describing sound some like fairing a boat hull. No?"</font> Boy oh boy, you should see what such a tool can help you do in prepping a transom before varnishing. You can get the mirror finish without all those wigglies you so often see! Now how did you know that was where I got the idea from? "<font color="#000080">I did have a small, but excellent (Inca), thickness planer to thickness the stock with. This was pretty expensive back then, but pretty good ones are available for just a few hundred bucks now. One of the table-top 12"ers will work just fine."</font> I have my new Dewald 12" planer that works great! Or at least it did before I ran a board with a drywall screw in it through  :-(. I guess that is why they give you and extra set of blades with the machine! I'm sure I will be using it for a panel to get close to desired thickness. "<font color="#000080">I edge glued them with simple bar clamps--still do, though I've modified them a bit to get them to stay in place--and hand planed them to thickness with a variety of hand planes. Then sanded."</font> This sounds like the way to go with board #1. This is pretty consistent with what Stephen Birkett was suggesting (thanks Stephen!). OK, I'm ready to roll! Just gotta get a couple pianos out of my shop and to their owners homes and then I'll rip into this project. Have you gotten all this Greg Newell?????? Terry Farrell <span id=__#Ath#SignaturePos__></span> <blockquote dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <div style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----</div> <div style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><b>From:</b> <a href="mailto:pianobuilders@olynet.com" title="pianobuilders@olynet.com">Delwin D Fandrich</a></div> <div style="FONT: 10pt arial"><b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org" title="pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</a></div> <div style="FONT: 10pt arial"><b>Sent:</b> Friday, January 18, 2002 11:40 AM</div> <div style="FONT: 10pt arial"><b>Subject:</b> Re: my own Soundboard</div>    <blockquote dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <div style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----</div> <div style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><b>From:</b> <a href="mailto:mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com" title="mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com">Farrell</a></div> <div style="FONT: 10pt arial"><b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org" title="pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</a></div> <div style="FONT: 10pt arial"><b>Sent:</b> January 18, 2002 5:01 AM</div> <div style="FONT: 10pt arial"><b>Subject:</b> Re: my own Soundboard</div>  Woooh! Yeah. OK, I see now. I guess that is the difference between someone that builds quite a few panels, and one that is thinking about his first! I suspect such a machine is a bit beyond me at this time. I studied the picture for quite a while trying to figure out exactly what does what on this machine and am not quite there - don't even try to enlighten me, because clearly, I will not be using any such machine for a long time!</blockquote> <div dir=ltr><font color="#000080">A semi-reasonable alternative might be found at:</font></div> <div dir=ltr><font color="#000080">     <a href="http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.cfm?Product_ID=14905??User_ID=142096?St=4536?St2=86010195?St3=-47549886?DS_ID=1">http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.cfm?Product_ID=14905??User_ID=142096?St=4536?St2=86010195?St3=-47549886?DS_ID=1</a></font></div> <div dir=ltr> </div> <div dir=ltr><font color="#000080">Just in case this doesn't work, this is the address of Grizzly Tools. And specifically, their Model G5394 Stroke Sander. It's a bit smaller--a 58" x 24" working table size--but I know of at least one rebuilder who has used it successfully to sand even concert grand sized soundboards. Like ours, it requires some outboard supports to hold the things up. But the price is more like $1,600 than $4,600.</font></div> <div dir=ltr> </div> <div dir=ltr><font color="#000080">If you don't yet have a Grizzly catalog, you should get one. Decent imported machinery at reasonable prices with reasonable support.</font></div> <div dir=ltr> </div> <div dir=ltr> </div> <blockquote dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">But, what I do have, and what I think might work reasonably well, is a BIG sanding block. I mean big. I found a real nice flat (like totally flat) piece of poplar (I think  it is about 6 inches wide by about 5 feet long) and epoxied a strong lattice work of straight dry oak planks up on edge (just to try and keep the poplar board real flat, i.e. not twisting, bowing, etc. - the back side of my poplar plank looks like the underneath of a Bosendorfer). Then I made a couple clamp thingees on the back side, one at each end. Then I bought three sanding belts - I forget right off what grits - 60, 80, 120 or there abouts - that are 6 inches wide and 3 feet in diameter (6-foot-plus in circumference). Cut them and attach the belts such that I have what is just like the little half-sheet rubber sanding blocks, only mine is 6 inches by 5 feet.</blockquote> <div dir=ltr><font color="#000080">You might also invest in a couple of good quality hand planes. Mine are the Japanese draw type which I find easier to use on a large panel such as a soundboard.</font></div> <div dir=ltr> </div> <div dir=ltr> </div> <blockquote dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">Would you think that careful use of such a sanding tool on a soundboard panel would have the potential to result in successful nice, even, thickness reduction? (The panel would need to be laid on a very flat table of course! - which I have - my regulating table - that I made real flat with use of my BIG sanding block!) A few strokes this way, a few strokes at right angles to that, moving all around, and so on?</blockquote> <div dir=ltr><font color="#000080">Of course. Soundboards were surfaced by hand for many decades before all of our elaborate power stuff came along. We're so far removed from those methods we generally don't even think of them until the power goes off. Personally, I'd work with the hand planes a bit before getting into the sanding. But, I suspect you're thinking like a boatbuilder now. The method you're describing sound some like fairing a boat hull. No?</font></div> <div dir=ltr> </div> <div dir=ltr> </div> <blockquote dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">Unless there are obvious flaws here, I suppose the way to go is "try it and see"! Am I on to a simple workable solution here? Or am I just treading water before I sink?</blockquote> <div dir=ltr><font color="#000080">So what if you do sink? The water's not deep--paddle ashore and start over. You sound like someone who actually learns from his mistakes. It won't take you long to work out a reasonable process you can then share with others.</font></div> <div dir=ltr> </div> <div dir=ltr> </div> <blockquote dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">How do others in the "one or two soundboards a year" shop do it? Thanks.</blockquote> <div dir=ltr><font color="#000080">My first soundboard panels were done mostly by hand. I used the table saw to rip my boards to width. I cleaned up the edges with a very shooting plane. I did have a small, but excellent (Inca), thickness planer to thickness the stock with. This was pretty expensive back then, but pretty good ones are available for just a few hundred bucks now. One of the table-top 12"ers will work just fine. (Run the boards through gentle at first--you want to find the grain slope and mark them for orientation.) I edge glued them with simple bar clamps--still do, though I've modified them a bit to get them to stay in place--and hand planed them to thickness with a variety of hand planes. Then sanded.</font></div> <div dir=ltr> </div> <div dir=ltr><font color="#000080">Go for it, and good luck.</font></div> <div dir=ltr> </div> <div dir=ltr><font color="#000080">Del</font></div> </blockquote> </blockquote> <p>-- <br>Greg Newell <br><A HREF="mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net">mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net</A> <br>  </body> </html>