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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com
href="mailto:mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com">Farrell</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=pianotech@ptg.org
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> February 09, 2003 5:21 =
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: The Mother of all
Bellyrails</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#008080>I'm trying as hard as I can to picture this =
(semi-floating board), but don't think I'm there yet. This piano has =
an inner
rim? Rather than the board being glued to the inner rim, there is a =
liner -
perhaps much like an upright liner? Is this liner continuously glued =
to the
inner rim? Or how is the liner attached to the case? Then the board is =
attached to the liner, but only at 300 to 400 mm intervals. The blocks =
you
describe are clear in the picture, and they appear to be on the top =
side of
the board. So they are simply like wooden washers for the screws that =
hold the
board to the liner? So the board is in direct contact with the liner? =
In the
liner top surface in one contiguous plane? If so, is not the board =
glued to
the liner? Would this then make the board non-floating (much like a =
modern
board mount, only having a liner between inner rim and board)? Or does =
the
liner have little prominent (raised) areas at each block location, =
which would
then make the soundboard floating, but only attached at the block
locations.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#008080></FONT> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT color=#008080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>As I said,
semi-floating...see below. This is the treble inner rim. There is a =
ledge
running just inside the outer rim. The actual soundboard liner (still =
attached
to the soundboard) was attached only to the pads you see standing up on =
the
ledge. There was a 2 to 3 mm gap between the edge of the soundboard and =
the
outer rim all the way around the board. This pad arrangements also =
extends all
the way around the board, including across the bellyrail. Even though =
the plate
casting extended over the bellyrail and the front edge of the =
soundboard, it
does not make contact with the soundboard.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" =
color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080><IMG =
height=490 alt=""
hspace=0 src="cid:001301c2d05c$0ea72980$0100007f@delsmachine" =
width=641
align=baseline border=0></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" =
color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" =
color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
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style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
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<DIV><FONT color=#008080>So you are describing a .282" (or maybe =
.283" or
whatever would allow free rotation but little side play) hole =
drilled in
the plate for a .282" #2 pin - and of course, the block drilled with =
whatever
slightly smaller sized bit that would yield appropriate torque? Wow! =
What a
system! An open-faced pinblock with, instead of a veneer of fancy burl =
walnut,
a 1/4" or so veneer of iron! Why the heck not? The would get you way =
past the
Baldwin & Steinway quandary of no plate bushings, what about all =
these
jobs where some pins lean forward and rub on the plate, the =
unsupported extra
1/4" of tuning pin, etc.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#008080></FONT> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>More like =
about 3/8" of
iron -- but who's counting....</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" =
color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV><FONT color=#008080>I take it the inner rim is of sawn timbers? =
What is
the outer rim made of to get those squared-off corners? Any idea when =
this
beastie was made? 1880s or earlier from the 85 notes, but maybe much =
earlier
from the primitive action? This is perhaps one of the very early full =
plates
(where the plate fully covers the pinblock with the web?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#008080></FONT> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>The outer =
rim is laminated
maple. Probably. It is simply butt jointed at the corners.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" =
color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>I do not =
know when the
piano was built. I'm assuming mid- 1870s to 1880s. I've not yet found =
any
telling dates.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" =
color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"
color=#000080>Del</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>