<HTML style="FONT-SIZE: x-small; FONT-FAMILY: MS Sans Serif"><HEAD> <META charset=US-ASCII http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1400" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff"> <DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif">Why not just replace the faux cut off with a real cut off bar?The idea of the maple stick was to, perhaps, tie the ribs together to prevent oppositional movement in the bass corner and stiffen the assembly in that section.  Wouldn't installing a real cut off bar both shorten those long ribs enough to stiffen them as well as place the bridge more in the middle of the board where it can function more efficiently?  (Have we been down this road before :-))</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> <DIV>David Love</DIV> <DIV><A href="mailto:davidlovepianos@earthlink.net">davidlovepianos@earthlink.net</A></DIV> <DIV> </DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt Arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=Erwinspiano@aol.com href="mailto:Erwinspiano@aol.com"></A></DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To: </B><A title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A></DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> 6/17/2004 7:12:11 AM </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Stwy B boards</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT size=2> <DIV><FONT size=3>   Perhaps a point of interest.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>   I'm currently putting boards in 2 Stwy Bs. One is a 20's piano & the other an 1895ish.  Any one who has looked at the bottom of the B has seen no cut off bar but some amount of ribs that are whittled done significantly in the bass corner with a flat maple stick running between them. It has printed on it pulsator bar. patent 1878. No one has ever been able to explain what the thing is for & in my mind promotes a significant loss of stiffness.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>   I've always wondered what it was really for but in my mind it is useless. for any reason I can see or hear. Oddly the older board had 14 ribs with the extra one in the treble end, It had only 3 whittled down ribs & appeared to me from a design point of view the stiffer idea. The 20's one had <STRONG>5!! ribs</STRONG> whittled down with only 13 ribs total. I suspect this board has been flat a really looonngg time.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>   The 1911 B & it's board I just sold & delivered was made without the whittled down ribs. I ran the ribs full length to the bass corner with the usual scallop. I have to say the sound was as good as any I've ever heard & am convinced the extra crown support is far more important than the devices purpose which is unknown & apparently unheard.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>  Cheers</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>    Dale</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>  </FONT></DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>