<HTML>In a message dated 11/24/2002 12:23:50 AM Pacifi= c Standard Time, pianobuilders@olynet.com writes:          Del Writes <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE= style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0p= x; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">Come on, Dale, you know better than that. Sure, gluing= the board to the rim makes it act like a clamped-edge diaphragm, but wood i= s still awfully thin wood and it still bends under load. Especially so when = the load is essentially across-grain and most of it is along the bent side o= r at roughly a 45º angle as most of it is along the bellyrail and the stra= ight side. And along the bass curve, well, who cares?       <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-L= EFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">Also the board is often thin= ned down to as little as .250 at the edges so undue stress once again not de= sired. The 1 and 1/2 degerees typically found in the rim joint could as prac= ticallity or compromise be reduced to half that and this angle would more li= kely conform to the residual crown angle after stringing</BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE>    &nbs= p;            = And, that's pretty much my poi= nt.              Del-            My point though= (lame is) that there is a cohesive stiffening factor when the whole things = glued up to the rim though. I have no major investment in the idea of the sp= ruce panel itself being glued down as being more than a small factor in the = whole stiffness equation.           I'm completely lucid about = the idea of the majority of the stiffness coming from the ribs stiffness via= materials & design but the whole unit is stiffer when the rib ends can'= t move any more being glued to the rim that is it not?      Well then another perhaps faulty thought comes to m= ind and it doesn't necessarily support my previous statement.  Why not = just adopt the Charles Fredrick Stein concept of leaving the rib ends thick = and just glue them to the a notched liner.  Heck forget the notch and g= lue them right on top of the rim? Anyway this leaves the thin soundboard edg= e unclamped/unglued around a majority of the board except at the belly rail = and around the first part of the treble curve. He probably didn't thin the e= dge either come to think on it.    The one I heard ,a six footer, produced a very beautiful musica= l sound. Though different I enjoyed it immensely.  Viva la difference ,= what do we know ,so many things work, or not.         Regards -- Dale Erwin<FONT= COLOR="#000080" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=2 FAMILY="S= CRIPT" FACE="Comic Sans MS" LANG="0"> <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE= style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0p= x; PADDING-LEFT: 5px"> <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE= style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0p= x; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">   </BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE> </HTML>