<HTML style="FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: AGaramond Bold"><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=windows-1251"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1522" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY> <P> <DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>William asked: "I'm going to be using (for the first time) pyralin blanks for a new set of</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>keytops instead of molded keytops. I'm curious what those of you who also</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>do this find to be the most expedient method of cutting the blanks; i.e. do</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>you cut the blanks into strips before doing anything else? Cut blanks into</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>sections and glue the sticks onto a section of blank "gang-style?"</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>Suggestions appreciated."</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>Respectfully,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>William R. Monroe</FONT></DIV></DIV> <DIV>William,</DIV> <DIV>I use pyraline (aka Ivorine) only. I purchase it in the 6" width strips. I've made a jig out of scrap butcher block material, a piece of angle iron, spacers and a steel stop underneath the angle iron. I use a soundboard shimming tool to scribe the pyralin. Then I just snap it off. It goes rather quickly. I know of two other ways to do this: 1. Use a heavy duty Paper Cutter. (I'm not real fond of this one, but it does work.<G>) 2. Use Metal Break with the appropriate stop for correct width. This works very well, but most of us don't have access to this humongous machine thingee.</DIV> <DIV>BTW, I make my blanks appox. 15/16" wide. This allows sufficient excess that will allow minor boo-boos in clamping w/o too much "re-do".<G> YMMV</DIV> <DIV>Also, I have two 6 space Oslund Clamping jigs. For a while I only had the one and it was really slow! grrr! And, I use PVC-E so's the job doesn't come back to bite me in the butt!<G></DIV> <DIV>Once, you get used to Pyralin, you'll never use that "moulde" crap again, IMO.</DIV> <DIV>Regards,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Joe Garrett, R.P.T. (Oregon)</DIV> <DIV>Captain, Tool Police</DIV> <DIV>Squares R I</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <P></P></BODY></HTML>