<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 5.50.4134.600" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE 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 title=Erwinspiano@AOL.COM href="mailto:Erwinspiano@AOL.COM">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> July 11, 2002 11:01 = PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Bridge = design</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 = face="Times New Roman" size=3 FAMILY="SERIF">.</FONT><FONT lang=0 = style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face=Arial color=#000000 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"> <DIV style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px = solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px" TYPE="CITE"></FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: = #ffffff" face="Times New Roman" color=#000080 size=3 FAMILY="SERIF">Our = own experience bears this out. We've been using laminated Sitka spruce ribs for many = years and our direct comparative tests have not indicated that they are any = stiffer than comparable solid Sitka spruce ribs. They do have many = characteristics we find to be desirable, but greater stiffness is not one of them.         = Del</FONT></DIV><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face="Times New Roman" = color=#000080 size=3 FAMILY="SERIF"></FONT></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 = style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face="Times New Roman" color=#000080 size=3 FAMILY="SERIF"></FONT></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 = style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face="Times New Roman" color=#000080 size=3 = FAMILY="SERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans"></FONT> </DIV> <DIV style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px = solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px" TYPE="CITE"><BR><BR>  </FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face="Times New Roman" = color=#000080 size=3 FAMILY="SERIF"><BR>Del<BR>      Then why go = thru the trouble of laminating ribs except it's a good use of otherwise = unusable spruce or the design characteristics are vastly superior. It's a good deal = more work</FONT></DIV> <DIV style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px = solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px" TYPE="CITE"><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face="Times New Roman" color=#000080 size=3 = FAMILY="SERIF"><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face="Times New Roman" = color=#000080 size=3 FAMILY="SERIF"></FONT><FONT face="Lucida = Sans"></FONT><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face="Times New Roman" = color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SERIF"><I>     </FONT><FONT = lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face="Times New Roman" = color=#000080 size=3 FAMILY="SERIF"></I> Since no one asked the obvious question earlier = there must be some very </FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" = face="Times New Roman" color=#000080 size=3 = FAMILY="SERIF">desireable attributes to laminated ribs to compel one to do this routinely. For = me the jury still's still out.</FONT><FONT lang=0 = style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face="Times New Roman" color=#000080 size=3 FAMILY="SERIF"><BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0 = style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SERIF">      </FONT><FONT = lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face="Times New Roman" = color=#000080 size=3 FAMILY="SERIF"> So far all I can determine with my limited = experience with Glue </FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face="Times New Roman" color=#000080 size=3 = FAMILY="SERIF">Lam. ribs is that, when I've done this I've laminated three or four pieces of quartered sitka in my soundboard press. Instant 60ft crown glued in, = but the process is a bit messy. I thought that the ribs seem to be more = uniformly stiff though.<BR>  Also the rib is uniformly thick like old  = flat ribs only nicely bent into an arch/arc negating the cutting of the = ribs radius unless a different one is desired.</FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face="Times New Roman" = color=#000080 size=3 FAMILY="SERIF"></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: = 0px"><BR>          &nbs= p;  Laminated ribs</FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: = #ffffff" face="Times New Roman" color=#000080 size=3 FAMILY="SERIF"> = aren't thicker in the middle than on the ends as are crown/radius cut ribs. Desirable or = not? Dunno yet.<BR>  I didn't find the ones that I did too have any = better tone than the no laminated boards. I've also Found that white spruce = to be far stiffer and more uniformly stiff than Sitka (which seems to vary = greatly). Hmm another reason to laminate.<BR>       = Any secrets left. Don't feel = obligated<BR>.         &nbsp= ;            =           Dale Erwin</FONT></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Consistency. Uniformity. Stability. And a = pre-determined and predictable crown radius -- we mold the various radii into the rib = as it is being laminated.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Del</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>