Harp Shell Nears Completion

The stave harp shell that I am building is nearly completed. First the ends were trimmed to match the base and cap. Then three braces were constructed and epoxied into place. Finally the shelf for the soundboard was installed.All that remains is installing several screws to the stricture for added strength, and to cut out the sound holes.

Harp Shell Progress.

The base and the cap for the shell have been fitted in preparation for permanent installation. Six blocks were installed on the staves to add additional strength to the base of the shell. The fitting of the base and cap was rather interesting because of the multiple angles required. Epoxie will be used for the installation as it will provide good strength and gap filling ability.

Harp Stave Shell #2

Taking the lessons learned from shell#1 failure, I made shell #2 today. Still not perfect, but improved from #1. The following changes were made:
The thickness of the staves was increased from 1/4" to 5/16"
Stave #1 and #10 were cut to 3/4" end to end with outside edge at 90 degrees
Inside cauls were employed
Less tension was put on tape across the grain
The end dimensions across the top seem to be good, and the base is now closer to the desired depth. Now it's time to build the bottom panel, and bracing.

Stave Back Harp

I have begun jigging up to build my second harp. I am planning to adapt the plans for a Regency harp to accommodate a stave back. This appeals to me because a rounded back is more comfortable to play, and using staves allows you to do some interesting with matching grain and figure of the wood. My first attempt was fairly successful in the glue up stage as you can see by the photos. Unfortunately, I learned an important lesson today the hard way. It is important to do the internal bracing first before you try cutting the back to size and shape. The last photo shows what happens when you don't....disaster. The bandsaw blade shattered the entire shell into many pieces. If at first you don't succeed, try again!

Steinway A Veneering Complete

After the checks were veneered, I also put new veneer on the top of the rim. This is much easier as it is a flat surface. The original veneer was removed by a previous refinisher, and not replaced. Also the rim edges were rounded excessively, which required some repair to the rim. The completed reveneering task is very rewarding and makes for a professional repair that was left undone by a previous rebuilder.

Steinway A Re-veneering

The Steinway A had some very poor body work done on it by a previous rebuilder. All the edges of the case were severely rounded. To repair this mistake, I have removed the edge veneer, filled the sides with polyester filler, and then applied new veneer. The cheeks were the first to be done. You work from the bottom and work up so that the top layer covers the top edge of the veneer below. Clamping is a bit tricky. The pics show you how I accomplish the clamping of tightbond II extend glue.

Mason BB Returned to ESU

This week brought to near completion the Mason BB project. It was returned to ESU with the plate removed. The elevator to the second floor is too small to fit the piano unless it was turned on it's front edge, which is extremely difficult with the weight of the plate in the piano, hence the piano was returned with the plate removed. That meant that we had to reassemble the piano after it was in place in the teaching studio. I spent two days in E. Stroudsburg stringing the pianos and installing the dampers. I will need to make one final trip to fine regulate the dampers after the action work is completed.