OK, with the Memorial Day projects in the books, back to the piano.   Daughter came over today and we scoped out options and dimensions.   She would like to keep the whole frame and not just put a base molding on like I'd planned.  So legs. 

 

Removed the soundboard, then discovered there was a sub-frame that's about 1.5" thick below it.   That complicates getting shelving in unless I just make the whole thing shallower.  "Sherman, set the Wayback machine to ...".

 

 

  

Even gutted like it is, I'll bet that thing still weighs a pound or 2.

43 minutes ago, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

Even gutted like it is, I'll bet that thing still weighs a pound or 2.

Yeah, my wife said the two of us probably can't get it down the steps to the shop and to make the shelves removable so that we can get it up the steps at my daughter's house.  The sound board probably didn't weigh 3 or 4 lb.

2 hours ago, kmealy said:

Removed the soundboard, then discovered there was a sub-frame that's about 1.5" thick below it.   That complicates getting shelving in unless I just make the whole thing shallower.

 

Probably has a lot to do with holding the shape too.  The model picture you posted has shallow shelves.

 

Well, with a lot of the other stuff (including a week trip out of town) out of the way, I got the carcass stripped of the old finish today.  When I get the truck or van empty, I need to get some plywood for the back panel and get it into the shop and scratch my head designing layout for the shelves and which pieces left over I can use for them.   The inside dimension is 55", so I need to also decide how to lay out the plywood and how to hide the ugly parts where the keys, hammers and harp was attached.

 

A friend and I got it carried down to the shop this week.  I used a "hump strap" and took the heavy end.   Scoping out the shelf layout now.    

 

I was having trouble finding reasonably priced plywood for the back panel.  Then looking at a supplier's price list and inventory, it occurred to me that Baltic birch would work better than the 4x8 sheets i was looking at because I need to span 55 inches. in both directions.   

 

I got the "lid" ripped down to shelf widths and started glue up of edge banding strips.  They'll need to be stripped after final cuts.  

 

My initial thought was to use shelf pins so the shelves would not need to be attached before delivery/install (again to save weight).  But now I think cleats will work better as some of them will need to be on the curved sections.

Well, among other shortages, Baltic birch plywood is out in most places (I called 4) and they are having problems getting in.  I wanted 1/4" and they were out of that and 3/8", so stuck with 1/2" and got one of the last 3 pieces.  At least it wasn't triple the usual price.

On 4/18/2021 at 10:36 AM, Gene Howe said:

I wonder if their methods have stayed the same in the years since that was made. John Steinway, the narrator, passed in '89. I hope they haven't succumbed to automation and outsourcing. 

I am guessing that a lot of the parts are now cut and drilled by CNC rather than jigs and fixtures.   One interesting thing I see is that every wooden part has a number, either penciled in or stamped.  Each of the "levers" for the piano keys was slightly different to account for the curves and positions of the strings.

 

But... I'm making progress.  Almost everything has been stripped, edge banded, cut and ready for final sanding, finishing and assembly, not necessarily in that order.  I was trying to figure out what to do with where the keyboard was because when you go up the steps where it will reside, you'll see that.  I cleaned it up with sanding and I think it will be fine with some stain.

 

I've got to figure out the leg position, height and configuration yet.  I've got some 2.25" square butternut that I think will become the back legs, since a piano only has three legs that would be a bit tippy for a bookcase.

 

I've got to make it so that it's not completely assembled until on site so that we can carry it up my stairs and up at the destination.   

 

Are those shelves the perpendicular to the direction of the ones in the inspiration pic? It looks like the keyboard will the bottom.

Edited June 30, 20215 yr by Fred W. Hargis Jr

23 minutes ago, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

Are those shelves the perpendicular to the direction of the ones in the inspiration pic? It looks like the keyboard will the bottom.

Yes, the keys were trash, so they will not be in the final result.  The bookcase will be in a different orientation than the photo back several pages ago.  Among other reasons, the wall that it's going on has a thermostat that I needed to avoid and other critical width dimensions.

 

It will be similar to this one, with a different shelf layout and different legs.  She also wants the pedals underneath.

 

Edited June 30, 20215 yr by kmealy

Nice looking Keith.  How wide are the shelves?  They look plenty wide enough for books and such.  I like the design.

Personally I think I like the new orientation even better, that will be really nice.

Edited July 1, 20215 yr by Fred W. Hargis Jr

It's gonna be a great piece, Keith. I'll be interested to see how you incorporate the pedals. 

36 minutes ago, Gene Howe said:

It's gonna be a great piece, Keith. I'll be interested to see how you incorporate the pedals. 

ditto.  Danl

Just a bit of time to do some work today.   Got the 1/4" hard maple retainer strips heated in water and bent to the curves.  Yes, I had enough clamps, just.  Will let dry over night, then re-install all the shelves and trim to fit.  They will hold the back panel in and hide the joint.     Got some pocket holes drilled for the bottom shelf.  Legs cut down a few inches to make the height as desired.  I believe I'll be able to mount the pedals by screwing two 2x4 segments and mounting to that.  Next I'll have to strip the finish off the legs and pedal mount and polish the brass pedals and some of the other hardware with Brasso.

 

 

Are you trying to tell us, in the last pic, that that's a "hot" tool box?

On 7/3/2021 at 6:44 PM, Gene Howe said:

Are you trying to tell us, in the last pic, that that's a "hot" tool box?

It's what I use to heat Shaker box sides in water prior to bending to an oval shape.  I let the forms in boiling water for about 10 minutes.

Now, I understand. Thanks, Keith.

Well, it's coming along.   Two coats of shellac, glazing where needed, some burn-in and veneer repairs on the chip  outs,  and 3-5 coats of wipe on varnish on the parts.  Might do a few more coats of varnish on the top o the shelves and double check the carcass finish.  Next step is to finalize the legs and pedal placement on the bottom.   Daughter is out of town for the next week and hope to have it ready to deliver and install when she gets back and life returns to normal for her.

 

Still waiting on help to move.   The neighbor that was going to help has COVID running thru the home.  Wife is an MD, but they picked it up on vacation in TN.