Hammer Jigs

[Ron Nossaman]

At 12:02 PM 7/3/96 -0400, you wrote:
>Greetings all,
>
>I am working on an article for the Piano Technicians Journal on hammer
>hanging jigs. The only commercially available jigs I could find are the
>Spurlock and the Jaras (available through Shaff). Does anyone have experience
>with either of these jigs or would like to comment on hammer hanging jigs in
>general?
>
>John Hartman RPT
>pianocraft@aol.com
>
>
Hi John,

The jig I've had the best luck with consists of about a 4 inch wide strip of
1/2 to 3/4 inch maple or 1/4 inch aluminum with an 1/8 inch rabbit along one
edge, and a straightedge. I install the guide hammers at the end of each
section as usual. Then I clamp the rabbited strip to the bottom of the end
shanks so the edge is against the molding of the guide hammers. This serves
as an index for the rest of the moldings in this section with the rabbit
being clearance for the glue collar. The rest of the hammers are then hide
glued on, plumbed with a square from my bench top, and lined up with the
guide hammers by straightedge, and eyeball dead reckoning. Aluminum works
better than maple here, but a little wax rubbed into the rabbit will keep
the glue from sticking to maple and make the thing easier to fabricate in
the first place. I've used this setup for a number of years and find it to
be cheap, quick, accurate, and simple enough for me to work without a
manual. <G>

 Ron Nossaman