Laminates

[Tim Keenan & Rebecca Counts]

Ronald W. Murray wrote:
> 
> Is it common to find laminated parts on old upright pianos? I have
> an old Francis-Bacon that I bought for $20. I estimate around 50
> years old. I'm sure it's a cheap instrument... but I was surprised to
> see some of the panels laminated as opposed to just solid pieces.
> 
> Was this common practice?

On the contrary, I don't think I have ever seen a piano built out of "solid wood". Perhaps some of the list 
members who specialize in instruments from the 18th and 19th century know of some.

 There seems to be some sort of mythical perception in the (non-woodworking) population at large that SOLID = 
GOOD, VENEER = BAD. Indeed, veneering has been a highly valued art since at least the 18th century.

There are good, solid structural engineering-type reasons for using it, besides the fact that you simply cannot 
achieve the same visual effects with solid wood which can be achieved with veneers.

On older pianos (and I would not count a 50-year old piano as particularly old), most of the panels were made 
of what was called "lumber-core" plywood--panels of narrow, edge-laminated boards of a relatively 
dimensionally-stable species, usually running in the long dimension of the piece in question, with a cross-band 
veneer of utility wood across the grain, and another, finish-grade veneer of a cabinet wood on the surfaces, 
parallel to the grain of the core--usually mahogany, walnut, or oak on older instruments, although a less 
valuable veneer such as birch would sometimes be used on the inner surfaces.  This has been true of most fine 
cabinet construction for most of the last two centuries.  The important factor is that lumber-core panels, and 
to a greater extent, plywood, particle core, and MDF core board, have far greater dimensional stability than 
does solid wood. This minimizes the natural tendency of solid wood to warp, cup, and split in response to 
variations in relative humidity.  Raised-panel construction, which has solid-wood panels with edges tapered to 
about 1/4 inch free-floating in dadoed frames, is one way of getting around the problem, but it does not lend 
itself well to piano construction.



Hope this information satisfies your curiosity.

Tim Keenan
Noteworthy Piano Service
Terrace, BC