The Mother of all Bellyrails

[Farrell]

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Del wrote:
Now, you would think, with all this massive plate and belly structure =
(the three longitudinal bellybraces are fully 100 mm x 150 mm) the idea =
would be to provide a solid foundation for the soundboard. But, no, the =
soundboard is semi-floating on a liner approximately 15 mm tall by about =
35 or 40 mm wide. It is attached only every 300 or 400 mm. You might be =
able to make out the small wood blocks with screws--there are five of =
them--along the bass side. That's how the entire soundboard is =
mounted--including underneath that massive plate structure.

I'm trying as hard as I can to picture this (semi-floating board), but =
don't think I'm there yet. This piano has an inner rim? Rather than the =
board being glued to the inner rim, there is a liner - perhaps much like =
an upright liner? Is this liner continuously glued to the inner rim? Or =
how is the liner attached to the case? Then the board is attached to the =
liner, but only at 300 to 400 mm intervals. The blocks you describe are =
clear in the picture, and they appear to be on the top side of the =
board. So they are simply like wooden washers for the screws that hold =
the board to the liner? So the board is in direct contact with the =
liner? In the liner top surface in one contiguous plane? If so, is not =
the board glued to the liner? Would this then make the board =
non-floating (much like a modern board mount, only having a liner =
between inner rim and board)? Or does the liner have little prominent =
(raised) areas at each block location, which would then make the =
soundboard floating, but only attached at the block locations.

What an interesting piano for sure! I have always thought the largely =
unsupported flat bellyrail of modern grands to be a big design drawback =
when compared to an upright that can have a big plate flange (much like =
on your Chickering) against the bellyrail/liner, as well as the pinblock =
on the other side of that. But this design gets you that full plate =
support for the bellyrail. Can you think of a single drawback to this =
design? Seems to me it only has positives going for it (except cost of =
production???)?

...........the tuning pin holes are size-on-size with the tuning pins.

So you are describing a .282" (or maybe .283" or whatever would allow =
free rotation but little side play) hole drilled in the plate for a =
.282" #2 pin - and of course, the block drilled with whatever slightly =
smaller sized bit that would yield appropriate torque? Wow! What a =
system! An open-faced pinblock with, instead of a veneer of fancy burl =
walnut, a 1/4" or so veneer of iron! Why the heck not? The would get you =
way past the Baldwin & Steinway quandary of no plate bushings, what =
about all these jobs where some pins lean forward and rub on the plate, =
the unsupported extra 1/4" of tuning pin, etc.

I take it the inner rim is of sawn timbers? What is the outer rim made =
of to get those squared-off corners? Any idea when this beastie was =
made? 1880s or earlier from the 85 notes, but maybe much earlier from =
the primitive action? This is perhaps one of the very early full plates =
(where the plate fully covers the pinblock with the web?

I love the way the plate front curves and fits into the massive =
stretcher. Looks like rosewood veneers?

Thanks for the peek at this piano.

Terry Farrell

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