soundboardinstal

[Ron Nossaman]

>After being disapointed whit the construction of a Pleyelsoundboard copied
>by Tonewood,
>(it needed a lot of adjustments: cutoff bar missing, ribs not fitting in
>mortises) , we decided to make the next one ourselves.
>So first step : compare informationdata before procedure, sounds rather like
>softwarethingthinking :-) anyway here's the question:
>my  partner Marek had an explanation from some polish friends:
>this should be an old but very precise  procedure to create or copy a
>soundboard:

Danny,
Like most old but very precise procedures, there are some casual 
assumptions made and rather large gaps in the needed information.


>first calculate or copy and shape the ribs, adjust and put  them theight
>into the mortises of the rim.

Assuming that you know what you want (including the number and placement of 
ribs, bridges, and cutoff bar), why you want it, and how to calculate it, 
or assuming that what was there originally is really what you want to put 
back in, and deciding on your crowning method (and why you want it done 
that way), regardless of what was in the original - yes. So far, the old 
but very precise method covers a whole lot of ground.


>second: make a panel and adjust it to fit into the rim, put it in and with
>pencil draw the position of the ribs on the panel.
>Take panel and ribs out and glue them together in the crown you want.

With the panel dried down for the entire process, I presume.


>  Or meaby instead of the real panel make first a fake one you need  to draw
>the position of the ribs on and copy this figures to the final panel which
>size will reduce once it's crowned which you have to take in account.
>Once the soundboard glued in you can tapper and glue small hardwoodshims
>around between soundboard and rim, or fill it up with some epoxy.

It's quicker and easier to work directly with the panel, rather than a 
pattern. And you don't have to worry about filling any gap between the 
panel edge and the outer rim. It's utterly unimportant acoustically or 
structurally, and the only reason to fill it might be for looks. You have a 
means to glue the ribs to the panel, I presume?

Ron N