Soundboard drydown for installation

[Richard Brekne]

I should think they would have plenty of crown.

This whole controversy between different board types is so overblown and 
so much taken out of context its really quite amusing at times.  A CC 
board which is kept in a reasonably appropriate climate for the amount 
of MC at rib time will last just as <<forever>> as any other type of 
board.  The killer octave area not withstanding.... which is in itself 
is really a different subject matter.  An RC board will also survive and 
perform quite well given a decent climate as will an RC & S board.  None 
are inherently superior in any general sense of the word then others.  
Most of the rhetoric just boils down to personal prejudice (in the 
neutral sense of the word).  The few basic bald facts that are laced in 
between all this are not always so easy to discern.. but slowly and 
surely one is able to. 

Id say that in Judes Climate CC or RC boards would be preferred.  And RC 
& S board would probably crack up in some short years... and tho it may 
be claimed that this does not affect the basic performance... a panel 
with  several gapping cracks looks pretty bad and will simply not be 
able to defend itself in the face of all the misunderstandings out there. 

Cheers
RicB


    Hmmm, well I like festivals, Maestro, but will there be floats...

     3.5 to 4% is the emc of choice for my CC friends. I've measured a
    few of these boards so far and surprisingly they have plenty of
    crown, probably coming from a combination of the forced crowning
    from the gobar deck and from the inner rim.

    Whereas I'm at 5%, rib supported. I have a wood conditioning room
    that senses RH and opens a relay that I can designate for
    humidification or dehumidification depending on the season, but in
    all honesty I let her ride down to 4% this time of year rather than
    put my board in a "wet box."

    I also machine a tongue and groove joint in my planks. Del Fandrich
    referred me to the government's Wood Handbook, which I read in
    parts. The text states that while this joint is stronger in theory
    because of the additional glue surface, the effect is often negated
    by poor machining. I make sure I'm getting a great joint on all five
    sides and these panels feel stiffer than side grain edge glued
    panels. Also the tongue and groove allows me to align the planks in
    such a way that you end up with a thicker panel overall, which I
    don't think can be refuted.

    Jude Reveley, RPT
    Absolute Piano Restoration, LLC
    Lowell, Massachusetts
    (978) 323-4545