Hi all,
With one exception, the parts we will be adding today are decorative. The moldings are ¼” thick and have a profile routed onto their faces. The exception is the jackrail. This is a strip of wood about ¾” thick with a wide dado cut into its bottom surface. This strip (jackrail) hangs directly over the jacks in the gap (see Part 8 for discussion of the gap). When the player depresses a key, the jack rises and the plectra plucks the string. The jack would continue to rise and fly out of the instrument except that it hits the jackrail which stops its upwards movement. Heavy cloth is glued into the dado on the bottom surface of the jackrail to cushion and silence this collision. Enough said ..... let’s get to it.
Let’s start by making the jackrail which is 2 ½” wide by a little less than ¾” thick. After preparing the blank, we rout the molding profile on the two upper surface edges.
On the bottom surface we rout a centered 1 ¾” wide dado. The recessed section in front of the dado is ¼” thick (the thickness of the moldings we will use) and will rest on the case sides.
Next we rout the profile into the surface of the molding strips. For safety, the profile is routed into a wide board and then cut into ¼” strips on the tablesaw. The next photo shows the routing process.
Next the stock is on the tablesaw with my strip jig set to ¼”. (Click here to read about this jig.) The strip is cut off and then the process repeats until enough strips have been cut.
The moldings around the perimeter of the case are all mitered where they meet. The nameboard and jackrail which are 90 degrees to the cheek and spine and will need a profile on two edges The nameboard molding is the more interesting problem. Let’s take a closer look at the molding profile we’re using.
The left-most 3/16” has no profile (it’s a full ¼” thick). The remainding 5/16” has the profile. Add the two dimensions together and you get the ½” width of the total molding. The nameboard is ½” thick. Since we need a profile on both sides of this molding, the total width of this molding must be 13/16”. If we glue this molding onto the top of the nameboard the front 5/16” will be unsupported.
So we’ll glue a 5/16” strip of wood to the front edge of the nameboard to support this molding. The next photo shows this strip being glued onto the front of the nameboard – clamped by my favorite clamp...... Duct Tape.
Next, we figure out the miter angles, cut them, and check to make certain they fit. In the case of the jackrail and nameboard, which are perpendicular to the sides, we have to cut into the side moldings as the next photo shows. This is done on the scroll saw and a lot of work with sandpaper and small files to get the fit right.
Here’s a photo of the jackrail molding cut into the cheek molding. The two moldings don’t quite touch each other because the jackrail must be removable so a little clearance is left between the two parts.
At this point, all of the moldings have been cut and dry fit. Did I say ALL of the moldings have been cut? Not quite. As you can see in the next photo, there is no molding on the curved bentside. This molding is soaking in water to make it pliable. The next step is to try to make this molding bend to match the curve of the bentside.
After an overnight soaking in water, we cut the miter at the cheek end and clamp and tape the molding in position on the bentside. The breakage rate is pretty high so I’ve soaked 4 of them just in case. In this case, the first try bent without breaking so we’ll let it dry in place for several hours. Here’s the wet strip drying in position.
While this piece dries, we’ll glue the rest of the moldings down. Since they’ve already been pre-fit, this goes quickly. The last piece to be glued in the once-wet bentside molding. This one takes real clamps – and a lot of them.
Now we have to secure the jackrail to the case so that it can’t move during playing but is removable for servicing the instrument. On the right end of the jackrail we will use a small hook which fits into a small hook-eye that is screwed into the case. We can’t just screw the hook on top of it because the lid (which we will make later) has to close and it would hit the hook. So we have to make a recess in the jackrail so the hook can be recessed into it. There are probably several ways to do this, but the next photo shows how I do it.
Step 1 – draw the outline of the recess onto the jackrail
Step 2 – drill a 3/8” hole at the top of the triangle
Step 3– cut out the triangle on the scrollsaw
Step 4 – Place a piece of wood 3/16” thinner than the cut-out piece under the jackrail and trace the shape of the missing piece onto it. Cut it out slightly oversized and sand/file to fit.
Step 5 – Glue the new piece in with its top surface 3/16” below the top surface of the jackrail. Bingo – a nicely recessed home for the hook.
The other end of the jackrail is much simpler. We drill two small holes into the end of the jackrail and two matching holes in the spine side of the case. We put two small pins in the holes in the jackrail. When the jackrail is placed into the harpsichord, the pins slip into the holes in the spine and immobilize that end of the jackrail. The next photo shows these pins in the end of the jackrail.
Here’s a photo of the hook-eye that the hook will mate with.
Finally, we need a hook. For the past several years, I’ve been making my own hooks out of 1/8” brass bar. Here’s a picture of the hook installed into the jackrail recess.
It’s a little difficult to show photos of the finished moldings because they don’t show up well without paint. The profile sections are usually gold or, depending on budget considerations, gold leafed. The flat section is painted whatever color the instrument will be. The contrast makes the moldings show up well. For now, here’s a few closeups of the moldings and miters.
We’re now 5 weeks into this project. Are we having fun yet?
Till next time,
Ernie
Part 1 - The Keyboard Part 2 -Keyboard con't. Part 3 - Keyboard con't. Part 4 - The Case (Bentside) Part 5 - Case Bottom Part 6 - Case Sides Part 7 - The Lower Braces Part 8 - Case Finished Part 9 - Building the Registers Part 10 - The Stand Part 11 - Jackrail & Moldings
Part 12 - The Music Desk Part 13 - Building the Bench
With one exception, the parts we will be adding today are decorative. The moldings are ¼” thick and have a profile routed onto their faces. The exception is the jackrail. This is a strip of wood about ¾” thick with a wide dado cut into its bottom surface. This strip (jackrail) hangs directly over the jacks in the gap (see Part 8 for discussion of the gap). When the player depresses a key, the jack rises and the plectra plucks the string. The jack would continue to rise and fly out of the instrument except that it hits the jackrail which stops its upwards movement. Heavy cloth is glued into the dado on the bottom surface of the jackrail to cushion and silence this collision. Enough said ..... let’s get to it.
Let’s start by making the jackrail which is 2 ½” wide by a little less than ¾” thick. After preparing the blank, we rout the molding profile on the two upper surface edges.
On the bottom surface we rout a centered 1 ¾” wide dado. The recessed section in front of the dado is ¼” thick (the thickness of the moldings we will use) and will rest on the case sides.
Next we rout the profile into the surface of the molding strips. For safety, the profile is routed into a wide board and then cut into ¼” strips on the tablesaw. The next photo shows the routing process.
Next the stock is on the tablesaw with my strip jig set to ¼”. (Click here to read about this jig.) The strip is cut off and then the process repeats until enough strips have been cut.
The moldings around the perimeter of the case are all mitered where they meet. The nameboard and jackrail which are 90 degrees to the cheek and spine and will need a profile on two edges The nameboard molding is the more interesting problem. Let’s take a closer look at the molding profile we’re using.
The left-most 3/16” has no profile (it’s a full ¼” thick). The remainding 5/16” has the profile. Add the two dimensions together and you get the ½” width of the total molding. The nameboard is ½” thick. Since we need a profile on both sides of this molding, the total width of this molding must be 13/16”. If we glue this molding onto the top of the nameboard the front 5/16” will be unsupported.
So we’ll glue a 5/16” strip of wood to the front edge of the nameboard to support this molding. The next photo shows this strip being glued onto the front of the nameboard – clamped by my favorite clamp...... Duct Tape.
Next, we figure out the miter angles, cut them, and check to make certain they fit. In the case of the jackrail and nameboard, which are perpendicular to the sides, we have to cut into the side moldings as the next photo shows. This is done on the scroll saw and a lot of work with sandpaper and small files to get the fit right.
Here’s a photo of the jackrail molding cut into the cheek molding. The two moldings don’t quite touch each other because the jackrail must be removable so a little clearance is left between the two parts.
At this point, all of the moldings have been cut and dry fit. Did I say ALL of the moldings have been cut? Not quite. As you can see in the next photo, there is no molding on the curved bentside. This molding is soaking in water to make it pliable. The next step is to try to make this molding bend to match the curve of the bentside.
After an overnight soaking in water, we cut the miter at the cheek end and clamp and tape the molding in position on the bentside. The breakage rate is pretty high so I’ve soaked 4 of them just in case. In this case, the first try bent without breaking so we’ll let it dry in place for several hours. Here’s the wet strip drying in position.
While this piece dries, we’ll glue the rest of the moldings down. Since they’ve already been pre-fit, this goes quickly. The last piece to be glued in the once-wet bentside molding. This one takes real clamps – and a lot of them.
Now we have to secure the jackrail to the case so that it can’t move during playing but is removable for servicing the instrument. On the right end of the jackrail we will use a small hook which fits into a small hook-eye that is screwed into the case. We can’t just screw the hook on top of it because the lid (which we will make later) has to close and it would hit the hook. So we have to make a recess in the jackrail so the hook can be recessed into it. There are probably several ways to do this, but the next photo shows how I do it.
Step 1 – draw the outline of the recess onto the jackrail
Step 2 – drill a 3/8” hole at the top of the triangle
Step 3– cut out the triangle on the scrollsaw
Step 4 – Place a piece of wood 3/16” thinner than the cut-out piece under the jackrail and trace the shape of the missing piece onto it. Cut it out slightly oversized and sand/file to fit.
Step 5 – Glue the new piece in with its top surface 3/16” below the top surface of the jackrail. Bingo – a nicely recessed home for the hook.
The other end of the jackrail is much simpler. We drill two small holes into the end of the jackrail and two matching holes in the spine side of the case. We put two small pins in the holes in the jackrail. When the jackrail is placed into the harpsichord, the pins slip into the holes in the spine and immobilize that end of the jackrail. The next photo shows these pins in the end of the jackrail.
Here’s a photo of the hook-eye that the hook will mate with.
Finally, we need a hook. For the past several years, I’ve been making my own hooks out of 1/8” brass bar. Here’s a picture of the hook installed into the jackrail recess.
It’s a little difficult to show photos of the finished moldings because they don’t show up well without paint. The profile sections are usually gold or, depending on budget considerations, gold leafed. The flat section is painted whatever color the instrument will be. The contrast makes the moldings show up well. For now, here’s a few closeups of the moldings and miters.
We’re now 5 weeks into this project. Are we having fun yet?
Till next time,
Ernie
Part 1 - The Keyboard Part 2 -Keyboard con't. Part 3 - Keyboard con't. Part 4 - The Case (Bentside) Part 5 - Case Bottom Part 6 - Case Sides Part 7 - The Lower Braces Part 8 - Case Finished Part 9 - Building the Registers Part 10 - The Stand Part 11 - Jackrail & Moldings
Part 12 - The Music Desk Part 13 - Building the Bench
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