Hello, friends,  My name is Mark Chester.  I have subscribed to MMD 
for about four months now, and I have submitted an occasional posting
about things when I could not contain myself (usually on a phonographic
topic.)  But I have deferred my formal introduction until now.  (I am
very introverted and usually keep quiet, but when I have something to
say that I am excited about, watch out -- I'm like an enthusiastic
child!)

I have collected records and phonographs from the 1899-1930 period
since age 13.  I love the music of that era and am fascinated by things
mechanical.  I worked at an amusement park within half a mile of my
house when I was in high school and college.  They have a 1909 Looff
mixed carousel there (which I operated for a few years,) but no band
organ.  But from the tapes, I discovered the instrument.  Since then, 
I have had an insatiable passion and curiosity for mechanical musical
instruments, particularly pneumatic, and most particularly band organs.
The bigger, the better.

Since then I have traveled within a few hours of my current home near
Valley Forge PA to listen to, and see, band organs.  Mostly trips to
Knoebels' Grove, Hersheypark, and Dorney Park.  But I have since
discovered Glen Echo Park, thanks to my friends Matthew and Bitten
Caulfield.  I had a delightful visit with them a week before Christmas,
before they left the Washington DC area, and I intend to make frequent
trips to see and hear that organ.  It's only a 5-hour round trip from
my house!

I studied Accounting in college and went to law school.  I am bar
admitted in two states, but I do not practice at all because I do not
like to argue with anyone, I find legal research uninteresting, and I
loathe lawyers.  Unfortunately, it has been taking me years to find my
bearings and make a change.  I gave up law to teach part-time at a
community college, with the hope of a full-time academic career.  

If I had my druthers, I'd make a career out of my interests, like
records, phonos, and mechanical music (I have passionately studied 
all of those areas and collect reference books on all of these fields,
something I have never been willing or able to do in my "chosen"
field.)  But I am not entrepreneurial; I don't like to take risks.
Thus, academics is a logical, "safe" career choice, which also allows
me the time flexibility to pursue the other interests for both fun and
profit.

At present, my finances are strained, and I have barely been able to
make ends meet for about seven years now.  But until June I am on a
temporary full-time basis with my college due to sabbaticals, so it is
a chance for me to catch up and have some fun (and financially support
MMD at last!)

Right now, my collection consists of several thousand 1899-1930 discs
and about 75 cylinders, nine spring motor disc players, one Edison
Standard model E 4-minute cylinder player, one 1923 Lester player
piano, about 500 88-note rolls, about 2,000 pieces of sheet music from
the period pre-1940, and about thirty feet of bookshelf full of titles
about records, phonographs, mechanical music, music (generally), and
movies, radio and television.

What I lack, and want most, is a band organ.  I realize that with
prices rising, and my income in the basement, I am not going to afford
one, let alone one of the larger ones.  So I have decided to build one,
and would ideally like it to be along the lines of a Wurlitzer 165
replica -- maybe an exact replica, but I'm not totally set on this yet.

I have been slowly gathering resource material, including Bob Stano-
szek's Wurlitzer 105 plans and Doyle Lane's pipe scales (both of which
I purchased about 10 years ago) and books like Audsley's "Art of Organ
Building" and Cockayne's "The Fairground Organ" which have been enlight-
ening.  I have single-handedly been restoring my circa 1890 house from
foundation to roof, and have refined my woodworking skills and built up
a decent workshop.  I am nothing short of a perfectionist.

(It took me 40 hours to strip the paint off of the interior trim of one
window, using dental picks and all.  Once I perfected the technique, 
I got it down to about 25 hours for each of the remaining 25 windows!)
Thus, I believe I have most of the basic woodworking skills and cer-
tainly the temperament and desire.  What I lack are detailed plans!  
I figure it will take me up to a couple of years to pull together all
of the information I need, and another 8 to 10 years of craftsmanship
to build it!

Thus, I have several detailed questions, which I will post later this
week.

Best regards,

Mark S. Chester
mschester@msn.com

 [ Welcome to MMD, Mark.  There's lots of interest now in the Wurlitzer
 [ 165 band organ; perhaps with the assistance of Matthew Caulfield and
 [ the experts we can publish the available data at the MMD web site.
 [ Good luck with the projects!  -- Robbie