Stephen Lewin's question about making pipes from MDF board will no
doubt send the organ purists into a state of apoplexy, but from my
own recent experience with my latest fair organ the results can be
extremely good.

Over the past fifteen years I have made many hundreds of pipes and
until now these had all been made of the finest wood I could lay my
hands on.  It occurred to me to try using 9 mm thick MDF for the large
bass pipes of my latest organ when I could not find enough suitable
spruce or pine at a price I could afford.

However, the upper and lower labia and the blocks were made of cherry
wood because close attention to detail and finish around the pipe
mouths is, of course, one of the real secrets of successful pipework.
There appeared to be no difference in the sound these MDF pipes made
compared with their wooden equivalents.

They were glued together with white resin woodworkers' glue in the
usual manner.  I thoroughly sealed the insides of the pipes with a
slightly diluted solution of the glue as usual, using my special
pipe-sizing brushes made from pieces of paint-pad attached to long
wooden handles.

One problem with Bourdons of MDF is the stoppers, which need to fit
quite tightly.  These can tend to split open the glued joints at the
end of the pipes since the material is in layers and the glue is less
effective on its "end grain".  Plenty of glue soaked into the MDF made
a stronger joint here.  It is also possible to drill tiny holes and glue
in wooden dowels made from cocktail sticks to give more strength at
these points.  Some of the pipes had mitre joints and these were
strengthened using shaped pieces of 2 mm. MDF glued on the outside of
the pipes.

The finished pipes were painted because I could not get a satisfactory
varnish finish due to glue residue staining the surfaces.  However, the
red painted pipes look well on the fair organ.  Yes, they are a lot
heavier than wooden pipes, but the organ is being installed in a hefty
trailer and the difference is not noticeable.

With best wishes to all from the heart of England

Bob Essex
Warwickshire, England