[ Ref. David Fowler in 131105 MMDigest

I smiled a little when I read the part where the floor of his piano
was separated.  Chances are movers didn't do it.  Since the piano floor
is close to the home floor it can absorb more moisture than maybe the
rest of the piano and the glue joints could give out faster; witness
the separation at the bass bridge.

The bass bridge can be removed by loosening the strings and moving them
to one side.  Some say to lower the tension across the whole piano so
as not to put undue strain on the piano plate which may break if there
is some flaw in the casting.  Once the bridge apron is removed the
bridge can be glued and maybe even screwed to the apron again and the
whole assembly re-installed, but you have to be sure to get it back in
the same place exactly as it was originally installed.

If the bass bridge is still on the apron, you might think of drilling
screw holes through the sound board to glue and screw the apron to its
mounting board which is a small board maybe 3/8-inch thick.  Before you
put the glue on, to make sure the bridge is exactly where it needs to
be.  Then apply the glue and put in the screws that will act as clamps.

You might check to see if the original screws holding the apron to the
sound board can be replaced with longer screws that hold the bridge
too.  You might have to drill a pilot hole anyway because the bridge is
maple and it is almost impossible to just screw in a larger screw.

You will find the original screws in the same area as the bass bridge,
just hope they aren't behind the back beams.  You will still have to
lower the strings to a point where they are not pressing on the bridge
at all when you make the repair.  Check to see if the bridge is cracked
if you have it out -- it's much easier to repair the cracks on a table
top than in the piano even if it is laying on it's back unless you take
out the board holding the pedals in place too.

The reason I said I smiled was because I remembered rebuilding a
Seeburg KT for a customer here in Pittsburgh and he insisted that he
wanted to help, so I gave him the bottom board for the KT which was in
about four long pieces.  I said I was going to copy it in oak because
the oak looks a lot like chestnut.  I finish it naturally so the parts
stand out inside; it seems to look nicer, too, with orange shellac.

I waited for him to bring the completed floor back and he showed up
with four separate boards just like the four original boards that had
come apart <hehehe>.  I still wound up gluing the boards together using
dowels instead of a biscuit joiner.  I have since got a biscuit joiner
and now make my panels like that.  He didn't "help" anymore.

Tony Marsico
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania