Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19
Continued from page 9

The cabinetmaker is one of the most i'm
portant skilled workers in piano factory
He must not only give the graceful curves
to the cases, and veneer the parts together
SO that there will not be a thousandth of an
inch difference in the edges and grain effects;
but he must cut, carve and bore SO carefully
that every part will fit together in dustproof
snugness. Take the boring of the holes in
the sounding board for the tuning pins.
These pins are sunk in the board, and the
wires then wound round them, SO that in
tuning the pull is enormous The tug of the
wires would wear the holes larger within
few weeks if the utmost skill was not exercised
in constructing them. The holes are bored
with mathematical precision, SO that at all
sides the pins fit closely. In addition to this
the board is made of several strips of wood,
arranged SO that the grains run opposite, in
order to grip and hold the pins. Only the
best caEinetmakers can work on this part
of the piano. Pianos twenty year old have
been taken apart, and the holes for the tuning
pins showed no percepti5le wear, although
the friction and tension in those twenty
years must have been enormous.
Putting Parts Together
NHEN the different parts of the piano
puts them in their right position. All are
found to fit snugly and closely in place, and
an expert assembler can build piano in
short time. 1t is like making houses out of
wooden blocks that have been cut to fit. To
the novice it seems little short of miraculous;
but after all this feature of the work is not
difficult and does not require great skill.
From the hands of the asse,nbler the piano
goes to the man who puts the final touches
on the whole instrument. He is both mu-
sician and a mechanic. He tests the ma
chine, and in listening to its music he not
only detects poor quality but locates the
cause of it. 1t is his business to diagnose and
prescribe the remedy. More than that he
often applies the remedy in person. 1t may
be tuning pin that is slightly loose, mis-
placed felt, fault in the veneering or some
other detail If it can be remedied easily, he
performs the operation. Sometimes he will
completely disembowel the instrument and
rebuild 1t, as II were, to remedy some error.
Again, he will call in the head of a depart
ment and show him fundamental mistakes
made by his men. This means a return of
the piano to that department for complete
rectifcation of the mistakes.
The man who thus finally tests the piano
is responsible for the tone and quality of the
instrument, and nothing must leave the fac
skilful testers command big salaries; for
they must not only be trained musicians,
able to detect by ear any variation in the
tone of the instrument. but skilled mechanics
as well, SO that troubles can be traced to
their origin.
Pianos selling for a hundred dollars may
be the products of infinite care and work.
manship; but they do not have the quality
or quantity of tone that the higher priced
instruments naturally possess. But for five
hundred dollars the best in the market can
be obtained. Anything above that price
goes into the finishing of the case in fancy
woods. Special designs in imitation of old
French styles sell from one to five thousand
dollars. One piano made for a Fifth-ave.
millionaire cost fifty thousand dollars, and
there are others in existence, inlaid with
mother of pearl and precious stones, costing
nearly as much if not more. But there is one
satisfaction: they give forth no better music
than thousands of the less expensive pianos
found in homes and public halls. The manu-
facturers found they couldn't improve the
music, SO they improved the case, and there
is no limit to that if one has precious stones to
inlay in the wood.
OF AND OFF