IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES
Year: 1884

page_text: We, DAVID MAKINSON and MATTHEW MAKINSON, both of Horwich near Bolton
in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of our Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in or applicable to the manu-
facture of iron frame pianos, which in combination with old parts constitutes a
new or improved instrument, which has for its object the making of a rigid frame
as well as an improved method of securing the ends of the wires to the tuneing
plate, making them permanent, with increased facilities for tuning and adjustment.
It is well-known by persons occupied in the construction of pianos, as well as
others, that the united tension of all the wires or strings of a piano constitutes a
very powerful traction necessitating a very rigid construction, failing which, the
two points to which the wires or strings are attached come nearer to each other,
the wires or strings slacken and the piano is no longer in tune.
The end to be attained being the rigidity of and the maintenance of an invariable
distance between the tuneing plate, in which are placed the ends of the drawing
pins or bolts, and the lower bar or stay; the construction of this new system of
barring or framing is intended in the first place to oppose any drawing together of
these two parts by the interposition of a rigid metallic frame of suitable shape, and
in the second place to prevent the tuneing plate from being drawn by the traction
of the wires or strings from its primitive vertical position and inclining towards
the action of the wires or strings.
This we accomplish by making the framework in a casting of suitable metallic
materials, composed of vertical hollow or round uprights placed at convenient
distances, having top, bottom and middle stays of the requisite form, provided with
flanges or projections for securing by bolting or otherwise the sounding board, by
which the sound is more perfectly maintained. On the top flange of the iron
frame is provided a projection for carrying the bed on which the tuneing plate is
fixed.
To enable the iron frame to grip the tuneing plate firmly and ensure its true
position being maintained, the top ends of the vertical hollow uprights are provided
with semi-circular or other tongues or laps, which extend over the top of the
tuneing plate.
The bed for the tuneing plate is fitted with a suitable number of gibs or stays
secured by convenient means to the tuneing plate, thus maintaining and protecting

page_text: the tuneing plate from the action of a lateral strain, making the same unmovable
during the operation of tuneing or otherwise.
The tuneing plate is made of metallic materials and provided with separate
boxes or spaces for each wire; the ends of the projections being made semi-circular
or other suitable shape, over which the wires or strings are drawn, being secured
by suitable hook or other bolts, fixed into the metallic tuneing plate in a horizontal
position, through which they pass, being provided on the opposite side with square
or other nuts, by the operation of which the wires or strings are stretched or tuned
by an ordinary box or other suitable key. The wires or strings when being stretched
or tuned are not wound round the bolts or pins as under the present system, but are
coupled to the heads or otherwise of the bolts and drawn by a sliding action by
the bolts in the tuneing plate when operated upon by the nuts being turned.
The top, bottom, and middle stays of the iron frame as well as the uprights are
provided with suitable flanges or projections, for the purpose of securing the whole
complete in one solid mass to the case of the piano, thus maintaining the whole in
position. The bottom end of the wires or strings are hooked on the flat hollow
pipe or stay forming the bottom side or end of the iron frame.
The advantages of this Invention are that a more durable and economical
manner of firmly securing the framework with the wires is obtained, together
with an improved method of connecting the wires or strings to the tuneing plate,
the same being more durable and easy of adjustment, being impossible to slip as
under the present system, having a direct pull on the wires or strings causing them
to maintain their tension and thus reduce tuneing to a minimum.
1001

page_text: We, DAVID MAKINSON and MATTHEW MAKINSON, both of Horwich near Bolton
in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of our Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES," and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in or applicable to the manu-
facture of iron frame pianos, which in combination with old parts constitutes a
new or improved instrument, which has for its object the construction of a rigid
metallic frame and tuning plate, thus, maintaining an invariable distance between
the latter and the lower bar or stay, to which the ends of the wires or strings are
attached. The construction of this framing is intended to oppose any drawing
together of the two parts named, and prevent the tuning plate being drawn by the
traction of the wires or strings from its vertical position and inclining towards the
said action, thus, making the wires or strings permanent, with increased facilities
for tuning and adjustment.
In order that our Invention may be fully understood, we will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the annexed Sheet of Drawings, similar letters of
reference indicate like parts throughout the Drawings.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a piano with our improvements applied.
Fig. 2 is a front elevation of our improved metallic frame with the sounding
board, tuning plate, and a part of the bed removed. Fig. 3 is a sectional
elevation of our improvements through line A. B in Fig. 1.
A is the metallic frame work composed of the vertical hollow or round uprights;
B is the metallic bed for carrying the tuning plate; C is the metallic tuning
plate; D, D are the tongues or lips which extend over the top of the tuning plate.
The metallic frame is composed of the hollow or round uprights A, of any
suitable or convenient number; being provided with the brackets E for securing
it to the wood casing of the piano, as well as the feet F, the latter being firmly
secured to the case bottom by the screws a. The top side of this frame is
connected together by the flange G and brackets H, on which sits the metallic
bed B for carrying the tuning plate C. To the bottom side of the metallic frame A
is cast the lower bar or stay S, to which the bottom ends of the wires or strings b
are secured by suitable pins as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2. This bar or stay is
constructed to allow of the bottom end of the sounding board K being secured
thereto. Above the lower bar or stay S is cast the stay T, to which is secured the
bridges R and R'. To the top flange G of the metallic frame A is cast or
otherwise the tongues D, which extend upwards and lip on the top side of the
metallic tuning plate C. The tongues are provided with the lips c, against which
the inner top side of the tuning plate C rests, thus maintaining its vertical position
against the traction of the wires or strings.
The tuning bed B is made hollow of suitable metallic materials, and is provided
with the gib supports or stays I, on which the metallic tuning plate C rests or sits,
and are provided on the outside with the lips or gibs d, which holds the tuning
plate firmly and resists the traction of the wires or strings. The tuning bed B is
held and supported on the top side of the flange G on the metallic frame A, being
secured to the latter by the set screws d¹, and formed with recesses immediately
opposite the tongues D as shewn in Fig. 4. If necessary the tongues D can be
cast on the top side of the bed B as in Figs. 8 and 9, in which case the latter is
made perfectly straight on the back side, thus dispensing with the recesses, or
they can be cast separately and secured by the set screws k as in Fig. 10, In

page_text: another arrangement the metallic bed B and the frame work A are cast together
as in Figs. 8 and 9, thereby dispensing with the top flange G shewn in Fig. 2.
On the front side of the metallic bed B the string or wire bridge J is cast of
suitable form and shape; or, it can be cast separately and fastened by screws as in
Fig. 11. The metallic bed B is provided on the underside with the bracket e, to
which is secured the top end of the sounding board K.
The metallic tuning plate C is provided with the boxes or spaces f on the back
side for each wire in the piano, in which are placed the horizontal bolts g, to which
are secured the upper ends of the wires or strings b, as shewn in Fig. 5. The top
and bottom sides h of each space or box are made semi-circular, and provided with
the slots i to admit and maintain the true position of the wires or strings b, as
shewn in Figs. 5, 6, and 7. The bottom flange j of the tuning plate is also made
semi-circular on the outer edge, and projects a little beyond the sides k, say
from, tot of an inch, as in Figs. 3, 5, and 8; and is provided with the
slots for every wire in the piano, which is necessary to maintain their true
position owing to being coupled to the horizontal tension bolts g on the back side
of the tuning plate C. The outer ends of the bolts g are passed through the
tuning plate to the front side, and provided with the nuts 7, which can be operated
by an ordinary box key similar to the tuning key at present employed. The
depth of the tuning plate varies according to the kind of piano, whether it be a
bi-chord or a tri-chord.
Fig. 6 shews how the boxes or spaces ƒ are arranged for the lower scale of the
piano when only two strings or wires are used. Fig. 7 for when six wires are
used as in a tri-chord.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :—
1. The construction and use of the metallic frame composed of the vertical
hollow pipes A, with the various connections cast thereto, for the purposes herein
contained, substantially as described and as shewn on the Drawings in Figs. 1, 2,
3, 4, and 5.
2. The construction and use of the metallic frame composed of the hollow
pipes A, with the metallic bed B cast thereto, for the purpose described and as
shewn on the Drawings in Figs. 8 and 9.
3. The construction and use of the metallic bed B with the various connections,
for the purpose described and as shewn on the Drawings.
4. The construction and use of the metallic tuning plate C, with the boxes or
spaces fand the slot i, which admits of the wires or strings b passing to the back
side and allows of their being tuned from the front side, for the purposes herein
contained, substantially as described and as shewn on the Drawings in Figs. 1, 3, 5;
6; 7, and 8.
5. The combination and arrangement of parts forming our improvements,
applied and operated, substantially as described and as shewn on the Drawings in
Fig. 5.
DL: 0th J
Cinni1 1001
EDMUND CHADWICK,
Agent for the Applicants.