Music Trade Review

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TEOMCAL^SUPPLY DEPARTMENT
William BraidWhite,7&fe/f Some Novel Methods of Construction
Used by Broadwood in Making Uprights
Detailed Description of New Processes Developed by Famous English Piano House—
Some Considerations on the Weight of Piano Touch
T
HROUGH the kindness of Paul Bilhuber,
assistant manager of the Steinway fac-
tories in Long Island City, I have had
the pleasure of some correspondence with R.
H. Collen, factory manager of John Broad-
wood & Sons, Ltd., of London. As most of
my readers will be aware, the house of Broad-
.wood is the oldest among piano manufacturers,
tracing an unbroken descent from the harpsi-
chord manufactory of Burkhart Tschudi, which
was set up in London as an independent busi-
ness enterprise about the year 1726, or 201
years ago. One of Tschudi's workmen, John
Broadwood, became his master's foreman, then
his son-in-law and finally his partner.
The Barless Plate
The Broadwood has had a most interesting
and eventful history. Each of its heads has
contributed something to the art of pianoforte
design and construction. During modern days
its most famous contribution to the art has
been the invention and application of the bar-
less steel plate to grand and upright pianos.
This revolutionary invention dates from 1888,
when it was brought out by Henry J. Tschudi
Broadwood. It consists, as most of us know,
in the application of steel to the construction
of the "plate" of the pianoforte. In place of
the usual gray iron for his casting, Broadwood
used what is known in Great Britain as "mild
steel," being a steel of low carbon content.
This he cast into a plate having the usual
appearance, save that instead of consisting
substantially of two pieces joined together by
from four to six compression bars or struts,
it took the shape of a steel plate frame going
all around the case, having sufficient body to
allow for the tuning pins and hitch pins, but
leaving the greater part of the soundboard,
and, of course, the whole of the hammer strik-
ing gap uncovered. Around the outside edge of
this continuous steel band nearest to the case,
a flange is turned up at right angles, and th ; s
flange performs the functions usually assigned
to the compression members or bars. It is, of
course, in tension and not in compression. In
fact, the whole of this steel plate is thus in ten-
sion, save only the parts which run along the
case at the extreme treble edge parallel with the
highest treble strings, and that which runs along
the bass edge of the case substantially parallel
with the longest treble and longest bass strings.
This construction has always fascinated me
and I have on more than one occasion started
to design something on the same principle in
the hope of thereby getting rid of the change
in tone quality, which always takes place near
each bar owing to the increased stiffness of
the plate at these points. It is notable that
in his application for a patent, made in 1888,
Henry Tschudi Broadwood makes a similar ob-
servation, and states that one of his objects
is to get rid of the tonal inequalities thus aris-
ing. Perhaps some day the opportunity will
come to complete the design after a manner
Punchings
Washers
Bridle Straps
5814-37th Ave.
that shall induce some manufacturer to test
it out in practice.
All this, however, is really preliminary to
what I had begun to talk about this week,
namely, that Mr. Collen has kindly sent me a
description of some very novel methods which
Broadwoods are now using in the construction
of their uprights, methods sufficiently novel
to be well worth a description here. In effect,
they constitute a revolution in assembly sys-
tems.
Paul Bilhuber saw the new system in opera-
tion at the Broadwood factory during a visit
last Winter to Londpn and was much inter-
ested.
Two Units
Substantially the new Broadwood system of
construction comprises building the instrument
in two units and then simply putting these
two together. One unit consists of the iron
plate, sound board, strings, action keybed
and bottom board. The other consists of the
external case, including the arms, sides, fall-
board top frame, bottom frame and lid. These
two units are produced and completed sep-
arately. Then the case is bolted to the main
unit with a few bolts and the assembly is
completed.
The main or playing unit is built up some-
what as follows:
Sound Board and Plate
The sound board is built in the usual way,
but instead of then being glued down to a
massive back consisting of wrest plank, posts
and top and bottom beams, it is glued to four
heavy wooden rails which run around its four
sides. The iron plate is constructed so as to
present a square framework for the whole
structure. That is to say, it is made like an
ordinary upright pjano plate, save that the iron
is carried all around all four sides and that
there are two cast-in feet at the bottom to
which the very heavy wooden bottom board is
bolted. The sound board is then fastened to
this plate by means of seven bolts at the cor-
ners, but is otherwise free. The bottom board
to which the feet on the plate are bolted is
built of two-inch lumber and when the plate
has been fastened to it the piano already exists
in skeleton form.
Fixes SCRATCHES, MARS, HOLES, Etc.
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Shellac
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Stick Shellac color card and booklet "How
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THE M. L. CAMPBELL COMPANY
1008 West Eighth Street
George W. Braunsdor£, Inc.
Dirpct Manufacturer* of
TUNERS* TRADE SOLICITED
Kansas City, Mo.
(Continued
on page 23)
William Braid White
Associate, American Society of Mechanical
Engineers; Chairman, Wood Industries
Division. A. S. M. E.; Member, American
Physical Society; Member, National Piano
Technicians' Association.
Consulting Engineer to
the Piano Industry
Tonally and Mechanically Correct Scales
Tonal and Technical Surreys of Product
Tonal Betterment Work in Factories
References
to manufacturers of unquestioned
position In Industry
Far particulars,
addre»$
209 South State Street, CHICAGO
Piano
Also—Felts and
Cloths, Furnished
in Any Quantity
Woodside, L. I., N. Y.
21
In place of the usual short lug cast in an
ordinary upright plate to give some support
to the keybed, the new Broadwood plate con-
tains two angle irons, each projecting far
enough to take the keybed, which is bolted
to them. On this are then erected the action
and keys in the usual manner.
The pedals and trap work are adjusted on the
bottom board and thus the whole instrument
is completely ready, in the musical sense, be-
fore the sides or cabinet work come into the
picture.
Case
When the case has been, in its turn, finished
it is simply put over the playing unit and
bolted down into place. Thus it is possible,
among other advantages, to build any number
of playing units and then decide just before
shipment what sort of case each one shall have.
Thus the great difficulty of deciding in ad-
vance as to trend of styles and finishes is vastly
reduced.
And, of course, the amount of money tied
up in stock should certainly be less with a
system of- construction which leaves the choice
of case style to the last moment.
Another feature of the new Broadwood con-
struction should be mentioned. The sound
board bridges are fitted with agraffes shaped
so as to give the needed down bearing and
entirely, of course, eliminating the need for
side bearing, which is a mere incidental fea-
ture of the ordinary system of staggered pins.
If readers of mature age will cast back their
thoughts they will remember (am I right?)
that Hallet & Davis once agraffed their
bridges, while, of course, everyone knows that
one of the best of American pianos, the
Sohmer, carries agraffes on the sound boa-d
bridges throughout the greater part of the
scale.
In any such construction it is a case of
just how the thing is done. The specimens I
have seen of the Broadwood agraffe look very
good.
There are indeed some obvious advantages
in an agraffed bridge, as, for instance, the
elimination of side-bearing. Nor could I ever
see any force in the suggestion that the
agraffed bridge is harder to tune.
Readers will, I hope, find this information
Tuners
and Technicians
are In demand. The trade needa tuners, regu-
lators and repairmen. Practical Shop School.
Send fot Catalog M
Y. M. C. A. Piano Technicians School
1421 Arch St.
Philadelphia, Pa.