New Member, Piano Restorer

[henrypianomanParticipant @henrypianoman]

Hi all,

I have recently acquired a Myford ML7, and Myford VM-B.

My background is in piano restoration and hobby-ist woodworking and wood turning.

This is my first foray into machining and can’t wait to get started.

I will be learning the ropes through a few beginner projects, hopefully to a level where I can use the new skills for my work.

My main areas of interest are toolmaking, prototyping, jig making, and maybe one day a Stirling engine!

Any advice is greatly appreciated

Cheers,

Henry

H

[Andrew CrowParticipant @andrewcrow91475]

Welcome to the forum Henry, there is always plenty of help on here in the areas of interest that you have indicated.

Making some tools is a good place to start for developing your skills, plenty of designs and kits available. Have a look for some of the books by Harold Hall, Tubal Cain and George Thomas, plenty of ideas in there for basic tooling before you get into machining castings.

Hot air engines are a fascinating subject and still highly relevant today, but hone your skills first as you do need to work work to close tolerances in places, plenty of help here though.

Andy

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Welcome!

Your previous experience will be of benefit to you in your new projects, and probably to others on this forum. (It has members covering an immense range of interests and experience.)

If you are new to machining metal, may I suggest reading “The Amateur’s Lathe” by L H Sparey, “The Amateur’s Workshop” by Ian Bradley or the books by Stan Bray and Harold Hall? (The latter has writtren books on both latheowk and milling.

FWIW, my advice is to start by just nachinging bits of bar in the lathe to become familiar with the latyhe, and then to make simple tools, (centre Height Gauge for a start and then a sliding Die Holder for the Tailstock, A drill chuck could be made, to slide on the same arbor, to act as a sliding Tap Holder. Then, follow up with a mandrel handle, which will be useful for use with the Taps and Dies.

You will gain experience and confidence for the bigger projects which follow, and have useful items, ehich make life a little easier.

Riding another hobby horse, it will eventually be worth making a rear toolpost for the Myford. With the tool held, inverted in it, parting off will be less fraught.

Good Luck!

Howard

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

Hello Henry and welcome, I had written a longish reply only to find I had been logged off and my work lost. I have run out of time to re write but good luck and best wishes.  Noel.

[henrypianomanParticipant @henrypianoman]

Thanks for your replies.

I will definitely dive into the reading materials.

Thank you for the project suggestions. I’ve been trawling online and on YouTube for beginner ideas, but nice to be guided to some making that’ll be relevant to my progression.

In spirit of “no question is a stupid question”…can anyone recommend a UK supplier for metals?
Also, any recommendations for CAD software (cheap or free) for some basic 3D drawings?

Cheers

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

A visit to a local small engineering co and ask for off cuts or bar ends. Tell them your new to the game and offer a donation to the tea/coffee fund. Some will cry out in horror at this idea, there are many types of steel, some not easy to work with but it will give you a start.  Noel.

[John HinkleyParticipant @johnhinkley26699]

From personal experience, M-Machine Metals are a good, reliable and reasonably priced supplier of metal of all sorts.  Not necessarily the cheapest, but you can be assured that what you receive is quality stuff.

Just a satisfied customer,

John

 

[egaParticipant @ega]

There is an excellent, if rather traditional, book by L C Mason: Using the Small Lathe. Plus one, of course, for Harold Hall and G H Thomas and the Workshop Practice Series generally.

Buying offcuts is a crapshoot; eg for steel you may get the desirable free-cutting variety or some obscure alloy that instantly blunts your tool. An expensive but safer alternative is to get a Hemingway Kit.

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

Hi Henry where abouts are you ? Some of us may be able to help you.  Noel.

[henrypianomanParticipant @henrypianoman]

I’m based in Taunton, Somerset

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

Try to get hold of some 230M07Pb, otherwise known as leaded EN1A. This is very much more machineable than some other steels, you dont know what your getting with offcuts, and some steels can be a right pain to machine

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

Welcome! If you have time some information on piano restoration would be very interesting – I speak as a (very) mature early learner!

[henrypianomanParticipant @henrypianoman]

Hi John, I’d be pleased to answer any questions.

I’m very lucky to be doing it full-time and making a living from it. I got into it through studying music, but I grew up around a very practical father, grandads, and brother.

The work is a nice mix of fine skills involved with the action and regulating, joinery with the cabinet work, veneering, French polishing. Always having to consider the visuals, playability and the sound itself.

A lot of specialist tools are either no longer made, or made in China and not really fit for purpose, so I’m hoping I’ll be able to make some tools to my own requirements.

 

 

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

Henrypianoman

Having your own metal working capabilities will definitely be handy whenmit comes to restoring aged pianos.

I sort of inherited into being the “metals guy” for Nigel at The Piano Shop Kent over a decade ago resulting in around 4 or 5 jobs a year to make, modify or repair totally unobtainium parts for antediluvian instruments. Usually the sort of headscratching things where charging for the time involved is totally impractical.

At least you will have the advantage of starting off with all under some sort of control. Undoing the destructive residue of inadequate removal attempts always makes the job harder. When you start giving serious consideration to taking the MIG welder to the piano life is getting desperate! Don’t worry. I found a way.

Clive

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Hi!

If you opt for a digital calliper for measuring, as opposed to micrometers, vernier ot dial callipers, always have a spare battery to hand!

Like carbide tips, of you ot to used them; although on a ML7 (My first lathe) I would tend towards High Speed Steel.

Sod’s law says that the battery will run out, or you will chip the last tip, at 8:00 ,pm on a Saturday night!

You can gain a lot of experience from simple projects which are useful, and give confidence to attempt bigger and better things! And FANTASTIC work has been produced on a ML7

Howard

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Get along to the Taunton Model Engineering Club. Also we would be pleased to see you at Exeter DMES at St Katherine’s Priory (Public running on first Sunday of month) or 2nd Friday evening. Special event on 6th Sept.
We have a professional recorder maker (sort of retired) at EDMES who was a trained machinist and used his metalworking skills to make the tooling he needed for that career.

[henrypianoman]

On henrypianoman Said:

Hi John, I’d be pleased to answer any questions.

….

 

To be honest I know so little I wouldn’t know where to start with the questions! If you had a chance to post some photos of the kind of jobs you have to tackle it would be great.

I also have a VMB and a Super 7.  My son is a saxophonist and when he was younger we were a regular customer at Wood Wind & Reed in Cambridge – they had a Super 7 and a VMC in the back of the shop. We also have a member who makes French Horns in the group.

[Author]

Posts