cutting reed slots

[Seán Ó Fearghail]

Any one have advice on hand cutting reed slots? Not having the best of luck with it. any one?

[Chris Ghent]

Geoff Crabb is the man to ask but in principle, mark out your slot, mark the centre line of the slot, choose a drill bit slightly smaller then the finished width, clamp a piece of something hard to the frame half the width of the drill from the centre line and then drill a series of holes along the line using the "something hard" to keep your drill in line. You then have a chain of almost touching holes. Use a jewellers saw to connect them up and a very good file to finish the job. A very good file has; fine teeth, sharp teeth, is thinner than the slot and not by a tiny distance, very square corners and usually at least one side has been made safe. Worth taking time over, the quality of the slot is a definition of the instrument.

 

Chris

[Seán Ó Fearghail]

Brilliant Chris. thanks a million! great help. And Geoff was kind enough to get in contact too, again.

Thanks,

Sean

[David Helmore]

Hi all

 

I seem to remember reading on here somewhere that the wood used to make the reedpans was 'pear wood'. Is this right?

 

Thanks for your help as always

 

Dave

[Greg Jowaisas]

Hi all

 

I seem to remember reading on here somewhere that the wood used to make the reedpans was 'pear wood'. Is this right?

 

Thanks for your help as always

 

Dave

 

English sycamore, similar, but a sub-species of maple, is the favored wood for reed pans. It is usually quarter sawn in this application for stability.

 

Other woods were used but the pans of quality instruments are nearly always 1/4 sawn English sycamore.

 

Pear wood has a fine grain and is fairly stable. Dyed black it was a cheaper substitute for ebony in string instruments for fingerboards. May have been used as a veneer for "ebonized" concertinas.

 

Greg

[jdms]

I seem to remember reading on here somewhere that the wood used to make the reedpans was 'pear wood'. Is this right?

Dave

 

Whatever you do, Dave, don't use sapient pearwood...

 

Joshua

[David Helmore]

Thanks everyone for the tips as always - much appreciated!

 

David

[Theo]

I seem to remember reading on here somewhere that the wood used to make the reedpans was 'pear wood'. Is this right?

Dave

 

Whatever you do, Dave, don't use sapient pearwood...

 

Joshua

 

Unless you want to make a self-playing concertina without paper rolls.