How to make a Reedpan?

[Jewish Leprechaun]

I have just a quick question or two about reedpans. For traditional reedpans with traditional reeds, are the slots that the reeds fit into usually cut with a router or a drill press? Also, is there anything like a glue that is put in between the reed frames and the wood of the reed pan to keep air from escaping or is the fit supposed to be airtight all by itself.

-Lep

[Pete Dunk]

The reed shoes are a dovetail fit in the reed pan, a tight fit ensures air tightness. The modern method of production involves a CNC (computer controlled) milling machine which is a sophisticated and very accurate version of a (metal cutting) router. I'm not sure if all traditional concertina makers use machines like this but I am sure it's not a thing I'd attempt in the garage with my limited collection of kit and even more limited knowledge!

[Jewish Leprechaun]

Thanks, Tallship, that's exactly what I needed to know.

[Richard Morse]

You can download a video clip of a guy at the Wheatstone factory from British Pathe milling the reedpan for reed shoes. Besides that they also go through brief views of grinding the reed blanks, cutting out the fretwork, making bellows, reed tuning, action work, etc.

 

Here's a still from the reedpan section.

 

-- Rich --

Edited December 8, 2008 by Richard Morse

[Jon C.]

I have just a quick question or two about reedpans. For traditional reedpans with traditional reeds, are the slots that the reeds fit into usually cut with a router or a drill press? Also, is there anything like a glue that is put in between the reed frames and the wood of the reed pan to keep air from escaping or is the fit supposed to be airtight all by itself.

-Lep

Hi,

Here is a link to the reed pan thread, a couple of treads away from yours. http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=8408

I imagine you could cut a reed pan with a small router, but you would have to make a template to cut out the profiles of the reeds. It was tricky even with a CNC micro mill. All the reeds have the same shape, they are just longer. So one template will work with all the different sizes. You can shim the reeds with paper from a shopping bag, small slivers lining the dovetail channel. It was funny after reading about it in the concertina maintenace manual, I found a reed tha had already been shimmed like this in my English concertina.

Take care,

Jon

[Marien]

Hello Rich,

 

Nice video of the Wheatstone factory!

Do you have an idea about the year this has been recorded?

 

Thanks,

Marien

[Henrik Müller]

Hello Rich,

 

Nice video of the Wheatstone factory!

Do you have an idea about the year this has been recorded?

 

Thanks,

Marien

1961 -

/Henrik

[Henrik Müller]

...

Here's a still from the reedpan section.

 

-- Rich --

Ah, my favorite machine .

It is intriguingly simple - once you have figured out how it works

/Henrik