I haven't posted in a while, but that doesn't mean I have been sitting idle! I finished drawing blueprints for the Oboe's swell box back in November and have started construction. First, I cleaned up the set of expression shades I bought last winter. I removed extra wood pieces that were part of their original installation and not needed in mine. I then added pieces of the framework back in that were left behind when the shades were removed. I also added an additional spacer on the inside to ensure that the closing shutters wouldn't hit the pipes. I mounted threaded eyelets between the spacer and the original frame for mounting the shades to the new box. The modified swell shades are pictured above. The difficult part of this construction is that all the side panels will be removable for servicing and tuning. I should be able to reach all tuning wires by removing only the treble side panel, but just in case, all panels can be removed. This week and next are both booked pretty solid with extra rehearsals and pre-Christmas events, but I hope to finish the swell box by the end of the year. I will be applying oak veneer to the shutters and all exposed framework and the epoxy curing time may throw a wrench into my schedule.
In other news, Hardwood Heaven (a local wood working supply store) has moved their Lincoln shop to a convenient new location literally across the street from where I work. I stopped in to check it out and left with a nifty pocket-hole jig, assorted screws, a new set of drill bits, and a new JET drill press on order. I have wanted a drill press for some time, and they happened to be on sale. Plus, I have been reposting a want-ad on the Church Organ Trader website looking for another windchest for the Rohrflote and Dulciana Celeste, but haven't had any response what-so-ever. I will probably need to build a chest myself from scratch and a drill press is a necessary tool.
