Oboe Swell Complete

I finished modifying the swell shade frame and moved on the box itself.  I built the support frame using pocket screw joinery.  This was my first endeavour using this joinery, and I love it!  Joints are clean and sturdy.  Completed frame is pictured.  (Click on "From Swell Box" in blue letters below to see more pictures.)  I then mounted the shutters in place.  I made the side panels out of 3/4" plywood.  All the visible panels are oak, the top and rear are premium pine.  The lower front panel and the back panel are wider than the 4' wide plywood, and wanted the grain to run vertically.  I used the pocket screws and pipe clamps to glue up two pieces of plywood side by side to make these panels.  I used threaded wood inserts and a bolt through the frame to hold the panels in place.

From Swell Box

Next, was applying oak veneer to almost everything.  The shutters and their frame work were originally painted flat black.  Because the swell will be prominently visible, I want it all to be oak, matching the console and other case work.  I removed the individual shutters and sanded all surfaces.  The shutters' framework needed to be planed and sanded to ensure a smooth, even surface for the veneer.  Most of the veneer came in paper backed 4x8 sheets.  I cut them very carefully so there wouldn't be any seams in the grain showing.  I used two-part epoxy for the adhesive.  I had to work very quickly, as this product gave 3-5 minutes of open working time.  I don't have any pics of applying the epoxy because I had to work so fast.  I will say, an old credit card makes an excellent application tool- makes a smooth, uniform layer of epoxy.  The veneer was clamped in place and allowed to cure for 24 hours (pictured above).  That cure time really drug the process out, but I wanted to be sure I had a good strong bond.  When the broad sides were done, I was able to apply the iron-on edge veneers.

I decided to paint the interior with a black, oil-based enamel paint.  I am hoping that the hard paint will help reflect sound out more than bare wood.  Plus, it looks more finished as well.  Next, I added some simple crown moulding to the top to dress it up just a bit.  None of the woodwork in this whole project is ornate or frilly, but it really needed something up there.  Then I counter sank a nylon washer at the bottom of each shutter to reduce the friction of the rotating shutters. 

Finished swell box is pictured here.  All that remains to be done is filling in a few nail holes with wood putty, and of course staining the exterior.  However, I think staining will wait until I am ready to refinish the console and one other decorative panel.  And, the mechanical linkage to the swell shoe is under construction, but I will give that its own post later.

Swell Box in Progress

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.

Main Manual Chest: Complete!

Most of the summer was spent working on outdoor projects.  Landscaping for my clients, painting my garage, tending the garden, and hosting my home brew group's annual Oktoberfest party took most of my time.  However, after church choir rehearsals ended in May, I reserved Wednesday nights as "pipe organ night".  My goal for the summer was to finish cleaning and rewiring the main manual chest, which I had started back in April.

First thing I did was remove all the old cotton covered wire.  The existing wire was probably 'good enough' to use again, but it was becoming a bit frayed in places and I didn't want any short circuits, wrong notes, or ciphers.  Plus, cotton wire isn't color coded, so tracing problems could easily become a nightmare.  Using my soldering iron I separated the wire from the magnet wire and removed as much solder as possible from the magnet wire.  I then began cleaning.  I removed the exhaust port screw and armature from each magnet and used a toothbrush to clean the soot out of the port screws.  The armatures had a bit of surface rust on them so I gently buffed the all-metal side with a Brillo pad and very gently brushed the soot off the paper side with the tooth brush.  I used a shop-vac with an upholstery attachment to get dust and soot off the outside of the magnets.  I also used the shop-vac and brush to very carefully clean dust, lint, and other debris off the pallets.  Reassembling the exhaust ports and armatures was tricky.  I centered the armature on its seat in the port, and holding the pouch board with the ports facing down, I carefully screwed the port back into the magnet.  The armature must be perfectly seated in this step or it will not be able to move to the "closed" position and a cipher will result.  The way these pouch boards are set up, repairing even one armature will be a pain in the butt so I had to get them all right the first time.  As always, click on any of the pictures and you will see a whole album of related pictures.

With the old wire out of the way, I was ready to put the new wire in.  But first, I made a few changes to the windchest.  The most important is the cable now enters from the "C" side rather than the "C#" side.  That makes for shorter wire runs.  Using color-coded wire is great in the long run, but takes a bit of planning now.  I found a color-code chart online and I don't know if it is industry standard, but it makes sense and as long as I have that chart, repairs will be much easier.  I got the wires all laced and bundled, each colored wire beside its corresponding magnet.  I cut it to length, stripped a bit of insulation, and soldered the two together.

I built new chest bearers and attached them to the chest.  I also cleaned the outer surface of the chest, removing masking tape residue, dirt, etc. and I vacuumed out the interior.  I cleaned the toe holes with assorted brushes to remove any dust.  There were also several holes in the windchest- both former wind inlets and screw holes- that needed to be patched.  Now, laying on my back, I carefully lifted both pouch boards simultaneously into place using one hand, both knees, both toes and my chin.  The free hand wielded a screwdriver which I used to replace the screws.  Unfortunately (for you) I didn't set up my camera to take pictures of this balancing act!  I nestled the cables into their grooves and replaced the bottom boards.  Finally, I put a strip of painter's tape over the toe holes to prevent dust from floating down into them.  All that remains to be done is attach an appropriate size flange to the wind inlet, but I will wait with that until I am ready to build the windlines.

Main Manual Chest


Work will continue on cleaning and rewiring the main manual windchest, but landscaping and other outdoor projects have taken precedence for the time being.  I have finished the Dulciana boards and re-installed them in the chest.  I will continue to post info as I make progress, but for now the organ is on hold.