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Jim Koepke
08-16-2009, 11:52 PM
A friend of mine plays piano and wanted a way to store his sheets of music. He copies pieces on to paper then tapes them down in long sheets backed by manila folders taped together. His longest pieces are about 35 inches. This way he doesn't have to turn the pages while he is trying to play.

Some of the oak for this came from an old pump organ that my brother and I dismantled. Some paper work inside the organ indicated it was installed in 1891.

For some reason, the Craigslist in the SF bay area often has old pump organs for anyone willing to haul them away. My brother is the perpetual scavenger. He thought this was a good deal, but then after a couple of years kicking around his wharehouse/music venue/lofts for rent place, he asked me if I would help him take it appart and I could have any of the wood I wanted. A bit of work for some old wood. It was fun once, but we didn't think it was worth doing again.

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This is almost all done by hand. The lap joints for the oak "combs" were done with a couple of set up fixtures and a router. There are about 70 hand cut mortices. Electric sanders were used, but those are more trouble than they are worth.

The cedar was something my friend found at a flea market. It was awful dry and splintery. It was tamed a bit with planes and sandpaper. Two of the pieces book matched and were put together that way. It is on the other side and does not show in this shot. Guess more pics are in order before it leaves for good.

Just have to put a drawer together and get it to him.

This is actually my first piece of indoor furniture I have built for some one else on request. Mostly have built stuff for around the house and a few adirondack chairs and a small table for others. Of course, my wife has been making a list while this project has been keeping me occupied.

jim

Bob Easton
08-17-2009, 2:07 AM
Very nice Jim!
Great color in the oak. It's an unusual need, but a very pleasing result.

Stu Gillard
08-17-2009, 4:26 AM
The sides on the rack are amazing.
Is that the cedar ? (Australian Cedar is a completely different timber)

Cheers,
Stu

Richard Dooling
08-17-2009, 10:09 AM
Very nice Jim. I would not have thought of combining those two woods but the colors work very well together.


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Jim Koepke
08-17-2009, 10:27 AM
The sides on the rack are amazing.
Is that the cedar ? (Australian Cedar is a completely different timber)

Cheers,
Stu

That is western red cedar. When the light hits it right, it really shows some depth.

To me it looks better in a picture than up close and working on it. It may be that my view is obscured by knowing where each and every flaw is located.

jim

David Christopher
08-17-2009, 11:08 AM
Jim, thats a good looking music rack....what kind of finish did you use..looks very smooth

Jim Koepke
08-17-2009, 12:55 PM
Jim, thats a good looking music rack....what kind of finish did you use..looks very smooth

Thanks David, the finish is tung oil.

Of course, there was a lot of sanding before it went on.

The cedar is so soft that I ended up using a piece of foam between the paper and the block. If a finger nail touched the surface, it would leave a mark that needed more sanding.

jim

Gary Herrmann
08-17-2009, 2:05 PM
From this pic at least, the cedar looks great. Nice job.