I need advise on how to repair this piano leg

[Larry Feltner]

I have a Baldwin Hamilton Piano that is 15 years old or so. It is made of mahogany. The leg, where the roller goes into the end, broke apart as we were rolling across the floor several years ago. I glued the piece back but it just wasn't very strong and came apart again. I truly believe the leg had been repaired before, even though the piano was supposedly new, and I was putting glue over old glue. I have since lost the old piece of wood that broke off. I have been thinking of turning a new end for the leg that matches the old one. Then I could cut the damage part off the leg, drill a hole into the leg and turn a tenon on the new piece to match. The problem I am having with this solution is that I can't see anyway to cut the damaged piece off so the cut is square and straight and I'm also not sure I can drill the hole in the leg for the tenon straight and accurate. I'm thinking I will end up with a piece that doesn't go together very accurately and will end up being a bad solution to the problem. Anyone else have any ideas on how to make this repair, or even ideas on how to execute my idea on making the repair? Any suggestions would be helpful.

[Kelly Cleveland]

Is there an easy way to take the whole leg off? If so you could clamp it down square to your table saw sled and make a clean cut. With the leg removed it would also be easier to drill a straight tenon hole.

[Larry Feltner]

I don't think taking the leg off is an option. It is the corner leg in the front of the piano. There are two boards that come into the leg at a right angle. I assume both would be attached to the leg with mortise and tenon joints. It would require taking apart the section of the piano where the keys are. I would never feel comfortable doing that. I even thought about trying to file off what's left of the glue on the leg, put the roller back in and fill the rest with epoxy putty. Then I could shape it and sand it to fit the rest of the leg. I was thinking I could stain it close enough that it would look decent. I just don't think it would hold once you roll it across the room. That would have been the easiest solution, but I can't imagine it would be strong at all.

[Allan Speers]

If it were me, I'd consider jacking the piano up for a while, cutting off all four leg-bottoms, (below the "balls") then turning something that's in the same ballpark. That way they all match and you don't have to deal with fluting.

You'd want to use the widest diameter maple dowel to attach them, or maybe even put recessed metal threads in the main legs and bolt the new pieces on from underneath.



(Or just chop 'em all off and then make a lower piano stool! :D )

[Larry Feltner]

This is not the stool, it's the piano itself. Here is a full picture of the piano. The broken leg is the front left leg.317705



If it were me, I'd consider jacking the piano up for a while, cutting off all four leg-bottoms, (below the "balls") then turning something that in the same ballpark. That way they all match and you don't have to deal with fluting.

You'd want to use the widest diameter maple dowel to attach them, or maybe even put recessed mrtal threads in the main legs and bolt the new pieces on from underneath.



(Or just chop 'em all off and then make a lower piano stool! :D )

[Brian Kent]

For the cutting, I would attach a marking tool to a block of wood, so that the mark would be made where I want to cut, sliding the wood on the floor so that the mark would be perfectly parallel to the floor.

Then a Japanese saw with a pull cut works well, starting it from several sides and continuing until there is a flat cut across.

I would turn the foot out of a very hard wood and turn the tenon on that piece.

Someone else would have to come up with an idea for drilling into the leg from underneath.

Piano legs are meant to be removed by hitting with a rubber-faced hammer, but I do not know how the movers jack them up first.

[Larry Feltner]

I think I could lay the piano on its back to drill the hole. I'm just not sure how straight I can drill it.

[John TenEyck]

With the piano upright on a really flat floor, put a Japanese pull saw on a block of wood of the correct height to cut the leg off. Work around it so the cut finishes near the center. Then lay the piano on it's back. Make a template to fit around the end of the cutoff leg. Either drill a hole in the end of it as a drill guide or one to guide a router collet. Either way, do that on the drill press to assure that hole is square to the face.

John

[James Baker SD]

If you are trying to save the looks of the piano, I would try to flatten the broken vertical surfaces with a paring chisel, then fit a piece of wood into the gap with a lot of long grain to long grain glue surface. After it dries, using handtools (drawknife, spokeshave, beading tools, carving tools), to match the existing foot pattern. I have done something similar to this on 3 antiques I repaired for friends, takes some time but does minimal additional damage to the piano. If you don't really care about the looks, then maybe leave it as is, it is not really visible in your full piano photo. Certainly easier to do the work I described if you can get the leg off. Grand pianos have to have removable legs, not sure about uprights but I would not be surprised if the leg could come off.

[Lee Schierer]

Obviously you've discovered that when moving an upright piano you don't roll it on the front legs which are purely decorative. In the future use this method to move your piano (http://www.32turns.com/upright-piano-moving-tip/). I recently moved one for my daughter and making this frame takes a few minutes, but it makes moving one much easier. You can even get four people on the boards to pick it up and carry it. Pad the finish with some old blankets and make your frame fit tight.

As far as repairs are concerned, I like the method James has suggested.

On second thought, I would clean the glue off the two sides of the joint as best you can and then use a good wood glue or epoxy and re-glue the piece back in place. Use clamps to get a good tight joint. It should work fine for its intended purpose of keeping the piano from tipping. Just be careful when moving the piano in the future not to put any strain on the front legs.

[Tom Ewell]

By the looks of things, there is already a potential drill guide on the leg.... the existing hole in the broken section. (the caster hole I presume)

If it is centered and aligned to the leg then use it to mount a tube such as emt conduit, pipe or similar, sized close to the caster mount to guide a nicely fitted long drill bit, should at least yield a pilot hole to guide another sized bit after the broken section is cut off.

Turn a new piece mount it anyway you figure is best, tenon, dowel, whatever.

Glue and whittle method works too, get that part done and figure a drill guide solution for the caster hole.

[Yonak Hawkins]

Larry, if you're going to turn a new foot, you might get a hardwood dowel that's large enough to accommodate the stem of the caster. Drill a hole into the remaining part of the leg into which slide the dowel, drill a hole through the new turned foot, slide that on, then mount the caster stem into the end of the dowel.

[Allan Speers]

This is not the stool, it's the piano itself. Here is a full picture of the piano. The broken leg is the front


You didn't get my joke: :(

Shorten the legs, then shorten the stool to compensate. :)

[glenn bradley]

You didn't get my joke: :(

Shorten the legs, then shorten the stool to compensate. :)

I chuckled the whole time I read the rest of the thread. :)

[Tom Ewell]

You didn't get my joke: :(

Shorten the legs, then shorten the stool to compensate. :)
....or put a mobile base on the piano at same hgt. as cutoffs... it'll make it easier to move it around too. ;)

[Allan Speers]

....or put a mobile base on the piano at same hgt. as cutoffs... it'll make it easier to move it around too. ;)


Say, that's actually not a bad idea !

[James Baker SD]

As far as repairs are concerned, I like the method James has suggested.

On second thought, I would clean the glue off the two sides of the joint as best you can and then use a good wood glue or epoxy and re-glue the piece back in place. Use clamps to get a good tight joint. It should work fine for its intended purpose of keeping the piano from tipping. Just be careful when moving the piano in the future not to put any strain on the front legs.

I assumed the missing piece was lost or destroyed. If it is intack, gluing it back in would be my choice as well.