_PLANTATION OF THE PIPES._
WE explained in a former page that it is well to plant all the pipes
upon the sound-board before the pallets are fitted, because dust and
chips are inseparable from the operation, and may be troublesome and
mischievous if introduced into the grooves and conveyances. Some of our
readers, therefore, having their stock of pipes by them, have perhaps
already perused this chapter and acted upon its suggestions. It has
been reserved, however, for this place in our work, in accordance with
our wish to meet the case of workmen and young beginners who are under
the necessity of proceeding by degrees.
Possessing a turning-lathe, and resolving to turn the wooden pipe-feet
yourself, you will doubtless commence by boring four or more holes in
a bit of thin board with centre-bits of different sizes as a guide or
gauge for the diameters of the pipe-feet. If you mount this little
board at a height of 4-1/2 inches above another board or stand, by
pillars or legs, it will represent a portion of your rack-board, and as
you rapidly throw off the feet in the lathe they will be as quickly
sorted by passing them into these trial holes. The billet of wood,
pine, willow, sycamore, or any other suitable stuff, should be bored
while still in the rough by a bit revolving in the lathe. The bore
cannot then fail to be central. It should ultimately be scorched with
a hot iron, unless, indeed, your borer has been so well suited to the
wood as to render unnecessary any further smoothing. The feet will be
slightly conical, the smaller end tapered off to fit the countersunk
hole on the board, the larger formed into a neck with a shoulder (see
Fig. 1).
The rack-pins should be of mahogany or oak, with a shoulder at each
end, the necks fitting tightly in the holes provided for them already.
These necks may be blackleaded, to facilitate removal.
All the holes may now be bored in the rack-board corresponding to our
two wooden stops (Nos. 2 and 4), at the points marked long ago, when
the grooving was finished; the board may be placed on its rack-pins,
and the feet dropped into their places, adjusted, where necessary,
with a half-round file. The pipes may then receive their feet one by
one, and if your calculations have been correct and your measurements
accurate they should stand in orderly array. Use the spirit-level,
square, and plumb-line in planting the pipes, to ensure truly
horizontal and perpendicular lines. The feet should not be actually
glued into the blocks until the last little adjustments have been given.
In planting the metal pipes, holes 2 inches or more in diameter will
be required in the bass, while those in the extreme treble will be
little larger than a common quill. Adjustable bits may be bought,
clever contrivances producing beautifully true circular holes (see
Chap. II.). In the absence of these, we recommend you to use discs of
stiff paper or cardboard, representing the exact size, as ascertained
by callipers, of the conical foot of the pipe at about 5 inches from
its lower extremity; from these discs the outline of the holes may be
traced on the board, and all the holes, great and small, may be cut
out with a pad-saw, or bored with common bits, in every case a trifle
smaller than they are ultimately to be. Then, the rack-board being in
place, each pipe may be adjusted in its position by using a half-round
rasp, and similar or rat-tail files. With these you will easily give a
conical form to the holes in the board.
Great care will be well bestowed in this operation. If, unfortunately,
you cut any hole too large, line it with a morsel of soft leather. But
every true workman will desire to resort as seldom as possible to this
expedient.
Probably none of the metal pipes will require to be grooved off. But
this you have attended to long ago. If any of them are grooved off,
take care that the grooves are of ample size, that the wind may not be
throttled.
When all the pipes are planted, whatever the arrangement which you have
adopted, they should gratify the eye by their perfect symmetry.
"If they do not look well they will not sound well," was a good maxim
long ago impressed upon the writer by an ingenious German workman, to
whom he was indebted for much valuable information.