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Wood and hardware sources?

Posted by Kigar on January 16, 2016 at 11:23am in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion

Where else do you get materials?  There the obvious - pallets, dumpster diving, thrift store, side of the road piece of furniture.  Where else?  We have a couple reclaimed material stores around here, I bought some nice old gym floor maple which made great necks.

A potentially great source of both wood and hardware would be an old piano.  Near me is a nice looking one for free on Craigslist.  Wondered if anyone has done this and if it is worth the effort, or are they mostly plywood and veneer?.  Ideally three or four people would fetch it and part it out.  Lots of wood, keys could make bridges and nuts, tuner pegs etc.  If anyone is in Grand Rapids MI area I would be up for it.  (probably best not to tell the previous owner you are going to destroy it!)

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Replies

  • john mackay January 17, 2016 at 8:11am

    do you guys have double glazing companies?

    if so why not ask them for old wooden doors.

    I'm thinking of doing that here,most doors here are either mahogany or oak.

    these doors get replace with plastic ones much easier to maintain so folks replace wooden doors for these.

    https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=double+glaze+doors&oq=double+...

  • Daryl January 16, 2016 at 10:33pm
    The piano I parted out yieled some nice pieces but sadley, most of the body was greenish poplar with a vaneer skin. I get a lot of "fillers" for between kitchen cabinents. Maple, oak, cherry, hickory. The shops start to get overrun and are happy to get rid of the excess for cheap. Some of them are 8 foot lengths.
  • Jim Morris January 16, 2016 at 12:40pm

    Lots of work hauling and tearing apart a piano. I did it once long ago and salvaged some real nice wood especially spruce from the soundboard. The bonus was it was an old one and had actual ebony and real ivory for the keys. Don't think I'd do it again unless I had a couple of younger backs to help with the whole thing. If you're up to the lifting and all it is a good source plus the wood has been "pre vibrated!" The cabinet is most likely plywood and veneer but the inner structure uses decent hardwood and, as I said, usually spruce for the soundboard.

    • Kigar > Jim Morris January 16, 2016 at 3:21pm

      I moved on for the kids to play 10+ years ago so my back has healed.  I have a small trailer so if is on the ground floor it is not so bad.  But I would still want four capable people at least.

  • Greg Dow January 16, 2016 at 11:51am

    Haven't you heard the saying?. There's no such thing as a free piano. ;-)

    I got my piano tuning pegs by walking into a piano repair shop and asking for some.  It cost me a few coffees for more than a dozen pegs.

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