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Step 17Fitting
In order to work properly the keys have to line up with the hammers and strings, as well as fit without interference in the space provided for them in the piano case which means they have to be located back and forth and up and down as well as side to side.
The keyboard's position is much less critical in uprights than it is in squares and grands where it affects the sound and function of the piano. Their actions are attached to the keyframe instead of the piano case and are much more difficult to adjust for the best mechanical combination when they're assembled than uprights, though the individual side to side positions of the hammers are easier to adjust, at least in smaller instruments, by turning the hammer flanges using a long handled tool that has a socket that fits the sides of the flanges.
My keyboard will be positioned using small blocks that are tacked in place and glued on. Two of the ones at the back that determine how far back the keyframe can be pushed are stepped and angled to match the rabbet at the back of the keyframe - these are positioned to get the best sound from where the hammers hit the strings, and long flat ones will meet the sides of the action brackets to get it in the same position sideways.
In most pianos the keywell is noticeably wider than the keyboard, and the extra space is filled with decorative blocks a little taller than the keys held in place with concealed screws. In grands these are what positions and guides the keyboard, and sometimes the fallboard hinges to them. In squares like mine the blocks are really the sides of the keywell which were planed to size and glued in place after the keyboard was positioned.
The keywell is also deeper than the keyboard, and the extra space in the front is filled with a long and narrow wood strip that matches the case. In uprights and grands the fallboard usually rests on it when it's closed to cover the keys, and the slip is thick enough for mounting a small lock and is held in place with several large screws through the keybed. In squares like mine it's much thinner and glued to the front of the keyframe so that it helps with alignment, in other ones it's pressed into a slot in the keybed. It's tall enough to disguise the bottom edges of the keys but not so tall that when the key dip is adjusted to the proper amount they hit it or go below its top edge.
The nameboard or part of the fallboard usually is padded on the bottom edge and works like the organ keyboard thumper shown by Audsley and M. B., and grands have an additional rail screwed down in a few places so the keys don't get jumbled when the piano is put on its side for moving. My nameboard is curved so once the keyboard is fitted I have to mark the outline of the nameboard on top of the outside sharps at both ends and cut them shorter to make clearance.
The keyboard's position is much less critical in uprights than it is in squares and grands where it affects the sound and function of the piano. Their actions are attached to the keyframe instead of the piano case and are much more difficult to adjust for the best mechanical combination when they're assembled than uprights, though the individual side to side positions of the hammers are easier to adjust, at least in smaller instruments, by turning the hammer flanges using a long handled tool that has a socket that fits the sides of the flanges.
My keyboard will be positioned using small blocks that are tacked in place and glued on. Two of the ones at the back that determine how far back the keyframe can be pushed are stepped and angled to match the rabbet at the back of the keyframe - these are positioned to get the best sound from where the hammers hit the strings, and long flat ones will meet the sides of the action brackets to get it in the same position sideways.
In most pianos the keywell is noticeably wider than the keyboard, and the extra space is filled with decorative blocks a little taller than the keys held in place with concealed screws. In grands these are what positions and guides the keyboard, and sometimes the fallboard hinges to them. In squares like mine the blocks are really the sides of the keywell which were planed to size and glued in place after the keyboard was positioned.
The keywell is also deeper than the keyboard, and the extra space in the front is filled with a long and narrow wood strip that matches the case. In uprights and grands the fallboard usually rests on it when it's closed to cover the keys, and the slip is thick enough for mounting a small lock and is held in place with several large screws through the keybed. In squares like mine it's much thinner and glued to the front of the keyframe so that it helps with alignment, in other ones it's pressed into a slot in the keybed. It's tall enough to disguise the bottom edges of the keys but not so tall that when the key dip is adjusted to the proper amount they hit it or go below its top edge.
The nameboard or part of the fallboard usually is padded on the bottom edge and works like the organ keyboard thumper shown by Audsley and M. B., and grands have an additional rail screwed down in a few places so the keys don't get jumbled when the piano is put on its side for moving. My nameboard is curved so once the keyboard is fitted I have to mark the outline of the nameboard on top of the outside sharps at both ends and cut them shorter to make clearance.
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