450 



Canadian Forestry Magazine, October, ip20. 



Installing the "piano action" and tone regulating. The action is' put into position after the back is 

 completed but before the case is finished. 



Pianos in the Making 



By G. Gerald Blyth, Assistant Secretary, Canadian Forestry Association. 



The building of a musical instru- 

 ment—what trees are used 



an 



Among the hundreds of wood-using 

 incustries spread all over the Dominion 

 there are few more interesting and 

 scarcely any where individuality and the 

 sensitive and sympathetic touch of the 

 human hand plays such an important 

 part, as in the making of pianos. Pianos 

 are finding their way into an ever in- 

 creasing number of homes throughout 

 the land where they contribute their 

 share in providing entertainment and in- 

 spiration of the loftiest kind. 



Jt is the purpose of this article to give 

 -rotir readers an insight into the manu- 

 facture of pianos, describing the various 

 •stages in the process of their construc- 

 ition and an idea as to the species of wood 

 dhat go to make up a piano. 



Selecting the Wood. 

 The various kinds of wood used in the 

 making of pianos have to be carefully 



d why. 



selected and only the highest grades are 

 suitable. Spruce, Maple, Birch, Walnut, 

 •Poplar, Gum-wood, Canadian and Am- 

 erican Oak, Ebony, Rosewood and Ash, 

 are the principal woods used and men- 

 tion will be made further on as to species 

 which enter into the manufacturing of 

 th.e principal parts. After the lumber 

 leaches the factory it is piled in the 

 yard where it is weather-seasoned for 

 at least two years and longer when pos- 

 sible. A further seasoning is necessary 

 before it can be used and cousequently 

 the lumber is placed in dry kilns before 

 it is available for use in the shops. 



The Sazving Process. 

 The lumber is next taken to the wood- 

 mill where it is sawed into widths prac- 

 tically all of which are less than six 

 inches. This is necessary to insure that 

 the grain in the contiguous pieces of 



