What kind of wood...

fluffy · Post by **fluffy** » Feb 3rd, 2008, 9:35 am

BriTer wrote:Going a bit off topic, I worked in a veneer plant (General Wood and Veneer) quite a few years back. The whole log was never used and there was always the core left over, two sides flat, two rounded, about 6" diameter, up to about 15' long. These were considered useless other than for throwing on top of the parking, walkways, truck entrances etc. It was very muddy. Imagine a log house made of teak or mahogony!

I remember when I was doing my apprenticeship we toured the plywood plant in Kelowna. I remember the machine that they peeled the veneer off the logs with. All completely automated. Logs cut to just over eight feet, picked up at each end, a quick spin while the lasers figured out the centering and adjusted the grip then up to speed and in comes the big knife. Expected lifespan for an eighteen inch log at that point, about six or seven seconds.

BriTer · Post by **BriTer** » Feb 3rd, 2008, 9:45 am

kccayenne wrote:I have only 20 years of history for this piano. When we acquired it in the late 80s, it had been painted flat black somewhere along the line. Later, in around 1998 we stripped it down to take a look after a (nameless) piano place claimed the soundboard was cracked and said they would give us a little cash for it to take it off our hands. Our reasoning was we'd just refinish it ourselves and make it a nice piece of furniture.

Is it possible that it was originally painted black??

kgcayenne · Post by **kgcayenne** » Feb 3rd, 2008, 9:47 am

BriTer wrote:
kccayenne wrote:I have only 20 years of history for this piano. When we acquired it in the late 80s, it had been painted flat black somewhere along the line. Later, in around 1998 we stripped it down to take a look after a (nameless) piano place claimed the soundboard was cracked and said they would give us a little cash for it to take it off our hands. Our reasoning was we'd just refinish it ourselves and make it a nice piece of furniture.

Is it possible that it was originally painted black??

There were layers, one was a laquer. I don't think it had been painted black originally. It's beautifully bookmatched.

BriTer · Post by **BriTer** » Feb 3rd, 2008, 9:51 am

fluffy wrote: I remember when I was doing my apprenticeship we toured the plywood plant in Kelowna. I remember the machine that they peeled the veneer off the logs with. All completely automated. Logs cut to just over eight feet, picked up at each end, a quick spin while the lasers figured out the centering and adjusted the grip then up to speed and in comes the big knife. Expected lifespan for an eighteen inch log at that point, about six or seven seconds.

What was used at General may have been the Capitol Slicer, not sure. The log was more or less centered on what might be described as a wood lathe, but with a very long blade. Had the impression it was a very old machine. Everything in there was. It took maybe 15 to 20 minutes to shave a log.

Piecemaker · Post by **Piecemaker** » Feb 3rd, 2008, 8:34 pm

BriTer wrote:
fluffy wrote:Expected lifespan for an eighteen inch log at that point, about six or seven seconds.

It took maybe 15 to 20 minutes to shave a log.

Just so you know, it takes 15 to 20 seconds to shave a leg--less if the waters starts to run cold...

My old piano was mahogony, it was reddish and it did not happen to have the swirls in the wood.
Are there some unfinished wood parts that might make it easier to identify the wood?

Gordian Knot · Post by **Gordian Knot** » Feb 4th, 2008, 11:43 am

I know nothing about woods, just wanted to say that you have an absolutely gorgeous piano there. I am drooling!! :126:

kgcayenne · Post by **kgcayenne** » Feb 4th, 2008, 1:32 pm

Awwwwhhh thank you GK. I can hardly wait to have it tuned now that it's climatized and begin re-learning (if ya don't use it ya lose it) how to play it. From what I understand, the tuner just might be able to give me more information and perhaps an appraisal for my insurance.

I am also excited to decorate that area too; I am going for more of a piano lounge idea than diningroom space. All in good time though.

The consensus is that it is walnut (as first suspected), and this should settle my family's curious debate.

kgcayenne · Post by **kgcayenne** » Feb 4th, 2008, 10:36 pm

Thank you very much Hope. I am still waiting to hear back from piano people out east, unfortunately, the Heintzman & Co sites don't have the Gerhard Heintzman serial numbers to look up. That brand confusion bit in the site you posted is interesting; this must be why it's so darned hard to figure out.

To confuse things further, there was a second completely independent piano company called Gerhard Heintzman that manufactured pianos in Toronto up until 1926. This company was founded by Gerhard Heintzman who was the nephew of Theodore Heintzman.