Album: Photos:Harpsichord
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This album shows many of the steps I used to build my harpsichord. It's based on two harpsichords from ca.1769 by Pascal Taskin. It started out as the "basic kit" by Hubbard Harpsichords from the mid-1970s, though I included updates they put in over the years to make it more historically accurate. It has 63 keys on each manual, and is 8x8x4. The upper manual moves to couple with the lower. I have never installed the pads for the buff stop, and probably never will. The painting around the rose was done by Tamara Stoneburner. The rest of the paint is milk paint with linseed oil top coats. Most of the construction is poplar, with important structural parts of maple. The wrestplank is maple; soundboard is spruce (from the 70s!), with a thin coat of shellac on top. Built September 1998 through to late 2000. This took me over 1000 hours to build.
tail-spine joint planing the joint for perfection tail-bentside joint there's an inside!
first look at the size another look planing the bottom flat and thinner more planing
clamping the tail-bentside miter joint belly rails in place nice view from the tail gluing corner blocks
nailing on the bottom clamping the liner along the bentside mortice for the lower belly rail lower braces in place
the keyboard fits! so does the key frame the messy shop 4' hitchpin rail in place
gluing the bentside liner screwing it on for insurance and clamps first look with the soundboard
keyframe hold down batten gluing in the upper braces coming together nicely! another view of all the bracing
a view without the lower keyframe fitting the keys view of the balance pins keys and a sound board
lots of keys (63x2) my extensions to the upper keys planing the edge of the wrestplank planing the ends of the wrestplank
fitting the wrestplank clamping in the wrestplank supports detail of the wrestp.. ends and the 8' nut with a 4' nut
register levers! wrestplank support b..d with the jack rail scraping in the spine moulding more scraping
scraping molding on the jack rail a key and some tools I'm about to use making the balance hole the right shape
upper key 		balance hole (hard to see)
tacking felt onto the upper keys gluing felt onto the lower keys putting in the coupler
dogs on the lower keys 		trimming the sound board
it fits! parts for ribs sized and shaped trimming the keys to..ten and balance them
looks like a harpsichord! added the nameboard top trim coming along nicely! fitting hitchpin moulding
detail of the wrestplank bass end detail of the wrestplank treble end drilling for the wrestpins nuts!
gluing on a nut gluing on another nut ribs and the 4' hitc..ail on the underside bridges on the topside
thining the soundboard edges lid! clamping the 4' bridge clamping the 8' bridge
bridges! gluing ribs on rib #2 rib #3
rib #4 rib #5 gluing the cutoff bar reinforcing the ends of
the ribs with muslin
lid battens and hinge we have a lid! practice with go-bars gluing on the 4' hitchpin rail
gluing on the last rib (with go-bars) gluing in the soundboard gluing on hitchpin rails and trim gluing bentside trim
gluing in the wrestplank gluing in the nameboard shellac on the soundboard time for paint!
painting keyboard en..locks and other trim the case is painted! first trip outside the shop starting in on the stand
building the top of the stand building the top of the stand laminating the stand's bentside laminating the stand's bentside
laminating the stand's bentside on a form stand! (no trim yet) the Maker and his harpsichord the stand now as trim
the stand now as trim painting the stand what a beaut! music desk!
hey, it holds music! marking for bridge pins (nice farmer's tan...) painting the ivy
filling in the flowers detail of the flowers wild strawberry detail
adding gold leaf accents done! top-down view stringing the 4'
stringing the 8' The final product! detail: treble end of tuning pins detail: rose and painting
inside keywell detail: jacks detail: tail end
All photos Copyright Brian A. Whaley. All rights reserved.
Album created by album from D. Madison's Marginal Hacks on Tue May 22 08:52:32 2018