Hi David. I'm not an expert on Falconwood, but I am knowledgeable with wood in general. So, being that no one else has offered any more info, I'll at least offer my thoughts.
Delignit is simply wood -- in this case European beech, which fulfills the function in Europe that maple does for us here. Falconwood is compressed European beech.I really doubt that the wood is actually compressed - as you suggest, that would tend to destroy the wood I should think.
It is 20% denser than plain wood.I think that is misleading. The final product may well be 20% more dense than beech, but the final product is both wood and adhesive. Many of the adhesives commonly used are fairly dense - much more dense than the wood. I wouldn't be surprised if the adhesive plus the beech in a chunk of Falconwood is 20% more dense than beech.
As a result, there are 20% more wood molecules in a given surface area.I strongly suspect that is crazy talk. But I'm certainly open to learning something new......
So, to understand: Delignit and Falconwood are both made of European Beech, but Falconwood is compressed.-How is this compression achieved?I suspect compression is achieved by means of common methods - mechanical (clamps) or vacuum bagging (atmospheric pressure) or even some sort of pneumatic device. But I should think we are talking using compression to press the laminations together during glue-up - they are not actually compressing the wood itself into a smaller volume.
-Are veneers different thicknesses?-Number of veneer layers in each? (given same total thickness block)-How many alternate grain directions?-Type of glue?-Ratio of glue to 'wood'?-Difference in torque characteristics of compressed/uncompressed beech and glue?All interesting questions - I'd like to know also.
-With 20% compression, are wood fibers (as such) destroyed?As mentioned above, I doubt wood fibers are actually compressed into a smaller volume.
What that means is that the tuning pin hole in a Falconwood pinblock can be larger diameter because there is 20% higher friction for any given pressure. This, in turn, reduces stress on the wood. Thus, in Falconwood, a hole that's .010" undersize to a 2/0 pin will wind up with 125 inch/lbs of torque after stringing compared to the necessity of a hole .025" undersize (or more) for solid maple "hexagrip" style blocks. Not sure I'm understanding. If Falconwood friction is inherently higher, wouldn't you be leaning toward a larger hole there?I think that is what they are saying - to get the same tuning pin torque, the Falconwood needs a larger hole (0.010" undersize to a 2/0 pin) compared to a Steinway-style block (that might need a 0.025" undersize hole). I don't know why they conclude that the larger hole would cause reduced stress on the wood though. Seems to me that if you have 125 inch-lbs. of torque in either type of block, you're going to have a very similar stresses on the wood. Or maybe they just mean that there is less wood and more adhesive - maybe that's how they figure less stress on wood - less wood!
But regardless, doesn't Schaff stock and sell Delignit? I buy a few blocks every now and then to cap multi-lam blocks with - seems it was Schaff that I ordered my Delignit from. Did they stop selling it?
FWIW, I'd be willing to sell 8mm thick Delignit (or whatever thickness) or Delignit-capped multi-lam blocks to anyone. I have a nice bandsaw that resaws Delignit easily. I also have a very nice 20" planer with the helical cutters that cuts a very smooth surface.
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Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
Brandon, Florida
terry@farrellpiano.com813-684-3505
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-25-2018 14:35
From: David Skolnik
Subject: Delignit
Kieth sai
Delignit is simply wood -- in this case European beech, which fulfills the function in Europe that maple does for us here. Falconwood is compressed European beech. It is 20% denser than plain wood. As a result, there are 20% more wood molecules in a given surface area.
So, to understand: Delignit and Falconwood are both made of European Beech, but Falconwood is compressed.
-How is this compression achieved?
-Are veneers different thicknesses?
-Number of veneer layers in each? (given same total thickness block)
-How many alternate grain directions?
-Type of glue?
-With 20% compression, are wood fibers (as such) destroyed?
-Ratio of glue to 'wood'?
-Difference in torque characteristics of compressed/uncompressed beech and glue?
What that means is that the tuning pin hole in a Falconwood pinblock can be larger diameter because there is 20% higher friction for any given pressure. This, in turn, reduces stress on the wood. Thus, in Falconwood, a hole that's .010" undersize to a 2/0 pin will wind up with 125 inch/lbs of torque after stringing compared to the necessity of a hole .025" undersize (or more) for solid maple "hexagrip" style blocks.
Not sure I'm understanding. If Falconwood friction is inherently higher, wouldn't you be leaning toward a larger hole there?
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David Skolnik [RPT]
Hastings-on-Hudson NY
914-231-7565
Original Message:
Sent: 12-25-2018 13:18
From: Keith Akins
Subject: Delignit
Jim, I do know something about Falconwood because I was actually approached by Tony Geers about taking over his supply business when he was ready to retire from piano work (and, I think, spend more time racing Corvettes). Anyway, here's a brief description.
Delignit is simply wood -- in this case European beech, which fulfills the function in Europe that maple does for us here. Falconwood is compressed European beech. It is 20% denser than plain wood. As a result, there are 20% more wood molecules in a given surface area.
What that means is that the tuning pin hole in a Falconwood pinblock can be larger diameter because there is 20% higher friction for any given pressure. This, in turn, reduces stress on the wood. Thus, in Falconwood, a hole that's .010" undersize to a 2/0 pin will wind up with 125 inch/lbs of torque after stringing compared to the necessity of a hole .025" undersize (or more) for solid maple "hexagrip" style blocks.
Also, while there are many quality blocks available, it Falconwood does have a record of no documented failures in its history of use in pianos. And, as with other pinblock made with thin laminations, it is more stable.
Hope this helps...
Merry Christmas!
Keith Akins, RPT
Piano Technologist
Original Message------
Yeah, I was making Nossaman style blocks for my own rebuilds. But back in those days, I would buy the 10mm stock from Ron, who had purchased a run of it from Delignit, made to his specs, I believe. His stock ran thin, and then he had a fire in his shop. So one must buy thicker delignit or falconwood, bandsaw and plane to get the 10 or 9mm.
Keith, do you know precisely what the difference is between Delignit and Falconwood? I hear its like rock, but have not used it to really know if that's correct or not.
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Jim Ialeggio
grandpianosolutions.com
Shirley, MA
978 425-9026
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