Well and good. However, it's time furniture companies took notice, there is a market for Piano shells. Now I know there are a few people building these shells one at a time here and there. The way I see this, so many of us need these piano shells, they should be sold in furniture stores all over the country mass produced. I know several people wanting these for their homes.
Most of it was from Lowe's. - 3/4" and 1" rigid insulation for the frame - 1/4" plywood underlayment for the soundboard and legs (laminated for legs) - 1/4" Fan-fold insulation for the rim (3 layers) - 3/4" plywood base for the keybed - 1/2" pine + 3/8" pine plywood for the music desk - 1.5" poplar and 3/4" plywood for pedal lyre and pedal box - Two 4x8 White Formica sheets for finish - Piano hinge + office chair wheels + door hinges I don't have dimensions, sorry. You can use the dimension of a real piano since that's what I did. :)
scottdotjazzman thank you and I love your piano I would love to make one of my own but I don't have a house big enough so I may try for an small spinet but I love your grand piano you did a wonderful job☺
This is Awesome! I'm a piano/vocal performer and Love the visual weight that cases give to one's stage presence. You are my new idol...! I have so many questions. How long did it take to construct? (super handy husband has LOTS of tools, various saws, etc.) And what do yo think you spent in parts, if you don't mind my asking? Having used it for awhile, is there anything you would do differently?
If you don’t mind the spinet upright look (which I think also looks good) you can just gut a spinet case and put your keyboard inside that. I think I would consider building everyting “hollow core” which would mean using hex cardboard and building the parts so they are very very light. To wrestle something grand piano size on stage, if the enclosure was made of sold plywood (3/4” or 7/8”) would be very very heavy. I think this build example looks like a two person job to carry and is probably not able to be disassembled (legs removed). There are other videos showing designs with removable legs
MAN! You are the BOMB! This is SO Cool!!! I cant manage to hang a bathroom towel rack (true story 1988) - Tried TWICE! ...put down the screwdriver, call maintnence and havent touched a screw dirver since! However! With foam, I can afford to try this, until I get it right! You are just kick-ass-awesome! I cant afford a real grand but have a great Roland G8 Workstation thats a keyboard MONSTER, 56 inches X 20 inches! And weighs aorund 80 pounds! I'll let you and everyone know how it goes THANKS !!!
I originally used contact paper for the wooden finish, but it didn't stick to the foam well at all, so I used white laminate instead--which stiffened the frame substantially, just like fiberglass would have. It's hard to tell, but I also reinforced the keybed and the rear leg mount by adding a layer of plywood, which also forms a surface to screw the legs on.
The piano body _significantly_ improves the power output (from ~ 65dB peaks to ~93dB) and helps create a more natural sound for the audience and pianist. The speakers you see at ~1:35 are connected directly to the soundboard via a short stiff linkage to help transfer sound. When I use the shell, I add two studio monitors (you can see them around ~2:30) for good treble response. I also use a FocusRite Saffire Pro 24 to mix the output from PianoTeq with the keyboard's output, and I tweaked the virtual mic placement to coincide with the speakers on the soundboard and keybed. I take it on gigs occasionally and it fools many people into thinking it's real at first, so apparently I did something right!
It's very lightweight without any components in it - the body alone weighs just 50 pounds. It's closer to 120 with the keyboard, legs, speakers, and amp attached. See ua-cam.com/video/VnoLddAESOA/v-deo.html for the audio (albeit prior to finishing the piano in white laminate).
Bent lamination; a technique based on the principle that if several strips are glued together face-to-face against a rigid form, they retain the shape of the form. If you look at the first couple of pictures, you'll see the clamps holding the three layers I made for the frame while the glue dried. Since I didn't actually have a form, I kerfed each piece and glued the first two together by hand, starting with the bass side. Once that dried, it was stiff enough that I could glue the third layer without worrying about it losing shape. I used the same technique for the legs, except I had a form. The piano is a P-105. I'd have bought a p-250 but I was too broke at the time! One thing I didn't show was how I made the wood top for the rim visible at 1:05 - I used a sabre saw to rough cut the shape from a 4'x4' piece of 3/16" flooring underlayment, glued it in place, then routed the edge with a flush cut bit (and a jig to prevent compressing the foam).
If you look closely at 0:25 you can see the kerfs I cut with a razor knife for the frame. The fanfold insulation I used for the rim was flexible enough to not need kerfs.
Congrats and thanks for sharing this work of ART and practical project !!
Hi, how can I order?
Wow!!! you go boy... I wish you could build me one... that was awesome to watch...
Awesome project! Kudo's Scott!
👏👏 Good job!! good idea!!
Do you have any instructions on how you did this?
AMAZING!!!!!! WELL DONE!!!!!!!
Well and good. However, it's time furniture companies took notice, there is a market for Piano shells. Now I know there are a few people building these shells one at a time here and there. The way I see this, so many of us need these piano shells, they should be sold in furniture stores all over the country mass produced. I know several people wanting these for their homes.
Lindo trabalho!
That is SO inspiring!! \m/
Idealistic mind
Do you mind listing the supplies and dimensions? I would also love to follow this as a guideline. Thanks for sharing.
Most of it was from Lowe's.
- 3/4" and 1" rigid insulation for the frame
- 1/4" plywood underlayment for the soundboard and legs (laminated for legs)
- 1/4" Fan-fold insulation for the rim (3 layers)
- 3/4" plywood base for the keybed
- 1/2" pine + 3/8" pine plywood for the music desk
- 1.5" poplar and 3/4" plywood for pedal lyre and pedal box
- Two 4x8 White Formica sheets for finish
- Piano hinge + office chair wheels + door hinges
I don't have dimensions, sorry. You can use the dimension of a real piano since that's what I did. :)
Que lindo...,. parabéns pelo trabalho ficou um show
Hell, that's badass! I never thought of using foam sheathing. I'm "stealing" your idea
Hi! Do you still have it? How has it held up over time? Thanks.
Does anyone know the music that's playing in the background?
ua-cam.com/video/evGaNablRaM/v-deo.html
scottdotjazzman thank you and I love your piano I would love to make one of my own but I don't have a house big enough so I may try for an small spinet but I love your grand piano you did a wonderful job☺
Nobre amigo passa as medidas principais ai pra gente . Da largura do movel comprimento e etc...
This is Awesome! I'm a piano/vocal performer and Love the visual weight that cases give to one's stage presence. You are my new idol...! I have so many questions. How long did it take to construct? (super handy husband has LOTS of tools, various saws, etc.) And what do yo think you spent in parts, if you don't mind my asking? Having used it for awhile, is there anything you would do differently?
If you don’t mind the spinet upright look (which I think also looks good) you can just gut a spinet case and put your keyboard inside that.
I think I would consider building everyting “hollow core” which would mean using hex cardboard and building the parts so they are very very light.
To wrestle something grand piano size on stage, if the enclosure was made of sold plywood (3/4” or 7/8”) would be very very heavy. I think this build example looks like a two person job to carry and is probably not able to be disassembled (legs removed). There are other videos showing designs with removable legs
MAN! You are the BOMB! This is SO Cool!!! I cant manage to hang a bathroom towel rack (true story 1988) - Tried TWICE! ...put down the screwdriver, call maintnence and havent touched a screw dirver since! However! With foam, I can afford to try this, until I get it right! You are just kick-ass-awesome! I cant afford a real grand but have a great Roland G8 Workstation thats a keyboard MONSTER, 56 inches X 20 inches! And weighs aorund 80 pounds! I'll let you and everyone know how it goes THANKS !!!
Why did you use the wood finish? Did you use any fibreglass? Did you change your mind for finish to white?
I originally used contact paper for the wooden finish, but it didn't stick to the foam well at all, so I used white laminate instead--which stiffened the frame substantially, just like fiberglass would have. It's hard to tell, but I also reinforced the keybed and the rear leg mount by adding a layer of plywood, which also forms a surface to screw the legs on.
I don't get it. does it improve the sound?
The piano body _significantly_ improves the power output (from ~ 65dB peaks to ~93dB) and helps create a more natural sound for the audience and pianist. The speakers you see at ~1:35 are connected directly to the soundboard via a short stiff linkage to help transfer sound. When I use the shell, I add two studio monitors (you can see them around ~2:30) for good treble response. I also use a FocusRite Saffire Pro 24 to mix the output from PianoTeq with the keyboard's output, and I tweaked the virtual mic placement to coincide with the speakers on the soundboard and keybed. I take it on gigs occasionally and it fools many people into thinking it's real at first, so apparently I did something right!
What kind of phone is that I’m trying to make a case for mine
In the very beginning he said it was a crappy phone...
This is sweet...how much does it weigh??
It's very lightweight without any components in it - the body alone weighs just 50 pounds. It's closer to 120 with the keyboard, legs, speakers, and amp attached. See ua-cam.com/video/VnoLddAESOA/v-deo.html for the audio (albeit prior to finishing the piano in white laminate).
This is awesome! How did you get the rigid foam to bend to that shape? I see you kerfed it...but what held it to that shape?
P.S. Yamaha P-series?
Bent lamination; a technique based on the principle that if several strips are glued together face-to-face against a rigid form, they retain the shape of the form. If you look at the first couple of pictures, you'll see the clamps holding the three layers I made for the frame while the glue dried. Since I didn't actually have a form, I kerfed each piece and glued the first two together by hand, starting with the bass side. Once that dried, it was stiff enough that I could glue the third layer without worrying about it losing shape.
I used the same technique for the legs, except I had a form.
The piano is a P-105. I'd have bought a p-250 but I was too broke at the time!
One thing I didn't show was how I made the wood top for the rim visible at 1:05 - I used a sabre saw to rough cut the shape from a 4'x4' piece of 3/16" flooring underlayment, glued it in place, then routed the edge with a flush cut bit (and a jig to prevent compressing the foam).
Awesome! Thanks for the detailed explanation. I just picke up a P-115 about 3 weeks ago.
what did you use to cut the foam so cleanly? Where do you live?
Just a sharp razor knife (and sanding where needed).
How did you bend the foam?
If you look closely at 0:25 you can see the kerfs I cut with a razor knife for the frame. The fanfold insulation I used for the rim was flexible enough to not need kerfs.