On Thu, 28 Feb 2008 10:58:01 -0500, Peter Redstone wrote:

> Of course, since the industrial revolution began in England (with the 
> steam engine beginning with Newcomen in c.1710, one would expect 
> screws to be mass-produced early on. 

London ivory sawyers were using a small circular saw by 1680 and this 
carried over to instrument makers, too.  
The Benj. Sison spinet form 1685 I restored had completely believable 
circular saw kerfs on the completely original jacks.
The ivory, did, too.


Another method for the batten was the use of two or three small 
turnable latches of brass wire thru the batten which had small 
horizontal slots for these; the batten was put on over these latches 
when they were turned horizontally and then the latches were turned 
90º. This sort of "lock" can be found all over the place, especially 
with forte piano damper racks, but also with sticker guides in organs.

Then there was the use of the sliding dovetail. Small sliding dovetails 
were fit into the back of the batten or more usually the nameboard, and 
then glued to the front of the WP (or nameboard). Thus, the piece could 
be lifted up and off. Typical german organbuilder stuff.
  
lots of ways to skin a cat...

but screws were not one of them, not even when screw were commercially 
available; both Stein and Schiedmayer used the sliding dovetail. On an 
1815ish viennese piano there are no visible screws. Stein did screw on 
the front board in front of the keyboard with two very large-headed 
hand-made screws since he had no sled but instead three individual jams 
under the keyframe - primative like a lot of what Stein did. 
D.Schiedmayer invented the sled by fxing the jams to the front board. 
his sone reveryed to the individual jams which are easier to put in but 
slotted the frontboard into the case on both sides like most everyone 
else did.

b