guess it is the harp? that is brass?
here are two pictures of the "innards" lol
{{!gwi}}
{{!gwi}}

and one snapshot of part of the detail that I
am going to have fun using! lol
{{!gwi}}

No, the sound board is solid oak. Very thick, very heavy with all the metal from the harp. I should know, my dining table is made from the sound board of an old upright piano. It's beautiful oak--worm holes and all.

My Daddy made it for me about 30 years ago, and the wood is at least an inch and a half thick. There's great wood in there if you know a woodworker, or are one yourself.

Kat - I would love to hear about what you're planning on doing. I've just started taking apart my old piano and want to use the beautiful carved pieces somehow, just haven't figured out exactly what.

Marg - do you have a picture of your dining room table? sounds very interesting!

Ask for suggestions on the Garden Junk Forum.
If you are a woodworker, you might want to make a 'door chime' with the strings and posts from the piano.

Our Floors are over 100-150 yrs old. We've been flooded twice by the Susquehanna River, once in 1972 and lately 9/9/11. Our floors were covered with oak hardwood and since all hardwood was ruined and torn up, we're wondering if we should try to use the old base floors. They had thousands of nails removed, have spaces between the boards and show crackes and seem soft. Our one son states they can be restored?? I feel, they are brittle, uneven and too soft and crack and dent too easily. Any advice on this? I'm ready to go hardwood flooring again. Thank you

We're in the process of taking an old Steinway upright piano apart and hope to use the cabinet for a ?. My question is, has anyone used the Harp inside the piano for something? Having a hard time getting the top nails, screws out - any suggestions? Thanks.

Have an old Lester "player" piano... original company in Delaware County, PA... just south of Philly. Dad bought it when we were kids/teens... I'm sure he spent VERY little for it. Was never in tune or tuned. Never had the "guts" to play or the piece that would have gone across that section to hide it. Has little sliding door that covers pedals. Many of the white keys (thinking they're probably IVORY??) are chipped.

Bet I spent 10 times what he paid for it to have it hauled to NJ when clearing out his house. It's a BEAST! Has been painted a few times. Now it sits with my "stereo" stuff on top and 2 relatively inexpensive speakers inside the box... they sound like a million bucks coming outta that solid wood box.

One of these days, when I have enough participants, would like to deconstruct it!?! Metal (brass??) plate in back... where all the wires connect... appears to run all the way to the floor? Figure next time nephew is in the area, all I'll have to do is say it can't be done... and it'll get DONE!?!

Its so funny to see this post. A friend and I are decorating a piano to be an outside art and music project for a month. Then they will be thrown out, so wee are wondering about taking them apart.
Kathy

concretenprimroses wrote:

so wee are wondering about taking them apart.

We had an 1800s Steinway piano that "came" with our house. If I had known better, I would not have accepted the "gift". The sound board was warped, so it cost me $350 to get rid of the piano. The junk guys could not get it out the front door of my house, so they had to dismantle it in my living room. It took 2 grown men with sledge hammers at least 1/2 hour to break it down to get it out.

I have seen an upright piano turned into a grandfather clock case....gorgeous
The hows and wherefores .....I have no clue. I own a beautiful upright with sentimental value that is in horrid....and that is an understatement ...condition and wish I had the money, skill, where with all, handy man to do something that cool with it.
Maybe someday.

Rather than paying junk guys, I'd post it on Freecycle or Craigslist and sometimes woodworkers will want them for the wood. The dismantlement is a bit more calm and preservational. :-]

I've got some new old stock piano strings and am planning a wall display that looks like an abstract piano. I'd love to find some keys, pedals etc. so if anyone has any to get rid of... ;-]

bettabea: you may not get this since you posted in March, but I'm wondering about that flooring too if it's soft and warpy. Oak should not be soft. It's either getting rotten or it's not oak.

Sounds like it would be brass, but I'm not piano expert. I just want that old piano of yours!

I have this book called Salvage Style for the Garden by Marcianne Miller that shows one being used as a central garden art piece in a bed. Low plantings are used to show it off best.

Rolande