My Most Challenging, My Most Rewarding Project - Crank Organ

[PaulDoug]

I started this last October and it is almost finished. I am waiting for some hinges to attach the front and top. This was a pretty challenging project and worth the work just to hear the first notes out of it. Could not have completed it without the help from a group over on the Family Woodworking Forum. It was so much fun I have collected plans for three other ones, just have to decide which one I want to tackle next. It is a John Smith Senior 20 organ, 20 notes, uses a paper roll. The plans and music rolls have to be ordered from the UK.

 

[jyreene]

Looks great. Any chance if posting how it sounds on YouTube?

 

[PaulDoug]

That is the plan, but I am waiting for some other organ builders to bless it.... We are getting together in the near future and I'm planning on having them help with a final tuning of the pipes. I'm real close, but don't understand music enough, nor hear well enough to make sure it is really in tune.

 

[jyreene]

Completely understandable. As awesome as that looks you wouldn't want it to sound bad! Kind of like a great looking pen that won't write!

 

[Haynie]

can we see inside?

 

[PaulDoug]

can we see inside?

Sure:
1st is the back, the black pipes are the bass pipes

2nd is the front showing the other interior pipes (I put 9 inside and 11 showing on the front) plus you can see the bellows with the air pressure reservoir on top of them.

3rd is another of the some of the interior pipes and the spring that puts pressure on the air reservoir.

Anyone interested in these there is a great thread on Family Woodworking.org called "Organ Build".

 

[Scruffy]

That is really great...

Very creative ..

 

[BeSquare]

That is entirely too cool, can't wait to hear it. Great job on it!

 

[mikespenturningz]

That is so cool. Great job on it too.

 

[eranox]

That might just be the neatest thing I've ever seen on here. I've been thinking about making a music box using a large turned cylinder constructed from hardwood staves. The box would be "programmable" by means of removable pegs that fit into the cylinder, so that you could change the song from time to time.

I may just have to give those organ plans a look. That looks really cool!

 

[ChrisN]

I've seen one of these played - it's neat how it works! Yours looks great!

 

[Haynie]

Now I understand what took so long. Impressive

 

[PaulDoug]

Thanks for the nice comments. Thought I post a link to a Youtube video of what they are supposed to sound like. Tom in the video is one of the builders from the forum and was a big help. Yep I have a monkey also...

My John Smith "Senior 20" street organ.......part 2 - YouTube

 

[Gregf]

Thanks for posting the link to Familywoodworking I've looked at John Smith's site from time to time. Seeing the large build thread convinced me to order a set of plans. My father was a church organist, unfortunately I inherited none of his musical abilities.

 

[PaulDoug]

Okay, You Asked For It!!!!!!!!!

Forgive me I have been celebrating the completion of my organ a little with a couple glasses of wine so I had Paul Newman stand in for me on the cranking, but here it is, the short version. Well it need just a little more tuning, but not too bad!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4IT_KtC8z0&feature=em-upload_owner

 

[jyreene]

Sounds great!

 

[Jim15]

I didn't see Paul but it's nice the way you trained that monkey to turn the handle.