It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 7:27 am


Pedal width

Building organ consoles for use with Hauptwerk, adding MIDI to existing consoles, obtaining parts, ...
  • Author
  • Message
Offline

EricJ

Member

  • Posts: 8
  • Joined: Tue Sep 12, 2017 12:27 pm

Pedal width

PostFri Dec 15, 2017 4:57 pm

I am building a pedalboard from scratch. It seems that most natural pedals on the AGO type pedalboards I have seen are 1 inch wide. My sources for Maple only come in 3/4 and 1 3/4 thicknesses. building a natural pedal 1 inch wide would require buying the 1 3/4 thickness and cutting down to size. This would result in a considerable increase in cost.

would there be any "playability" problems if I made the natural pedals 3/4 inch wide? I am brand new to organ playing so I don't have any experience in playing pedals. I have to make the pedalboard before I can practice. I am trying to avoid unnecessary costs but I don't want to build it cheap, only to have to build a new one later.

I have thought of buying a used pedal board from eBay, but the shipping costs keep them in the $250 range. The woodworking part is no problem, I like building, I am just concerned about cost.
Offline
User avatar

johnh

Member

  • Posts: 699
  • Joined: Sat Mar 15, 2003 6:51 pm
  • Location: Monterey Bay Area of California

Re: Pedal width

PostFri Dec 15, 2017 5:30 pm

Some pedal keys are made with two pieces of wood, one being a 'cap' on top of the other. Typically both pieces have the same width but I'm wondering if you made yours in a 't' profile, with the 3/4 lumber on it's side forming a wider top if that wouldn't work.

---john.
Offline

oliver_mayes

Member

  • Posts: 531
  • Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2009 9:05 pm
  • Location: Crystal Lake, IL

Re: Pedal width

PostFri Dec 15, 2017 11:27 pm

I ordered 5/4 lumber from the lumber yard and it was exactly 1" finished.
Ollie
Offline

jkinkennon

Member

  • Posts: 1208
  • Joined: Thu May 07, 2009 9:43 am
  • Location: Vancouver, WA

Re: Pedal width

PostSat Dec 16, 2017 1:11 am

I just measured the widths on three AGO pedalboards from Allen and Rodgers and found widths on the naturals of about 13/16 inch. One had wider maple caps that were closer to 7/8 inch wide. The sharps were all closer to 3/4 inch. I guess I would lean towards standard nominal 1" widths, actually 3/4" wide, and cut custom maple caps 7/8" wide.
Offline

WayneG

Member

  • Posts: 1
  • Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2017 2:43 pm
  • Location: SW Vermont

Re: Pedal width

PostSun Dec 17, 2017 8:54 pm

I just measured my AGO pedals from an old New England pipe organ , i bought from a local organ builder .
It has maple caps 13/16 wide about 7/8 high , on top of oak strips 3/4 wide by 1.5 in high .

If you add your location , someone nearby might become helpful .

My local organ builder in Western Ma, was cleaning out last year and just may still have some used pedals .

Wayne
Offline
User avatar

profeluisegarcia

Member

  • Posts: 844
  • Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 8:00 pm
  • Location: Manizales, Colombia

Re: Pedal width

PostTue Dec 19, 2017 11:59 am

EricJ wrote:I am building a pedalboard from scratch... the AGO type


Just a comment and question:
I wonder about the real use of the extra F sharp and G recommended by AGO model. Perhaps 99.8% of all organ literature do not requiere those notes.

Luis
Offline
User avatar

RichardW

Member

  • Posts: 899
  • Joined: Sun Oct 28, 2007 9:16 am
  • Location: UK

Re: Pedal width

PostFri Dec 22, 2017 7:25 am

profeluisegarcia wrote:I wonder about the real use of the extra F sharp and G recommended by AGO model.

AGO were anticipating the Hauptwerk Stepper. Up and Down can usefully be assigned to those two keys. ;)


Regards,
Richard
Offline
User avatar

telemanr

Member

  • Posts: 1576
  • Joined: Sat Feb 18, 2006 4:18 pm
  • Location: Brampton, ON, Canada

Re: Pedal width

PostFri Dec 22, 2017 9:50 am

Contemporary composers will of course wish to use those two keys because they weren’t used in the past. Past bad, future good. And it’s an uncomfortable reach so it’s all good.
Rob Enns
Offline

EricJ

Member

  • Posts: 8
  • Joined: Tue Sep 12, 2017 12:27 pm

Re: Pedal width

PostFri Dec 22, 2017 1:30 pm

Thanks everyone! Those are excellent suggestions and information. Turns out I was able to find 5/4 maple locally in Anaheim California, cost is $3.70/BF. Most of the boards are 5-6 inches wide so I'll cut 3 inch boards for the naturals and the leftover will work for the base of the Sharps.
Offline
User avatar

profeluisegarcia

Member

  • Posts: 844
  • Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 8:00 pm
  • Location: Manizales, Colombia

Re: Pedal width

PostSun Dec 24, 2017 9:44 am

RichardW wrote:
profeluisegarcia wrote:I wonder about the real use of the extra F sharp and G recommended by AGO model.

AGO were anticipating the Hauptwerk Stepper. Up and Down can usefully be assigned to those two keys. ;)


Regards,


THANKS for the idea, Richard :idea: . I will apply it to an old Casavant pedalboard I´m going to midify¡.

Luis
Offline
User avatar

RichardW

Member

  • Posts: 899
  • Joined: Sun Oct 28, 2007 9:16 am
  • Location: UK

Re: Pedal width

PostSun Dec 24, 2017 11:20 am

profeluisegarcia wrote:THANKS for the idea, Richard :idea: .

No problem!

I would like to claim originality but I pinched it from AJT - apparently five years ago. How time flies. viewtopic.php?f=21&t=10792&p=79554&hilit=pedal#p79554


Regards,
Richard

Return to DIY organ consoles / MIDI

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests