There's no ash, just a few chads that don't drop off the roll sometimes, they come off easy (in fact, you can blow on the paper and usually they'll go flying off). There's very little smoke too with the process (though my basement is getting me lightheaded when I go downthere and my machine is running XD)
@@PiotrBarcz i just said this on another comment, but just to keep all these messages in one place I have some questions. 1: did you have someone build it for you? 2: how much did it cost?
@@That_One_Player_Piano Spencer Chase built the machine and then gave it to me which I was really surprised about. To build the drop in version for an existing engraver it would probably be pretty cheap (since Spencer's suggested machine is 300 bucks).
Yes, Piotr’s right, there isn’t any ash. The air assist on the laser blows against the cut as the laser runs, which helps push the chads away from the paper. They fall into a tray with water in it. But other than the chads, the water stays clear. If there was any ash produced, it would be obvious here.
The laser engraver for my machine was about $280. I’m up to about $300 in other parts & supplies since I added the paper take-up spool. The powered supply and take-up spools are simple- $12 synchronous motors, micro switches, wire, and scrap lumber. But I found that they keep the paper up and away from the cutter so there is less drag on the motor-drive wheel, so I get more accurate cuts.
Awesome work as always! Your edge trims are so clean, I still haven't gotten mine looking that clean but my perforator was banged up in shipping so a whole lot of stuff is out of whack xD
You had someone build it for you? I want one because I'm having some special rolls cut, and I don't have much faith in the companies that do it publicly. Plus I have plenty of rolls I would like recut if I get a scanner.
@@That_One_Player_Piano Spencer Chase who designed the machine built me mine and gave it to me (awfully generous of him considering how he had months of work into it). I can do the cutting for you if you'd like, I got the machine specifically to do custom cutting. I can actually make new scales for the perforator too, as long as they're not wider than 12 inches. As far as scanning the rolls themselves, I would mail them to Mike Swanson who does punch master reconstruction for cloning rolls down to the punch row.
I put together a PDF with some pictures and commentary on how I built this roll cutter. Spencer has it posted on his Spencer's Erolls site. I will make a drawing with the dimensions of my machine (not that they're that critical - Spencer's cutters are quite a bit different).
This is amazing. I love the whole lineage of an original roll ==> midi ==> G code ==> new roll. Although I understand all the reasons for converting an instrument to midi control but there isn't anything as amazing as an instrument playing from a paper roll! Good work all! Do you think this would work punching a cardboard "book" for a band organ? Certainly more material for the laser to remove.
The laser can cut through plywood, so I'm sure it would cut cardboard. The cutting speed would be quite a bit slower than for paper. The biggest challenge would be to get the cardboard to feed evenly through the machine, but since the cutting speed would be slower, it would probably work fine.
Can you provide an estimate of material costs and/or the vendor and model numbers for the components? If it’s not a huge outlay, I want to build one too!
I just totaled up my receipts: $280 for the laser engraver, $288 for the other parts and tools needed (not including the woodworking tools and miscellaneous supplies that I had already). I will put together a detailed list of parts and some plans with dimensions and make that available.
@@303wal You, sir, are a Prince! It makes me wonder how much additional throughput could be added by adding a second laser operating in parallel and staggering the data appropriately.
Good to see this working and playing on such a fine piano. I recognize your setup but forget who it belongs to. You are the first to get this actually working. I do not have a pneumatic player and only made one full roll with bad X axis calibration so it did not play properly. It is really good to get confirmation that this method does work. I put a lot of effort into it and until now was sort of concerned since my first full roll was garbage. I have made several updates to the program and do not know if i got the latest to you. I also have made an unspooler for large rolls and it works very well. Uses an optical IR avoidance detector and is real simple. I can not tell if your spool is unspooled by a motor. Pulling from the Y axis motor is not enough for heavy spools of paper.
This piano looks almost identical to my Knabe, but mine is missing the ampico player, apparently removed many years before I got it. I wish it were still intact. What a great video. Thanks for sharing.
Great work on repairing the roll! This is one of my favorite rolls in the Ampico library. It always surprises me that hobbyists never mention it. Thanks for the shout out! The Mason is a fabulous instrument, no doubt. I certainly love mine. With shorter pianos, I think Knabes scale designs were much better than the competition (including M&H!). If I find a 6’4” Knabe with Ampico, I’ll let the Mason go. Your piano marvelously demonstrates the system and the intelligence of the Knabe designers and craftsmen.
Your Knabe need make no apologies, it sounds superb and would be a much better "fit" acoustically for the living rooms for which reproducing pianos were intended. I have been told the name is pronounced something like "Ker-NARBah" rather than "Nabe" to rhyme with "babe". Is this so? Thanks for the great music Gavin East Lincoln, New Zealand
Very nice! I’m loving your posts. I have this roll also and a lot of the early ones and my piano is the same model. I also set it on Subdued for these WWI era rolls. Thanks for sharing.
Suggestion: don't move the camera about too much. Leave it on the roll for a few bars, then show the keyboard nice and steady for a few bars (or just leave it on a tripod to show both at the same time). -Maybe don't bother showing the hammers striking as that's the same on all pianos. Focus on the keyboard and the roll, as those are special features of the player piano. Very enjoyable to see and hear this lovely instrument, perhaps the nicest-sounding player piano I've yet heard online. My maternal grandparents had an upright player piano, which was a delight to me as a young boy.
Wow! Growing up I must have heard that roll well over a 1000 times when we'd go out east to my Grandmother's house where my dad had his other children with three and six legs lol his favorites next to me. I can remember rebuilding bellows and valves for different pianos over the years. Totally appreciated that! Thanks Eddie J. Long Island N.Y.
Wow, that's something I haven't seen in ages.. the bottom cover. Thanks for the share. I've noticed that when you're taking a video of the Knabe, it's like you're recording memories of, say, your baby.. I appreciate that. Thanks, Eddie J. Long Island N.Y
Interesting roll 😮. Fun fact when I'd play one of my fav rolls like Ampico 66913 Queen high selection that includes 'You must have been a beautiful baby..on an A draw I'd have the piano set to brilliant, pedal on, automatic and I'd pop the cover off the left side of the draw and unplug the bass - treble hose and lid open to full basically cranking the piano volume. Thanks for sharing. Eddie J. Long Island N.Y
There's a roll I remember listening to frequently when my dad would come out to visit his kids, the ones with three and six legs.. Lol, the bag of Ampico rolls to the left. Thinking about it, I have over 1500+ Ampico rolls and maybe 100 of other makes, including some Duo-arts. I'm going to check out the rest of your videos. Thanks for the memories. Eddie J. Long Island N.Y.
…three and six legs - yes, I understand; my baby has six. I’ve got piano rolls all over this house, but I don’t have 1500 Ampico rolls - that’s quite a collection.
Thank you for that. I used to be able to listen to one of three players as my dad left me with three player baby grands two Knabes with Ampico B draws and a Hains bros with an Ampico A draw he was in the middle of rebuilding the two Knabes when he was met with untimely death so I only had the Hains to play but only with small and standard Ampico rolls unfortunately no of the jumbo rolls fit and about two years ago im guessing the pump motor brushes wore out. I have plenty of parts, thank you, dad, and hope to find matching brushes so I can listen live. Thank you, Eddie J. Long Island N.Y.
