For a piano, a cracked plate (harp) is a fatal injury. The most likely cause for cracking a plate is dropping the piano while moving it. Merely moving it a couple of inches can send it crashing into the floor if a leg has a frozen castor, stripped screws, or cracked locking plate. I've discovered that inserting your foot under the falling instrument will protect both it and the floor from harm, but I don't recommend it if you value your toes.

For all you would-be piano movers, test all three legs before moving it, and assume a leg WILL collapse so you won't get caught off guard if it happens!

Piano Leg Repair
Do's (and a couple of Don'ts)

"Refinisher" whittled too much material

Resurfacing the spade

Exposing the split-out and putty patch

Cutting 3/16 steel plate for ferrules

Fitting plates into welding jig

Ferrule ready for welding

Welding ferrule

Grinding off the slag and excess steel

Filling the gaps with fiber-glass resin

Ready for refinishing

(Click thumbnails to enlarge)

Removing damaged leg lock plates

Damaged leg locks

Mortise cutting for new leg lock

Making a pattern for a gluing jig

Tracing the jig pattern

Cutting the jig

Using the jig to glue the cracked leg

Using dowels to plug stripped leg screw holes

Piano Leg Repair Do's (and a couple of Don'ts)

Removing damaged leg lock plates Damaged leg locks Mortise cutting for new leg lock Making a pattern for a gluing jig Tracing the jig pattern Cutting the jig Using the jig to glue the cracked leg Using dowels to plug stripped leg screw holes

Piano Leg Repair
Do's (and a couple of Don'ts)

Removing damaged leg lock plates

Damaged leg locks

Mortise cutting for new leg lock

Making a pattern for a gluing jig

Tracing the jig pattern

Cutting the jig

Using the jig to glue the cracked leg

Using dowels to plug stripped leg screw holes