Toy Piano Progress

Over spring break, I was able to get a really big chunk of work done on my project. I used the tools my mom has accumulated over the years, essentially whenever I wanted. I really enjoyed working by myself since I could play my music out loud and not worry about people watching me work.

My project is a toy piano replica of a piano that had been in my family from the 1960s to the 2010s. I started construction with pretty minimal planning, so I’m happy it turned out as well as it did. I knew I wanted to construct the basic piano “shell” out of solid wood, so I went to Home Depot and got a 1×10 piece of lumber, as well as a small doweling kit since I knew I’d need it later.

On the first day I worked, I made a lot of progress. Time went by quickly, so I was shocked when I checked the clock and five hours had passed. When I’m working on things like this, I get into a sort of flow state where I just work and work without any breaks, which helps me stay productive. I managed to finish cutting out the two side pieces of the piano, which have some interesting curves that I made a paper template for. I also cut some keys (which I ended up not using) and a back panel to attach the two sides together.

On the next day I worked, I didn’t take many photos to document my progress, but I attached the back panel and added a couple of pieces of wood across the front of the piano. I used wood dowels, which involved buying a doweling kit. It was fun to learn how to use it.

On the last day of work during spring break, I added some small wood “lips” that act as a ledge for the solid wood and keys to sit on top of. I did this to bridge the gap between the two sides without doweling. I also added two front legs using a ¾” wood pole, which I attached to the piano using dowels, but I haven’t glued them in permanently yet since I’m not sure if I’m satisfied with their aesthetic.

After this, I came back to Boulder and took a break from building. I decided that I wouldn’t be able to make the sound mechanism for the piano myself, so I finally accepted my fate and bought a premade toy piano from Melissa & Doug to harvest for parts. This piano was about $50 which is not necessarily expensive, but more than I wanted to spend on this project. Still, I really want this piano to function, so I think it had to be done. When the piano was delivered, I immediately took it out of the box and disassembled it as much as I could. I got to see the inner workings of the keys and realized that this piano isn’t as well-built as I expected from a company like Melissa & Doug, which made me prouder of the piano I made.

I feel like I’ve made great progress toward the final product. After I started working, I became more excited about what I was making. I can’t wait to keep working on it.