Plan 20 key crank organ Walter Höffle.
In a more than 60 pages counting book, Walter Höffle tells with much detail drawings the making of
a 20 key crank organ with four registers. Beside stopped flutes there are also violin and picolo (wood) pipes described
and also are the corresponding measure tables present. Special for beginners i have written 8 additional pages. They
treat problems which can happen during building, alternative ways to make several parts, more info about tuning etc...
This book is in Dutch, German, Spanish and English availabe.
It can be obtained at:
info@hobbydraaiorgel.nl
Some pages for inspection inclusive technical specification (pdf)
This organ is the result of this plans:
You can read here the introduction page of this book.
Introduction.
Dear crank organ friends.
Who has this book now in his hands has surely been touched by hearing a crank organ and his music.
Besides there will be a crank organ friend caught by the “fascination crank organ” and never let go.
Whereas many loves the flair of crank organ music and also want to play it by themselves, less possesses an instrument of his own.
For all the ones, who besides a musical skill also have craftsmanship, I wrote this crank organ plan.
Because professional organ building is a very labour-intensive and therefore a wages-intensive matter,
good instruments have their calculated price.
Just here causes for the crank organ lover the possibility by self-building a good and also low-priced music instrument.
For me the pleasure in constructing and building such instruments was great for me for a long time.
I made two house organs and four crank organs of 20, 31 and 42 keys.
Also I have made for my 31 key organ a computer driven punch machine,
by which I can punch full automatically music rolls by midi files.
Because there are as far as I know only common descriptions in the professional literature,
I made it as a task to give interested crank organ friends the possibility to build a high-quality music instrument.
Based on detailed building descriptions and many construction drawings,
it is possible to build a crank organ where success is assured. Some conditions should be there:
you should have some machinery like a circular saw, a joiner’s bench, a column-type drilling machine,
eventually a small lathe and some small tools.
Who has already experience in woodworking and in pipe constructing, has naturally less difficulties.
With the assembly of the more difficult parts, a good organ friend or a known furniture maker can give you a helping hand.
A main condition for building such an instrument is to work precisely, where you should make high demands of yourself.
Even with woodworking I work with a sliding caliper up to 0,1 mm precise. A way of working which has proved itself.
The final design of a completed organ depends totally of personal taste.
As samples the following possibilities: light or dark background of the enclosure, farm drawings, motives of your neighborhood etc.
Who as crowning plays on his self-made crank organ, will enjoy double of the music and the happening.
Walter Höffle.
