My Box Organ Some History
I built this box organ, using what I'd learned making dozens of these at Gerhard Brunzema's shop in Fergus. I believe the original design was by Paul Ott in Germany. Ahrend and Brunzema, who apprenticed with Ott further refined the design. Brunzema took the plans with him to Casavant where it was further improved. Then Brunzema started making these in his own shop in Fergus.
I built this one for a private customer in Aylmer, ON who wanted it for a rental. We made everything: metal and wood pipes, keyboard, windchest, and oak frame and panel case.
New Box Organ Materials
The keyboard was rosewood, with ebony sharps. The case and wooden pipes were oak. The windchest was mostly poplar. Stop action was welded steel with solid brass stop pulls. Metal pipes were 70% tin, cone tuned for tuning stability when moved.
New Box Organ Stoplist
The wind pressure is 63mm and the blower was a Laukhuff 3-80. The pipes don't need it, but higher pressure helps avoid robbing with narrow grid and tubing. Higher pressure increases the pluck on the small pallets, improving the touch.
- 8' Stopped Diapason, oak
- 4' Stopped Flute, oak
- 2' Fifteenth
- 1-1/3" Nineteenth
New Box Organ Portability
The top part of the organ with the chest and pipes can be easily lifted off the base with the built in lift handles. The lower section contains the blower and wind regulator.
Two people can easily lift and move a section. Most cars are big enough that the blower section can fit in the trunk and the pipe section will fit on the back seat.
Plagerism Fretwork design?
We rebuild this old reed organ. I really liked the fretwork design of the music rack and front grills. So we took it for inspiration for the fretwork panels of the box organ. It took forever to cut out all the fretwork, even with an electric fretsaw.
New Box Organ compact
You can see how crowded it is. I wanted to add a bottom B and C#, sp I could provide a shifting keyboard for high and low pitch, for early music. But it was impossible, without making the organ bigger.
New Box Organ ...and some plans
Yes, because its crowded, its a bit tough to tune. But its tuning is extremely stable so usually doesn't need much. In fact, even after moving, it seldom needed tuning. All of the 4', 2' and 1-1/3' stand on the chest. Notes #1-19 of the 8' are horizontal and tubed off.