Pipe Organ Wood Carving

REPRODUCTION OF HISTORIC WOOD CARVINGS

HFM was approached by a local comittee involved in the duplication of a 18 century pipe organ, presently located in Vilnius, Lithuaina.  Completed in 1776, it is the last remaining untouched pipe organ known in Europe of this vintage.  The Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative has already imported a Baroque pipe organ from Italy and installed it in the Memorial Art Gallery, which is a big hit, especially in the organ world.  The organ is being designed according to the specifications of an instrument built by Adam Gottlob Casparini in 1776 for the Church of the Dominicans in Vilnius, Lithuania.  The new organ will be built for Christ Church as a research project by a joint venture of American and international organ builders.

Our part is to help reproduce the "pipe shades" which are ornately carved baffles that go at the top and bottom of a set of pipes, restricting the airflow and modifying the sound of the organ.  The originals can't leave the country, so either they have to be carved there or measured and carved here.  We traveled to Vilnius to capture CNC files of the shape and contours of these carved elements. We scanned the historic elements in Lithuania, roughed them out on our own CNC milling machine here in the United States and then had local wood carvers apply a hand carved finish to the work.

(Click to enlarge) Jim Turner in Lithuania scanning the back side of this angel on top of the organ a long ways from the floor on a somewhat shaky platform. Note the transmitter in the back of the angel about at waist height.	(Click to enlarge) The new organ will be built for Christ Church as a research project by a joint venture of American and international organ builders.
(Click to enlarge) Our part is to help reproduce the "pipe shades" which are ornately carved baffles that go at the top and bottom of a set of pipes, restricting the airflow and modifying the sound of the organ.