The Hevenly Choir of Angels

Although I got a step ahead this weekend with the construction of the first two sections of the Hauptwerk division, I feel that not much was accomplished. Be that as it may, there are several little things that need mentioning. First, to reiterate, I went ahead and made the first two sections of the Hauptwerk division.

Section one (LT) and Section 2 (RT)

I was starting on section 3, which is the middle section, but I've been noticing that my blade is becoming more dull. It goes to show how much I've been using it. I'm at the same point before I bought this one, I'm pushing the wood through instead of the blade doing all the work. There are burn marks on the wood (which you can sort of see in the above picture). So, I went ahead and placed an order for another blade as well as some lubricant to preserve the life of the blade. I'm sure it will allow me to complete all my cutting for Opus 1.

Section 3 will reside in the center

I actually had to change my design slightly which affected this division. The reason is for the four angels that will go in the four "pockets"created between the top of the Oberwerk box and the bottom of the Hauptwerk division. The far left (LL) is created from the left pedal case, the top of the Oberwerk and the left side of the Hauptwerk (Section 1). The center left (CL) and center right (CR) are created from the Hauptwerk and the center section of the Oberwerk. The far right (RR) is created in a similar fasion as LL. You can sort of see them in the below picture.

Point two concerns the angels. Due to the specific size of these "compartments," it has been difficult to find angles that I like and are modeled after the ones on the Müller organ at St. Bavo. I found a company in Italy that does very nice woodworking. I've been communicating with him for the past week, seeing which ones would fit. I first ordered two 10cm angels for the CL and CR spots and 6cm angels for the LL and RR.

After looking at them, I love the 10cm angels, but not that comfortable with the 6cm. I had my reasoning behind the height difference, but went to look through the website again to see if there are other options. After asking for some actual photos of several options, I decided on four angles that are "flying," meaning they have no base. After getting the picture of the artist today, I was happy and they should be shipped in the next day or so.

How, you may ask, will I be mounting these angels if they are supposed to hang from something? Where there is a will there is a way. I'll know a better answer when I have them in my hand, but it will be comprised of a mounting block and a connecting dowel set at an angle. So, they will still look as if suspended in each compartment.

That's all there is for now. I received my shipment of the large molding. However, I'm now waiting for the small molding and that small book of Gregorian Chant which will be placed on the music rack. I forget if I brought that up in my previous posts. Either way, when it comes, you'll see it!


Let's enjoy some Bach at St.Bavo's Church, Haarlem (The Netherlands)