Raphi Giangiulio's Homemade Pipe Organ

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Lower Organ Case

Building the lower organ case was my first attempt at raised panel cabinet style construction. Using new bits and a variable speed router, the job is pretty straight forward. The entire case is solid mahogany.

Here's the jig I made for routing the ends of the stiles:

Here are all the pieces test fit before gluing:

Here are some pictures of the glue-up and clamping process:

Here's the center section assembly with a mortise and tenon joint:

Here are the wings:

This is the center section finished. You can clearly see the cut out for the pedal board and the notch for the coupler pedal.

I knew that I would need access to the inside of the organ so I made almost the entire center section removable. I didn't want any visible knobs, hinges or screws so I made slots in the door and put dowels in the frame. The door slides onto the dowels and then rotates up where it is held in place with some push action magnets. When you push on the top of the door, it pops open enough to get a grip on the recessed handles. Then the door rotates down and comes completely off.

Here's the center section with the door in place:

I used some blind cam hardware to attach the case to the frame:

And finally here are some photos of the complete lower organ case assembled to the frame: