AOI Organ Shop - Building a windchest

AOI Shop Manager Daniel Sliger demonstrates how to build a new windchest for the Oklahoma History Center's Kilgen organ at the American Organ Institute.
The American Organ Institute
Official Website - aoi.ou.edu/
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The mission of the University of Oklahoma’s American Organ Institute is to invigorate and reinvent the time-honored and deeply-linked studies of pipe organ building, playing, and improvisation, through preparing and equipping students for successful careers as performers, teachers, organ builders, scholars, and technicians. We seek to inspire students and audiences with learning and exposure to this ancient and ever-evolving instrument by offering innovative and informed approaches to the pipe organ and its music.
Our students cultivate excellence and mastery of performance in both the traditional classical and sacred repertoire, focusing on historical performance practice as well as playing for today's audiences and congregations. The AOI also offers students the singular opportunity to undertake focused study of the American traditions of improvisation, scoring, and accompaniment of silent films and theatrical pipe organ performance. This cultivates opportunities for insight as well as the preservation of a unique aspect of the United States’ rich musical heritage. It likewise opens the doors to musical skills and techniques which have great relevance to the wider aspects of today’s organ profession, where all musicians are called upon to be broadly based in many disciplines as well as entrepreneurial in their visions of the organist's role in an ever-changing culture.
“This Institute… will be of great benefit to organ builders in the United States by providing a stable source of young people dedicated to organ building and with enough training to get a good start on a career.” - Jack M. Bethards, President and Tonal Director, Schoenstein & Co. Organ Builders
Music: René Louis Becker - First Sonata in G, Op. 40: V. Toccata
Dr. Damin Spritzer | Assistant Professor of Organ
Video production: Cristiano Rizzotto | DMA Candidate & AOI Shop Assistant

[@SoCalCath]

Thanks for this wonderfully-informative presentation adding to the excitement.

[@johnferguson8993]

A very interesting video, many thanks.

[@Offshoreorganbuilder]

Remarkable, how the same idea can be re-invented. I designed and built several chests like this one, but with round motors, rather than purses. Do you have any information on which size of purse boring goes with which pallet size? Thanks for the interesting upload.

[@williamskylark4089]

I think I have missed something here???--and would appreciate knowing ---if there is a problem with any of the electrics---does one have to take apart of the entire chest just to replace one diode etc????. Now how does one replace an dead cell here without taking apart the entire chest. Someone told me that the bottom board is dropped---so how is this installed so that there are no air leaks et al and have one not get knocked out in removing the bottom board??? Or is this board (not shown here) simply slided out and if so how is it that it is easy to do since wood expands and contracts. Thanks for all who explain.,

[@Offshoreorganbuilder]

The only electrics in the chest are the magnets, and they can be unscrewed, individually, from the bottom of the chest, even when it is installed. Problems with magnets are rare. There are no diodes or other electronics in the chest. They are on accessible circuit-boards elsewhere in the organ. What do you mean by a dead 'cell'? Both the bottom board and the toe boards are screwed on and therefore removable. The air-tight seal is achieved by a strip of leather or cork which runs all around the edges of every toe board or bottom board. This also takes care of normal expansion and contraction.

[@chen0466]

What is the piece being played in the background?

[@rogerwest2135]

Title of the music is shown at the start of the video or at the end of the intro to the video.

[@elliotcapson3101]

Could I get plans? Willing to buy.

[@minka866]

This a pedal windchester?

[@williamskylark4089]

We do not know for sure but as this apparently is a theatre organ with stops like tibia, post horn et al---it is doubtful since these holes are apparently not large enough for pedal pipes.

[@praestant8]

More accurately this isnt buildng a chest but a frame for existing action and toeboards. Screwing into end grain for the bars is unwise. RIP AOI.