St. John’s Episcopal Church Pipe Organ

Greetings Customers & Friends,

We are certainly in the heat of the summer. Unfortunately, our shop and warehouse areas are not air-conditioned, so I thank our dedicated staff for toughing it out during these record-setting temperatures that we’ve been having. The past couple of days have been so warm that our CNC router has occasionally shut off so that the machine is not damaged. We direct a couple of fans onto the machine, and with a short rest, it fires back up.

Earlier this year, I wrote about some fascinating places that my profession has led me to. A giant sawmill deep in the bush in West Africa, and a fascinating place in Cornwall, CT., that supplies massive white oak timbers for the restoration of historic sailing vessels. Places that I have found, or in some cases stumbled upon, and end up getting a behind-the-scenes tour that the general population never gets to see.

Another such place is St. John’s Episcopal Church in Stamford, CT.  I’m sure I have some of you wondering why, but I’ll tell you it wasn’t an unexpected miracle or anything like that. We have a long-term client, Foley Baker, Inc., that was originally from Bolton, CT. (my hometown), but now operates in Tolland, CT. Foley Baker was founded in 1968 and specializes in the maintenance, restoration, reconditioning, rebuilding, and tuning of pipe organs around the United States and beyond. These sometimes massive instruments are very technical and require unique skill sets to build and maintain. Foley Baker are renowned experts.

It was over 25 years ago when I was in Stamford working on a project that I drove past St. John’s Episcopal Church and saw Foley Bakers vehicles parked outside the Church. Working with them on a regular basis, I decided to pop in for a visit and, fortunately, ran into Mike Foley, the President and founder of Foley Baker. Mike welcomed me into his project and asked me if I wanted to see the instrument and its workings. This was a fascinating, memorable experience. As you may know, when you enter a Church like this, you can typically see some of the pipes from the worship area. They are up high above where the instrument is installed. Mike brought me behind the walls of the main organ area into this huge maze of platforms, small ladders, cables, and catwalks that facilitated the pipes of this impressive instrument. In total, this organ has 6,808 pipes and 116 ranks. I think we all know what the pipes are. The pipes were arranged in some order by size, starting with pipes that are way smaller than my little finger, and in rows getting progressively larger until they are 30’ + tall and a couple of feet in diameter. Imagine the air flow required to create the impressive, massive sound of these instruments. They are capable of shaking the walls of the buildings that house them.

This instrument also has 116 ranks. In a pipe organ, a rank is a row of pipes that all make the same sound, but at different pitches. A complete set of 32 pipes (for pedal stops) or 61 pipes (for manual stops) is called a rank. Each rank is designed to produce a specific pitch and sound quality, working in harmony to create a rich and diverse musical experience. If the opportunity ever presents itself to look at one of these instruments on this scale, I suggest that you take advantage. I think you will be equally impressed.

New projects that we’re working on at Parkerville include work at Collins Aerospace, Amherst College Arms Music Center, Fairfield University Sophomore Housing, and MIT Lincoln Labs. We are also just starting a project at the International Skating Center of Connecticut in Simsbury. The relatively newer owners are building a large addition with two half-rinks to add to their existing two full-size rinks. We are designing and building the new locker rooms and hope to stay partnered with them throughout this addition and renovations to the existing facilities moving forward. They have ongoing plans to continue improvements to the facility.

As you enjoy the summer, don’t forget to start planning your fall and winter projects. We’re always here to help you. Also, keep your eyes open for our “Woman in Woodworking” event this fall. We’re in the process of coordinating the dates. We will post the information soon.

Hope to see you at the shop,

Sincerely,

David Harris, President

Parkerville Wood Products, Inc.