The Pipe Rackboard / Pipe Toe Gauge

By Randy A. Bergum

A while ago I built a small pipe display rack for our church in Fullerton in order to raise funds for the New Organ Fund.

Not having all the tools needed to finish the job, naturally I borrowed what I could. Bob Trousdale lent me a pipe toe gauge that worked marvelously for this job. This tool allows you to determine the diameter of each pipe toe at the point where it passes through the rack board on a pipe chest, and these numbers are used in the construction of the new rack board. The spacing between the rack and the toe board on most chests is 4-1/2", which seems to be what Wurlitzer used in their chest work. After the display rack was finished, it was time to build a gauge for myself!

This design was shamelessly stolen from Bob Trousdale, once again proving that he does things the right way. The gauge was constructed out of wood scraps on hand, the top being 1/2" birch plywood, which is very stable. The bottom is ash, which was two pieces of 6" wide stock biscuit-joined together for warp resistance, and the sides are basswood.

I like durable tools, so the wood was finished in satin lacquer for stain resistance. Dimension sizes for each hole were printed and laminated in plastic, and since my eyes are getting fuzzier these days, a larger type size was used to aid in easy reading.

The layout work was designed on the computer to get the hole spacing just right, and a plot produced that called out each dimension from a fixed datum, usually an edge. The layout and drilling of the holes took less time than the designing (ain't that always the way!).

The rack board and the base were clamped together to eliminate any errors in registration, then all marks were laid out and 1/8" pilot holes were drilled in both boards together. Most holes were bored with forstner bits, but bits in the larger sizes are really expensive, so the bigger holes were bored using a trepanning tool chucked up in a mill/drill. The use of a scrap backing board minimizes tearout on the back side of the rack board.

The toe holes range in size from 1/4" to 2-1/2" diameter. If anyone has run into a pipe bigger or smaller than this, let's hear about it!

Fig. 1 - The Pipe Rackboard / Pipe Toe Gauge

Pipe Toe Hole

Width of C'sink

Diam. of Toe hole

1/4"

.625"

.250"

5/16"

.625"

.250"

3/8"

.625"

.250"

7/16"

.625"

.250"

1/2"

.625"

.250"

9/16"

.625"

.250"

5/8"

.625"

.3125"

11/16"

.625"

.3125"

3/4"

.625"

.3125"

13/16"

.625"

.3125"

7/8"

.625"

.3125"

15/16"

.850"

.4375"

1"

.850"

.4375"

1-1/16"

.850"

.4375"

1-1/8"

.850"

.4375"

1-3/16"

.850"

.4375"

1-1/4"

.850"

.4375"

1-5/16"

.850"

.4375"

1-3/8"

.980"

.500"

1-7/16"

.980"

.500"

1-1/2"

.980"

.500"

1-9/16"

.980"

.500"

1-5/8"

.980"

.500"

1-11/16"

.980"

.500"

1-3/4"

.980"

.500"

1-13/16"

.980"

.500"

1-7/8"

1-1/4"

.625"

1-15/16"

1-1/4"

.625"

2"

1-1/4"

.625"

2-1/16"

1-1/4"

.625"

2-1/8"

1-1/4"

.625"

2-3/16"

1-1/4"

.625"

2-1/4"

1-1/4"

.625"

2-5/16"

1-1/4"

.625"

2-3/8"

1-1/4"

.625"

2-7/16"

1-1/4"

.625"

2-1/2"

1-1/4"

.625"

Fig 2. Hole and Countersink Sizes

Return to Wurlitzer Tools and Repairs Menu

Home

Copyright © July 1998 and beyond by Randy A. Bergum All Rights Reserved