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The Picavet cross is the heart of the Picavet suspension system that was invented in 1912 by the Frenchman Pierre L. Picavet. The other popular suspension used by KAPers worldwide is the pendulum system. The Video Rig will use a Picavet. |
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I like to use spruce for the cross. This is some fine Adirondack spruce that had it been cut with the grain more vertical, could have ended up in a fine steel string acoustic guitar. But it wasn't, and I pulled it out of the scrap pile saving it from a short life as kindling. The dimensions are 1/2" x 1/2" x 3 1/2". The lap joint was cut on the bandsaw. |
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Spruce is a great wood. It is extremely light and strong. It does shrink and expand as the relative humidity of the surrounding atmosphere changes. Nuts that are tight one day can loosen as the wood shrinks the next. |
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An 8-32 bolt through the center, fender washers on both sides, and eyelet screws complete the unit. The only streamlining I've done is to radius the ends of the cross. I could have done some tapering of the wood but the savings in weight would have been minimal. |
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The Picavet cross is mounted on top of the rig. The large gear, the Picavet cross, and the 8-32 bolt that hold them together all move as a unit. The frame of the rig and the support piece attached to the frame with 2 vertical bolts, move as a unit. Notice the nylon washer between the top of the gear and the bottom of the support piece. This washer bears half of the weight of the rig. The other load bearing washer is located between the head of the 8-32 bolt, and the frame of the rig not visible in this photo. Here is a view of that. |
