Ringing Forums

I have seen efforts to improve sound in a ringing chamber. Plastic or metal pipes can be used to direct sound from individual bells towards the ceiling of the ringing chamber, without necessarily having to penetrate the ceiling. My understanding is that in most cases it has been a case of trial and error to achieve the results required. As a side issue if you are concerned about maintaining fire protection through a fire rated floor or partition, there are fire separation collars frequently used in buildings that will close a pipe off in the event of a fire.

I fitted plastic rollers into a belfry some years ago. They were sourced from Whitechapel Bell Foundry, so you would need to find an alternative source of them. We were able to fit them in place of solid wood rollers running on plain bearings within the original pulley boxes, though we did have to adapt the boxes slightly to accommodate the wider pulleys.
The changeover improved the bell handling immensely. They have now been in service for a number of years and we continue to be happy with their performance. Like any mechanism they do need to be checked regularly..

Having worked as a structural engineer, I can confirm that plywood has very different characteristics than the original timber it was made from, partially because of the direction of the grain changes with every ply and partly because of the characteristics of the adhesive used.

As Mike says 'wood being a natural material does vary in quality and strength. Generally the recommendation for ash stays is that they should be preferably sourced from UK stock and be straight grained along the length of the stay. Ash die back is gaping to present a problem in the future, however at present it is still possible to get good quality ash for stays. As the actual consumption of stays is so low, I cannot see that anyone outside the ringing fraternity are going to carry out the necessary research as to which alternative material could be used. I note the suggestion of a plastic, but thought we were trying to get away from using plastics in the environment?

There are various woods used in the construction of wheels, I believe the traditional timbers are oak for the spokes, elm for the shrouds and ash for the sole. Current wheels are constructed entirely from hardwoods.
My understanding is that modern wood preservatives are often water based and as such can be applied sparingly to the wheels if required.

There is no standard height for the sally from the floor. Sallies are generally checked when the bells are up so that the 'average' ringer can reach the middle to lower part of the sally with upraised arms. This can then be adjusted for preference.

As I have posited elsewhere different timbers need different approaches. Oak generally does not need anything doing to it either internally or externally as it is pretty robust. However softwood is vulnerable to the weather and to vermin. Whilst oak can normally only be attacked by Deathwatch Beetles, softwood can be attacked by a whole range of wood boring insects.

In the building industry the general approach is to keep softwood timber dry and to treat it against woodboring insects. Providing this approach is followed rigorously, it works very well.

My only reservation is that the wheels, stays, sliders etc: are of small section wood and may be more vulnerable as a result. Regular treatment with wood preservative seems to me to be sensible.