The bass pipes in the underside of the John Smith organ are shown
as sharp 90-degree mitres in his design.  In my own organs, the ones
I design, the pipes are mitred with two 45-degree bends in close
proximity, so that the middle section is a cheese-shaped piece which
comes to a point.  Thus the inside of the pipe bend is 90 degrees but
the outer side of the pipe is bent in two 45-degree stages.

This arrangement takes up no more room than the simple 90-degree bend,
yet supposedly produces better tonal qualities than the latter, if the
organ builders "bible" by Audsley is to be believed.  Also, the hardwood
face of the pipe then stays on the same side of the pipe -- not that this
makes a jot of difference to the tone.  John Smith's design was done
with a view to simplicity for the first-time organ builder (I rang and
asked him about it today).

With pipes of this small size, in my experience the materials used make
no noticeable difference to the sound produced.  Pipe bodies made of
plywood or MDF, internally sized or varnished, make virtually the same
sound as expensive timber.  However, the use of good timber prevents
splitting around the stopper, and the use of fine hardwood for the
upper and lower lips and the pipe-cap are essential to producing good
tone quality.  I realise that professional organ builders will regard
this as heresy, but with a small busker organ, I bet even they would
not notice the difference.

Bob Essex
Warwickshire, England