Making bellows 1

I had no idea how bellows worked. I had no idea what valves really did. So There was allot to learn. As always I leafed through my collection of books on organs and the like, then headed for Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellows

This was the next stop on the information high way:

http://www.mmdigest.com/Tech/vanceBellows2.html

I was starting to understand that the valve needed to let air flow into the bellows at the bottom and into the reservoir box. In the reservoir box it would be kept under pressure by the pressure spring to allow a strong stream of constant air into the organ.

Here they use this technology to make a chair which is also an organ. The Bellows inflate on there own when you stand up. Amazing!

http://www.instructables.com/id/SEB8O8XFKOF7IVJ/

Of course professional organs have much more complex bellows then the ones I'm trying to make. This organ uses a water engine to move the air along:

http://www.dself.dsl.pipex.com/MUSEUM/POWER/waterengine/waterengine6.htm

They would also use more complex valve mechanisms. Bigger organs have stop mechanisms too. This give a summary of larger organs:

http://nersp.osg.ufl.edu/~bodinew/Pages/SoundProduction.html

For this project I'm making 2 bellows with simple leather flap valves. Then with one reservoir on top held with a spring. I'm getting the information on how to build it from the john smith plans.