Peter Tkach

Harpsichord Maker

#2 Front End

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#1 Tail to Spine
#2 Front End
#3 Bentside
#4 Corner Keys
#5 Braces
#6 Sound Board Slats
#7 Glued Soundboard Slats
#8 Fitted Soundboard
#9 Rough-cut Bridges
#10 Go-bars
#11 Bridges Glued to Soundboard
#12 Lid and Flap Are Fitted
#13 Liners
#14 Six Upper Frames
#15 Bottom Fitted
#16 Soundboard Bottom
#17 Gilding the Rose
#18 Sunbathing
#19 Soundboard and Go-bars
#20 In the White
#21 Key Blanks and Frames
#22 Marked Key Blanks
#23 Natural Platings
#24 Keys Are Cut
#25 Arcades Are Glued
#26 Natural Keys
#27 Keys Mounted
#28 Back of Keys
#29 Instrument Strung
#30 Sharp Keys
#31 All Keys Finished and Mounted
#32 Completed Keyboards
#33 Case Moldings Gilded

The front end is glued together. The wrestplank, upper belly rail, and nameboard are glued into mortises in the spine and cheek. This is held together by the large four foot long pony clamps with the orange ends. At the same time, small ponies and large handscrews clamp the nameboard to the wrestplank. This is the largest single gluing operation in the instrument.