Bridges Removed From Old Board

The next step in replacing the sound board is to remove the old bridges from the old board. The bridges are glued, screwed, and doweled to the soundboard. The screws can be removed from the bottom side. There is typically one screw at each end of the treble bridge, and several on the bass bridge. On a Steinway there are several stand off dowels in the tenor section of the bridge that must be cut from the top of the soundboard. Finally, the dowels that go through the ribs into the bridge must be bored out. When this preparation work is completed, the bridges are carefully chiseled loose, and pried off the soundboard.