Removing the old soundboard is another bit of a challenge, as the soundboard is glued into the piano, and must be "broken" out. The first step is to remove the trim pieces on the bass and treble sides of the board. These are glued and must be chiseled out. Also the bind bar at the front treble end of the soundboard must be removed. It is screwed and glued into place. The final preparation for removal is to drill the dowels that protrude through the board to support the plate. These are drilled down to just below the top surface of the soundboard.
Now we are ready to remove the board. This is accomplished with a hammer and "ramming" bars. I use as much care as possible in this process because I want to avoid damaging the rim of the piano where the board is glued, and I want to maintain the old board in a relatively intact condition so I can use the old board for an exact pattern for the new board. With some persistence, the board does yield to my ramming and prying.
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