Here is a look at the pre-cut keyboard, as it came in the kit.
To keep track of all 45 keys, we numbered each one This was done along the line where the balance holes were drilled, because the nameboard will cover this area.
See, the keys themselves are kind of like see-saws. In the middle of each key is a hole for the balance pin., the fulcrum of the see-saw. We have to make sure that the keys swing up and down freely, but without too much looseness. Getting them to the right looseness is called EASING the keys, and that's what we started to do next.
First, we quickly created an "easing tool" out of a spare stick of wood and a balance pin.
Then, a key was put on the tool. We rotated each key around and around, and pushed the see-saw up and down, to get the key to move more freely.
That was only the first stage of EASING, and we will come back to that later.
Now, when we install each key in the instrument, what is to keep each key from rotating round and round on the balance pin? Well, remember the guide rack in the back of the instrument with the vertical slots carved in? Here's an old photo:
In the back of each key will go a thumbnail, and each thumbnail will go into its corresponding slot in the guide rack. This keeps the keys from moving side to side, and only up and down.
We had a long piece of thumbnail material (the same one we used for the nameboard - see DAY 10). Here's the thumbnail wood in the back of a key:
We wanted about 3/16" of thumbnail protruding from each key, so that was measured and marked.
Then, the thumbnail was removed and we put glue into the kerf in the key.
The thumbnail was inserted again and glued in.
Finally, the thumbnail was cut with scissors at the mark.
Mind you, pretty much every step on the keyboard has to be done 45 times--once for each key. Here is the keyboard with all the thumbnails in place.
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