The original bridge had been shaved down so low that it was no longer salvageable. Fortunately it did serve as a good guide for a properly sized replacement.

Secured to the new block of Brazilian Rosewood with double stick tape the old bridge allows for precise locating of the existing pin holes.

With the excess trimmed off, the blank is beginning to take a familiar shape.

From the band saw the bridge was sculptured with a belt sander and hand sanding. The pin holes were chamfered. At this point the dimensions are a still a bit larger than the original. It will be trimmed to fit the original footprint.

Hot hide glue was applied to the mating surfaces and held secure with a clamping jig while it cured.

The device pictured here allows for the instrument to be strung up and by turning the extended knobs the exact saddle location can be determined for each string.

The saddle slot was routed into the bridge and a saddle fabricated from Legal Fossil Ivory.

A thin coat of hide glue at the bottom of the slot secures the two components. There's a slight wave to the top of the saddle as it curves into the correct spot for each individual string.

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