Trimming the Length of the Arcade Blank
Tape the strip temporarily in that position and check the alignment of the highest key (D) and several keys in the center of the keyboard. Their centers should line up perfectly.
Adjust as necessary. When you’re satisfied that the strip is in its best possible position, mark the excess on each end
of the arcade blank and cut them off.
Please Note: Measure twice, cut once is a terrific idea. The finished length of the arcade strip must be exactly the same as the width of the keyboard
(not counting the waste ends of the keyboard which will be removed later). This keyboard width should be 27 55/64" [707.63mm] If your measurement is
slightly off, make note of the actual measurement as we will need the true width when making the key frame in the next chapter.
Trimming for Thickness
We started with a ½” [12.7mm] thick arcade blank which now must be planed down to ¼” [6.3mm]. Set the planer or drum sander for a very
light cut (1/64” [.39mm]) and run the arcade strip through with the arcade side up. This will remove your pencil marks and clean up
the face of the strip. Alternatively, you can wipe the pencil lines with some alcohol which should remove the pencil lines safely.
Then, take off wood from the rear surface of the arcade strip until it measures ¼” [6.3mm] thick.
Once again, a drum sander is the safer alternative.
This is the time where you find out if your holes were drilled too deep. If you drilled each hole 1/16” [1.5mm] deeper than the
previous one you should have 1/16” [1.5mm] of an inch to play with. If you cut your holes deeper than this, you run the risk of
cutting through the arcade when you approach ¼” [6.3mm] in thickness. If this happens, go have a nice lunch and get ready to begin
the entire process again. Better to be careful!