The Soundbox

I decided to do the joinery a little differently on this harp. First I tilted my bandsaw table to make accurate angled cuts on the ends of the boards that make up the side of the soundbox. This is how it looks:
If I left it this way, the tremendous torque from the five hundred pounds of tension on the soundboard would probably rip the wood screws right out of the boards. Instead, I make simple joints. This keeps the boards from twisting and makes the box a lot stronger:Once the joints are squared and sanded until they're perfectly tight, I can trace the box and cut out the soundboard and the box back. I add one eighth inch all around because I'll be routing grooves in the sides of the box for these pieces:
The soundboard is super strong, super flexible five-ply "aircraft" birch. It is the single most expensive piece of wood in the harp.