18 / matters magazine / hearth & home 2019 regular cello extends upwards from the top of the body, needed to go all the way through the tub and be reinforced by bracing inside the tub. Then he had to find a source for the wooden parts, called blanks, since they had to be shaped to the specific instru- ment. The fingerboard provided the hard surface for the strings. “Would anyone be able to recommend a good source for a 4/4 fingerboard?” Osner asked on a message board for luthiers. He began an email correspondence with Vermont luthier Alan Goldblatt, who explained the numerous steps for shaping the fingerboard. In the end, Osner decided to use the fingerboard from a broken cello, which he bought for a dollar from Menzel’s Violins in Livingston. In continued correspondence, Goldblatt coached him on how to make a wedge tool to remove the fingerboard, by grinding an edge onto a butter knife. But it is the time-tested process of trial and error that counts most when it comes to turning the parts into a whole working instrument. And Os- ner had his share of catastrophes. The beauty spot of a traditional cel- lo is its scroll, the delicately carved end piece at the top of the neck that con- tains the pegbox where the tuning pegs are housed. Osner spent weeks carving and sanding his design for a simplified scroll, with a plan to wind the strings on the outside of the headstock, in or- der to avoid the complicated task of carving out a pegbox. And then, disas- ter struck. He accidentally knocked the scroll off his work bench to the con- crete floor of his basement workspace, and it cracked. Merely gluing it back Osner spent weeks carving and sanding his design for a simplified scroll which contains the pegbox where the tuning pegs are housed. Osner's makeshift wedge tool helped him remove the fingerboard from a broken cello. 128 IRVINGTON AVENUE, SOUTH ORANGE, NJ 973.789.0191 ClassActPAS.com CLASS ACT PERFORMING ARTS STUDIO PERFORMING ARTS SUMMER CAMP AT CAPAS June 24-August 2 BROADWAY BABIES ages 3-6 SPOTLIGHT SENSATIONS ages 7-13 “I love that you get to express your imagination. It’s freeing and feels amazing when you perform and it’s a great place to make more friends and grow relationships” —A. MacLachlan (Spotlight Sensations camper for 3 consecutive years) It’s never too early to plan your summer! $20 registration fee waived. Just mention this ad. Register today!