plate removal on Steinway L

[bases-loaded@juno.com]

Plate removal on the L is complicated by the fact that removal of some
wood is required at the left front inner rim.  Why they didn't make a
'screw-on' spacer in stead of a 'glue-on' spacer, I will never know.

What have some of you had the most luck with?  Instead of chiseling off
the entire wedge-shaped spacer, I was considering just cutting out the
4-5 inches required to allow the plate to come up, then gluing it back in
after the plate is back in.  This is an ebony job, so wood coloring and
matching is not a problem.

Any simpler ideas?

Mark Potter
bases-loaded@juno.com