the torso bracket

You would not believe how much of a pain a few millimeters of aluminum can be to work with.

It's a pretty straightforward design; mathematically perfect and precisely constructed. Still, reality has a way of laughing in the face of mathematical perfection -- nothing ever lines up the way it should.

Nonetheless, it serves its intended purpose quite effectively: holding the shoulder and neck servos in a rigid and (somewhat) precise frame. Big thanks to my cousin (below, with the drill) for lending his expertise (and pretty much doing all the work!).

Voila! There's the torso, mostly assembled (but not trimmed). Now I'm getting anxious for the electronics I ordered to arrive, since I have no means of actually running the servos until then. Perhaps it's a blessing in disguise: if the next shipment doesn't arrive for a week or two, I might get some real work done.