Holey bridges!!
That’s a lot of drilling.  Yep, my guess is we drill or cut or router in the neighborhood of 65,000 or more holes each year.  They may be cut from rosewood, mahogany, redwood, spruce, maple, birch, walnut, ipe or????  No matter – that’s a lot of specific milling.  Of course, we use jigs to help locate or at least mark where most of them will be cut.  But each one is hand drilled or cut and every single one must be cut at the correct speed (different speeds for different woods) and at the correct rpm (same as before) with the correct type of bit (BIG deal – really!) with an absolutely accurately sharpened drill bit cut at the proper angle.  There are no manufacturing tricks at this level of craftsmanship!  Just good old fashion attention to detail and focus – lots of focus! 

This picture roughly displays two different designs of bridges – one is regular and the other is low sustain.  Check out the “Hammer Dulcimer Models Comparison” to get a complete explanation of their differences.