No, this is not about sanding hands. It’s about using your hands to sand.
There isn’t much new to say about hand sanding. The basics of sanding are very simple. Each progressively finer grit leaves scratches finer than it’s predecessor. Finer grits are used until the scratches left are no longer noticeable. In general one [...]
Category Archive for 'Lutherie'
I have received more inquiries about my shop made thickness sander than I have for any other post! Go figure!
Though a thickness sander saves time I must admit that I love thicknessing thin stock the old fashioned way. I use a toothing plane, a number of bench planes and a scraper. It works well, it [...]
I have read that scrapers may be one of the earliest tools used by early humans. Though scrapers are very simple tools they are still in use today.
The basic cabinet scraper is a rectangle of steel hard enough to hold an edge but soft enough to be easily sharpened. Most scrapers are made of [...]
The reinforcement strip and back braces are being shaped with chisels and scrapers. The chisel in the center is a crank necked paring chisel. The cranked neck of the chisel keeps my hand clear of the work.
The sides are dampened with water and sandwiched with a flexible thermal blanket between two sheets of flexible steel. [...]
Many stringed instruments traditionally have binding around the edges of the soundboard. The binding protects the exposed end grain of the soundboard from damage. Dulcimer soundboards usually are not bound. I assume this was because many early dulcimer makers were not trained luthiers and they may not have had the tools, technique or inclination to [...]
Here are a few photos of what I’ve been up to in the shop.
The peg head is sawn to rough shape with a Japanese style saw. Japanese saws cut on the pull stroke so they are easy to control. They also cut with great precision and leave the surface of the wood relatively smooth.
Once the [...]
Making an instrument with good tone, responsiveness and projection requires making the soundboard both light and stiff.
Many types of wood can be used with good results. Often it is the unique weight and feel of a particular piece of wood that makes it suitable for a soundboard. I have had very good results using a [...]
I’m currently building prototypes of the Appalachian dulcimers I will be producing.
First I come up with a concept of what I expect from the instrument.
I prefer an even response and voicing throughout the entire range of the instrument; every string at every fret should speak well.
There is a unique quality in the voice of a [...]
Lumber starts out as a tree, usually a big tree if it is harvested for woodworking or instrument making.
The sawmill will yield boards from the log of reasonable and workable size.
Once the wood has been dried the craftsperson will resaw the wood to the dimensions needed for the work at hand.
These days this is most [...]
I love to thickness tops, backs and sides with hand planes. It’s quiet, challenging and a good physical workout. If all goes well the surface of the wood will be just about ready for finishing.
That being said, to produce instruments for sale in a reasonable amount of time most luthiers will use a thickness sander [...]
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Wanting to reform the world without discovering one’s true self is like trying to cover the world with leather to avoid the pain of walking on stones and thorns. It is much simpler to wear shoes.
— Sri Ramana Maharshi-
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