Lutherie requires precision work with a material that prefers to bend and sway with the weather! I have learned that it is better to accommodate the will of the wood then to force it to meet my demands. I have tried both approaches and have learned that the will of the wood always wins! Working [...]
Tag Archive 'fingerboard'
Sandpaper is an amazing and versatile tool. With sandpaper I can round edges, sculpt smooth, curved surfaces and fix the occaisional “oops” left behind by an edge tool. Sandpaper also is great when prepping for finishing. It has set the modern standard of what people expect a surface to look like, for better or for [...]
I have long relied on a steel straightedge to assure that anything that needs to be straight or flat is indeed straight or flat. I have treated this steel straightedge very well, keeping it from direct sunlight to avoid warping and storing it where it would not be bumped or abused. Today I was having [...]
Here’s a bench shot of a dulcimer just after installing the frets. Scattered around the dulcimer are the tools I use when installing frets as well as some random stuff that tends to live on the bench. Speaking of random stuff; I’ve been told to live by the rule, “A place for everything and everything [...]
Dulcimer Making and The Weather
Posted in Dulcimer, Hammered Dulcimer, Lutherie, Quotes, Thoughts, Tools on Mar 6th, 2009
The first sign of Spring coming was noticing my wooden jack plane now has a twisted sole. Ah yes, the weather is changing! I keep the humidity in my shop relatively stable by using a humidifier during Winter and a dehumidifier in the Summer. A hygrometer helps me tweak everything to keep the environment between [...]
Adding extra frets to the traditional diatonic dulcimer fret pattern is nothing new. Most common are the 6 1/2 fret and the corresponding 13 1/2 fret an octave higher. These two frets are so common that one could say they have become standard issue on most dulcimers. These two frets are standard on the dulcimers [...]
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- I'm about to put binding on a dulcimer and will start making the peghead while the glue dries. Lutherie multitasking! 1 day ago
- Making sawdust. 2 days ago
- Just got back from a trip to the sawmill. I came home with some beautiful quartersawn cherry and walnut. 3 days ago
- I have a pile of odd dulcimer tops, sides and backs left over from resawing. None match the others. I'll make a patchwork dulcimer someday! 4 days ago
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