Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Saturday, September 13, 2008
This is what happens when you don't properly level off the base of a new bridge after cutting it. (takes a minute to load if you've got a slow connection)
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Just spent several hours fitting the heel of the neck to the gourd. To be perfectly honest, this is by far my least favorite part of the process. You have to match the exact shape of the gourd vertically, horizontally and with respect to the proper neck pitch. In order to accomplish this, a contour gauge (pictured below) is extremely helpful. Right now the fit is about 95% complete. I'll clean it up tomorrow, and then fit the neck/dowel through the gourd. As always, click the thumbnails for full sized images.
Contour gauge
Measuring the outer shell of the gourd
Heel carved out to match the gourd.
Neck fit about 95% perfectly to gourd. A little more work and this will be done.
Contour gauge
Measuring the outer shell of the gourd
Heel carved out to match the gourd.
Neck fit about 95% perfectly to gourd. A little more work and this will be done.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
I was got to use the laser cutter for the first time. It took a while to get the hang of, but the results are tremendous! This opens up a lot of possibilities.
Here's a quick little video of the marquetry stars i made for Mark's banjo.
Here's a quick little video of the marquetry stars i made for Mark's banjo.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
nearly finished shaping the neck for marks banjo. fate keeps stepping in every time i settle down to work on this. notwithstanding, should be done with shaping tomorrow, and done with the banjo early next week.
this piece of maple is actually highly figured, though its hard to see in these photos. it will look absolutely incredible once its stained.
this piece of maple is actually highly figured, though its hard to see in these photos. it will look absolutely incredible once its stained.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
to those waiting for banjos -
i was in a bit of a traffic accident recently. nothing serious, but it resulted in a somewhat mangled right arm and, in particular, a nicely sprained right wrist. aside from not being able to play the banjo (farewell clifftop trip!), it is very hard for me to carry out the finery necessary to make my banjos. the accident was a week ago, and i anticipate at least one more week until i can get back into the shop again.
sorry for the delay!
i was in a bit of a traffic accident recently. nothing serious, but it resulted in a somewhat mangled right arm and, in particular, a nicely sprained right wrist. aside from not being able to play the banjo (farewell clifftop trip!), it is very hard for me to carry out the finery necessary to make my banjos. the accident was a week ago, and i anticipate at least one more week until i can get back into the shop again.
sorry for the delay!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Alabama Joe played on one of my tackheads.
Of the many questions people ask about my banjos, one of the most common is regarding their ability to hold up in high humidity. People have either read a lot about sagging tackhead skins or played inferior instruments - either way, the concern is understandable. While humidity does affect the feel and sound of any banjo with a skin head, mine included, a properly mounted tackhead will hold up and be playable in extreme weather, especially with a set of different sized bridges. Here is a quick little clip of one of my 12" tackheads at 78 degrees and 93% humidity (during the eveniing and between two thunderstorms). The head is a little softer, to be sure, but I'm still using the original short bridge.
Of the many questions people ask about my banjos, one of the most common is regarding their ability to hold up in high humidity. People have either read a lot about sagging tackhead skins or played inferior instruments - either way, the concern is understandable. While humidity does affect the feel and sound of any banjo with a skin head, mine included, a properly mounted tackhead will hold up and be playable in extreme weather, especially with a set of different sized bridges. Here is a quick little clip of one of my 12" tackheads at 78 degrees and 93% humidity (during the eveniing and between two thunderstorms). The head is a little softer, to be sure, but I'm still using the original short bridge.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Friday, May 02, 2008
Unfortunately, I haven't had much time to work on banjos since I finished the last two tackheads. The end of the semester has been very, very busy. I've had a couple of presentations and papers, as well as a final project that entailed researching and cataloging an unprocessed collection of about 60 original civil war photographs. But school finally ends next Tuesday, and then it's back to the workshop - this time to hash out some brass hardware and tension hoops for a new series of banjos with adjustable heads.
Amidst all the stress of full-time work, plus two nights a week in the master's program I'm doing, I've taken to the bracing thrill of collecting 19th century photographic processes. I've mostly been going in for daguerreotypes and ambrotypes - nothing fancy, but I've been looking for portraits with interesting or appealing sitters. Here are a few samples of what I've been picking up:
Amidst all the stress of full-time work, plus two nights a week in the master's program I'm doing, I've taken to the bracing thrill of collecting 19th century photographic processes. I've mostly been going in for daguerreotypes and ambrotypes - nothing fancy, but I've been looking for portraits with interesting or appealing sitters. Here are a few samples of what I've been picking up:
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