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2nd Kit Build Mountain Dulcimer
this is my 2nd kit build. My first is an irish bouzouki over here
http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=375259 basically i have not worked with wood, glue, hand/power tools in probably 20+ years but tried with the bouzouki and now have a bit of the bug. i am doing these kits for experience and to better understand string instruments in general. most importantly i am trying to have some kind of understanding of what Luthier's go through in making an instrument. That and what goes into making the sounds from an instrument. To me it's amazing what string instruments can do and how people can put together such awesome instruments from basic wood. that being said. kit came today (pic 1) started gluing the frame (pic 2) pic 1 pic 2 |
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Who makes the kit? I built a Black Mountain dulcimer kit 22 years ago. The top and back were pre-cut and I didn't need clamps any fancier than masking tape. I finished it with water-based polyurethane. It's not a work of art but it was very satisfying.
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I PM you...
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As you can see from my SIG, I'm big into dulcimers. Looking forward to watching your build. I too am interested in knowing what kit you purchased. A scalloped fretboard.....nice.
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Susie Taylors: 914 • K24ce • 414 • GSMeK+ Pono Guileles: Mango Baritone Deluxe • Mahogany Baritone Have been finger-pickin' guitar since 1973! Love my mountain dulcimers too! (7 Mountain Dulcimers) |
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I PM you also
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had a little time today so i sanded down the ends flat and glued the back on (pic 1 & 2).
question: the next step was to glue the back bracing on. since i already glued the sides i can't clamp them so instructions says to use masking tape and some kind of weight. i don't mind doing this however when trying to glue the brace i notice the brace was slightly curved. now on my irish bouzouki i found this was normal practice in instructions but the dulcimer instructions did not state this. should the bracing be curved for the back on dulcimer or flat? also i know this is very newb question but here goes...the piece i glued as back in pick...is that cherry or mahogany? i am hoping it's cherry lol Last edited by Twilo123; 03-27-2015 at 07:43 PM. |
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To be successful in instrument making, one needs an overall plan or strategy on how to make the instrument. There are many individual processes or steps that feed into that overall plan. If one thinks about the order of the steps prior to doing them, the overall process can be made much, much easier and with better results.
The sequence of steps you are following is making the process unnecessarily much more difficult than it needs to be. If the back is cut to shape, but 1/8" or so oversize, prior to gluing it to the sides, you will have an easier time of clamping the back braces to the back - you can use the clamps you have. You will also have an easier time of cutting the back to size, rather than have the sides glued to the back while you cut the contour of the back. It will also be easier to trim/shape the braces when the sides are not in the way. And easier to clamp while you are trimming them. It's something of a snowball effect, where doing one thing the hard way ends up doing a whole series of tasks the hard way. For next time, hold the sides where you want them to be on top of the back, then use a pencil and draw a line around the outside perimeter of the sides on the back. That is the finished size of the back. Draw a pencil like around the inside perimeter of the sides on the back and you have marked the extent of the back braces. The braces can be sawn/chiseled to length prior to gluing them to the back. They then serve as a built-in spreader for the sides while the sides are glued. As an aside, "back in the day", I made hundreds of hour-glass shaped dulcimers. I found they sounded best with no internal bracing or lining. I also found that they didn't need the internal bracing or lining for strength, nor did tops or backs need to arched. The width of the back at its widest point is typically about 6" - pretty narrow. The back wood of your dulcimer is cherry. I mostly used cherry and black walnut for the dulcimers I made. Spruce or cedar tops. |
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thanks for confirming i am using cherry for back wood in the pic. i thought so but wasn't totally sure as i am not so familiar with different woods yet. the top is mahogany so i had a 50/50 chance. i looked some pics up of each wood and decided that piece looked more like cherry. hopefully i will pick out different woods better as i go along. oh and i will leave the bracing out as you suggest since i don't want anything dampening the acoustics if i don't have to... Last edited by Twilo123; 03-27-2015 at 08:17 PM. |
#9
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This fellow is demonstrating the use of a fret saw, similar to, but different from a coping saw, but the technique he's showing is essentially how you would use a coping saw to cut out your dulcimer's contour. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Xt6YPxEUgk |
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Thanks Charles,
i didn't make the bird's mouth but did use a coping saw to get the main excess off (pic 1). i found that i could only saw about 8" at a time as the back part of the saw would hit the wood and stop. so i would cut at that point perpendicular and saw a chunk off at a time instead of being able to go around the whole perimeter in 1 shot. i also noticed after some time that i was cutting small chunks out of top of sides (you can see this in pic 1. i will have to sand those down at some point.). not sure if blade was hitting it or the nut on the top of saw. i am lefty and the table i am working on to cut would really be for righty so it was a bit of a challenge to angle the saw away from the sides while keeping the saw line within reason of the edge (pic 2). after cutting with coping saw i was left with pic 3. i then took the router and a trim bit to cut down what was left. i did not read about cut direction for dulcimer ahead of time. i had assumed it was like guitar using 2 directions depending on widest point. as a result i had a little tear out (which should be ok with binding) see pic 4. now i know to just go counter clockwise around the whole body for MD. end result showing in pic 5. back now trim...onto the top. for the top the instructions read like Charles mentioned which is to trace the top around the body (centered). mark where the fretboard will go. and then mark the middle between halfway points at the widest part for where the larger sound holes will go. so i marked all of the points. i am lost as to how to actually cut the holes though. the instructions don't have any detail on this part. maybe i need a rosette cutter or something? that's the best i can think of offhand until i research it a little. also the instructions don't tell much about putting in the pickup. i decided to get a pickup this time to install. i probably should have drilled out the hole on the bottom for the jack first thing but i didn't. i am thinking i want to drill out and attach the pickup before putting the top on even though instructions say i can do it up until i put the rosette hole cover as last resort. pic 1 pic 2 pic 3 pic 4 pic 5 pic 6 |
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One of the characteristics of the coping saw is the ability to rotate its end clamps, thereby angling the blade relative to the frame. This can be done mid-cut, allowing the frame to be repositioned so as not to interfere with the waste material.
I don't know what sort of soundholes you are planning/the instructions state. Tradional soundholes are often a heart shape or pattern of holes. The coping saw can be used to cut most shapes, as can a router jig. Drill a hole large enough to insert the blade if using a coping saw. Use a birds mouth with the coping saw when cutting the soundholes. A simple to make design is a pattern of holes that can be created with a drill. Often, upper and lower bouts have soundholes. Position and clamp the fretboard in position prior to gluing. Carefully position a strip of masking tape along the full length each side of the fretboard. This will position it during gluing and clamping it. It will also ease glue cleanup. Leave the glue to dry for 5 to 10 minutes before removing the tape, lifting the semi-gummy glue squeeze out with the tape. Leave the assembly clamped an hour or so. Masking tape makes a good clamp around the circumference of the top while a clamp at each end will clamp the top to the end blocks. Don't forget to fret prior to gluing the fretboard to the top, then glue the top assembly to the sides. Leave 1/16" or so excess in the perimeter of the top to allow leeway in positioning it while gluing: don't cut out the size of the top right to the line. You haven't provided sufficient details on the pickup to comment. Last edited by charles Tauber; 03-29-2015 at 09:25 PM. |
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i was thinking of this rosette cutter since i would like to do rosettes also at some point. this one fits a router directly instead of dremel like i see others do. http://www.jsbguitars.com/guitar-mak...ter-attachment the pickup is this one (single transducer) http://www.harpkit.com/mm5/merchant....y_Code=amplify for the top trace cut i will use the coping saw again so it will be rough but i will leave some room. thanks for the heads up. Question: when gluing the back/top to sides on MD should I be using a caul? Or just clamp like I did? Last edited by Twilo123; 03-29-2015 at 10:54 PM. |
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http://karol-guitars.com. It isn't pictured on his website, but it's $100 CAN. You can contact him for info and photos. Quote:
If you are planning to use inlay/binding, keep in mind that if the fretboard is attached you won't be able to use the router to cut the channels. Last edited by charles Tauber; 03-30-2015 at 12:30 AM. |
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If you don't mind a newbie asking why can't I route binding channels if fretboard is on? Fretboard is down the middle and binding is around the edges. I will contact Tony. Thanks for the referral! |
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