Posted on June 13, 2024January 22, 2025 by Dale Phillips Hammer Dulcimer Pinblocks Hammer Dulcimer Pinblocks by Michael Mann Originally published as Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #197, 1981 When I first started building Hammered Dulcimers I had trouble deciding just how to fabricate my pinblocks, since I could not find any maple thicker than 3/4". Taking the advice of Sam Rizzetta in his leaflet “Making a Hammered Dulcimer” (Leaflet #72-5, free from Division of Public Information and Education, 5303-B MHTB, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560), I started building up my pinblocks butcher-block style. I still make them this way, and I have designed and tried several different types. Building up pinblocks is a little more work, but there are several advantages. First, a built-up pinblock is more crack resistant than a regular thick pieces of wood, due to the fact that the string pressure exerted on the zither pins is dispersed equally between two or more slabs of wood. (This, however, depends on the thickness of the wood that you are building the pinblocks with.) Butcher-blocked wood is stronger and more warp resistant than a single piece of wood of the same size. Another reason, and very important to some, is that butcher-block pattern, especially if made with contrasting woods, is very beautiful. Yet another reason is the fact that by building up a pinblock, one can eliminate the need for expensive tools such as a router or rabbet plane with which to make a ledge for the soundboard to rest upon. A ledge board can simply be glued to the inside surface of the pinblock (see Figures 2, 3, and 5). Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on June 13, 2024January 21, 2025 by Dale Phillips Dulcimers as a Business (or Running Dogs, Part 2) Dulcimers as a Business (or Running Dogs, Part 2) from his 1975 GAL Convention lecture by J.R. Beall Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Newsletter, Volume 3 #4, 1975 I believe that a luthier ought to be able to make a living at what he does, if at all possible. I build dulcimers in the summertime starting (depending on how I feel after Christmas) February, maybe March. Every year I design and put out a new model, and that’s purely to alleviate the boredom, with also an eye toward improving the breed a little bit. It will last up until fall, maybe September, October by the time I finish building dulcimers, and by that time I’m ready to finish building dulcimers. Then I go on to building other things. Folk Philosophy I think to me at least, it seems the important thing about an instrument is that it plays and sounds well. If one spends too much time in decoration, you get into a financial situation where you can’t afford to sell it for the amount of time you’ve got into it. And again, this is my basic philosophy: To build things and build them well, and yet build them fast enough that you can make a pretty good living doing it. Now, there are probably some other people who’ve built dulcimers fairly rapidly. But frequently you can see signs of that in the inferior quality of the product. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on June 13, 2024January 22, 2025 by Dale Phillips Sealing with Shellac and Varnishing Rosewood Sealing with Shellac and Varnishing Rosewood by Neil Hebert Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #269, 1984 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie, Volume One, 2000 I have been using oil varnish on my instruments for years and have always found the finishing stages to be long and tedious. Still, I find the results of a good rubbed varnish job to be superior to lacquer; it gives the nicest “feel” to the guitar as well as showing the wood to the best advantage. One of the most ticklish problems in my experience is the seal coat of shellac, especially the first coat. The seal coat must be applied evenly in order to maintain consistent color on rosewood. The resins in the wood tend to wash out over the surface, which can result in irregular staining. I have tried three methods for applying this coat: Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on June 13, 2024January 21, 2025 by Dale Phillips Routing Neck Dovetails, Part 2 Routing Neck Dovetails, Part 2 by Roy Woltz Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #162, 1980 Here is the simplified method of making dovetail neck joints with a router and dovetail bit. First, figure the depth of the guitar body at the heel. Mine are usually 3 3/8", so I make the dovetail 3" long. It will taper about 1/4" to the inch. The female jig is designed to be used with a holding mold attached to a table. The mold must be fastened to form a 90° angle to the table top and to bring the heel surface of the body into such a position that the jig can be extended over it. The body is put in the mod with the soundboard facing out, and is held in working position with the wedges and rubber bands. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on June 13, 2024January 22, 2025 by Dale Phillips Fretboard Slotting with a CNC Router Fretboard Slotting with a CNC Router by John Svizzero and R.M. Mottola Originally published in American Lutherie #98, 2009 Lutherie shops with CNC machines use them for a number of applications, some of which are discussed in the article “Desktop CNC Machines” in AL#77. We (authors Svizzero and Mottola) met at meetings of the New England Luthiers and began comparing notes on our shop-built CNCs. Svizzero’s full-sized machine uses Porter-Cable routers as spindles, and Mottola’s desktop machine uses the Proxxon grinder. We have each been using CNC routers in our own shops for slotting fretboards. By CNC routing standards, fretboard slotting is a slow operation due to the small diameter end mills used (typically .022" to .025"), but in our small shops we have found slotting in this manner to be both cost effective in terms of time and to offer some advantages that other slotting schemes do not. With a suitable CNC machine already in the shop, it is possible to experiment with CNC fretboard slotting with a small investment in tooling and time. Our experiences may help others get over some of the startup problems. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
