Posted on March 6, 2024March 7, 2024 by Dale Phillips Making a Weissenborn-Style Guitar Making a Weissenborn-style Guitar by John Calkin previously published in American Lutherie #102, 2010 “You shouldn’t write a Weissenborn story,” said Lamar Scomp, “’cuz I don’t want to build one.” Lamar tends to take everything personally, and the rest of humanity be damned. “You didn’t want to build a dulcimer either, until I twisted your arm. But you had fun with it, didn’t you?” I said. “Yup.” “And didn’t you tell me that playing dulcimer was making you a better guitar player?” “Yeah,” said Lamar suspiciously, like he could see the trap in front of him and knew he was going to step in it anyway. “Well, a Weissenborn is sort of the ultimate dulcimer on its way to becoming a guitar. The plates are flat, but braced like a guitar. My version has no taper to the sides, just like a dulcimer. Since it’s meant to be played with a slide, there are no frets to mess with, and setting the high action is a breeze. And it’s fun to play. I think you should check out some ace players on YouTube. You’ll be impressed.” “I don’t believe nothin’ I see online. It’s all computerized trickery,” he said. “OK, Lamar. But the Weissenborn is your next step on the way to making guitars. I think you need to build one.” 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 March 3, 2024March 6, 2024 by Dale Phillips Miter Slot Sled Miter Slot Sled by John Calkin Published online by Guild of American Luthiers, March 2024 This jig is more fallout from the week I spent in the last century in a class taught by Charles Fox. Jigs with clamps such as these have been all over my shop since then. On top, the jig is nothing more than a panel of MDF, two lengths of 1/2" threaded rod, a pair of knobs, and two “jaws” cut from steel flat stock. The jaws were placed in a vise and one end was bent into a slight hook with a hammer. As you will see, aluminum might have been a better choice. The underside of the jig is nothing more than randomly placed, recessed tee nuts and a wooden runner that fits nicely into the miter slot of the table saw. The runner left the panel overhanging the blade slightly so that a zero-tolerance saw cut could be made. All layout is done on the object to be cut. Lines are placed on the edge of the jig, clamped down, and gently run through the blade. Rough lumber can be given a clean edge as long as the dimension is within reach of the saw blade. BEWARE OF THE BLADE TOUCHING THE STEEL JAWS. THE RESULTS COULD BE DISASTROUS! Aluminum jaws make much more sense in this context. Note that helper blocks are needed to cut tall stock, in this case a pair of ukulele neck blanks. Make the cut slowly to prevent moving the stock, especially if the blade is less than newly sharpened. Since this is the maximum depth that the saw can cut on this jig, the threaded rods were marked for length with a piece of masking tape, then cut back with a hack saw. ◆
Posted on March 3, 2024March 6, 2024 by Dale Phillips Mask for Belt Sanding Mask for Belt Sanding by John Calkin Published online by Guild of American Luthiers, March 2024 My 6×48 belt sander is my favorite and most used machines, though getting the most out of it didn’t come easy. It takes a knack to use one accurately, and that took years to develop. Perhaps most importantly, I learned to join plates and sculpt necks, saving myself scads of time over the years. This tip is about sanding parts on nearly completed instruments. It can be dangerous because the plates are already as thin as desired. In this case I needed to take down the end blocks of a dulcimer to the level of the plates. I had already shaped the sides of the blocks using a disk sander and sanding blocks. I used a scrap of poster board to mask the plates as I took down blocks to meet the plates. The end blocks weren’t that much oversize. A hand plane might have done this job as fast as my belt sander, But I never use handtools if a machine will do the job. Whew! I cut it close on this one, but it’s OK. The back of this dulcimer was already thinner than I liked. The block on the bridge end has to be larger to make room for some sort of string fixtures. There are also blocks inside the dulcimer to support the end blocks. The mask doesn’t have to be fancy or cover the entire plate. Sanding the block is done in quick steps with visual checking at every step. No sweat this time. All of the hand pressure on the sanding belt is applied to the block. I usually keep 80 grit belts on my sander. Sixty-grit would last longer and cut faster but the scratches require more work to remove. The abrasive barely touched the mahogany on this end. Most belt sanders of this size come with a 9" disk sander attached, but right from the factory mine wobbled badly. It was also frequently in the way, so I dismantled it. I considered returning the machine to Woodworker’s Supply, but repacking it would have been a lot of work. They still sell this machine. If they haven’t improved I wouldn’t buy it again. Standing the belt 90 degrees to the supplied work table turned out not to be a big deal, so I didn’t miss the disk sander very much. ◆
Posted on April 21, 2023March 5, 2024 by Dale Phillips Meet the Maker: Henry Stocek Meet the Maker: Henry Stocek by John Calkin Originally published in American Lutherie #62, 2000 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013 There is a host of nonluthiers without whom lutherie would suffer. I refer to the makers and suppliers of the products that eventually comprise our instruments — the wood, trim items, pickups, cases, hardware, and finish products that make instruments more functional and more interesting. It should come as no surprise that most of these folks are as fascinating and dedicated as any luthier. We’ve met a few of them in these pages before, and I hope to give more of them the exposure they deserve. First up is Henry Stocek, the celluloid guru who introduced us to the art of turtleoid creation (see Reinventing the Celluloid Tortoise). He created Deep River Vintage Instrument Supply to furnish the trade with imitation tortoiseshell pickguard stock that was reminiscent of the color and patterns used in the ’30s. Other items are on the way. 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 November 1, 2022March 5, 2024 by Dale Phillips Little Dobro Little Dobro by John Calkin Published online by Guild of American Luthiers, November 2022 I bet that a lot of instrument makers don't know what their hourly wage is. I came with this idea for a resonator guitar with the idea of making a specific wage. The body, including the perforated ring that supports the resonator cone, was made of construction-grade plywood. The neck and fingerboard stock was sourced locally in bulk. The body hardware came from StewMac and the machines from Schaller. The textured paint required no work after it was sprayed from the can, though the necks were lacquered normally. The rosette was made of shark teeth that I got from my friend Cousin Al (who wasn't my cousin at all.) It was not difficult to price all the materials accurately. I timed myself as I made the first two of these guitars. I wanted to make $15 per hour, which was a good wage back then, and I probably made a little more after some practice. I sold them for $600 with no case. Everything was very business-like. Sometimes we forget that lutherie is a business and get lost in it without making enough money. ◆ All photos by John Calkin
