Used razor files to finish the sound holes and attached the fretboard.
April 2016 archive
Apr 27 2016
Top and Sound Holes
Finished sanding the top and began cutting out the patterns for the sound holes. Using the scroll saw, I cut out the sound holes in the top. They still need some final shaping before moving on to the next step.
Apr 24 2016
Sanding and Shaping
I finally had some time to work in the shop this weekend. I have cut the back and top to shape, then focused my attention on the back. The fretboard is not attached yet–the sound holes must be cut first. I thinned it evenly and attached the ribs that will hold the sides. …
Apr 11 2016
Weekend Progress
I have bookmatched the top and back, sanding both smooth. I didn’t include a picture, because it looks just like the bookmatching post earlier. The plan tonight is to cut the teardrop shapes on the top and back, continue to uniformly thin them down and install the gluing strips on the back. I also added …
Apr 08 2016
Bookmatching
I re-sawed a plank using the table saw, finishing up with the bandsaw. Opening up the thin panels like a book gives us a nice mirror-image with the grain pattern. The gluing of these panels is decidedly inelegant, but effective. Note to self: I really should rebuild the book matching jig I …
Apr 04 2016
Diversions
The fret board is finished. About the same time, however, my main computer crashed. The new Windows 10 would not boot up, nor repair itself, so it is currently “what’s on the bench”. I always use separate hard drives to store important data, so I decided to just purchase a new C: drive …
Apr 01 2016
Fretting over frets
The frets, of course, have to be as close to perfect as possible. The placement of the frets are determined by a mathematical formula. Using a fret calculator available from the Stewart MacDonald website, all I need to do is plug in the scale length (in this case 28″), choose “dulcimer” as the instrument, and indicate …