Don't mention banjos.. I have a couple that I sometimes play, usually as a stand in for when our regualr banjo palyer can't make it to a gig.
I have an old banjo hanging on the wall which I have been meaning to fix up for the past two years, the rim seems to be slightly larger than the standard 11 inches... one day I'll either make my own skin or find one to fit...
The wood was cut at 90 degrees to the felxible grain, my fault, I was doing a work shop on a budget and had worked out if I cut up 8 ft strips I'd get the best value from them. Coz of workshop safety you aren't supposed to be in the cutting shop when they trim down the timber for you. Hence the ouch when it came to the prodcut and the price, plus it is a 200 mile round trip for me.
My local wood store does some ash faced 4 mm ply wood, nice on kitchen cabinets but it is very difficult to bend, I'd say I lose around 40% of that timber as it splits. Currently I have some strips of the non-bendy birch soaking in water, it has been there for two months.. another experiment in wood bending is brewing.
I'll check out the resonator stuff alter.. gotta get some real work done today.
Making bodhráns and the like is a good skill to have - good for making banjos!
I'll have to try 4mm "bendy" ply. Sounds like if its cut in one direction it's very bendy and if cut at 90 degrees to that its stiff and strong? Is that right? Maybe you can enlighten me further.
Cigar boxes are also rare where I live (China), so I build my own boxes as well. You may want to check out my CBN discussion group called "Home Made Resonator Boxes 101". If you join the group, it may take a day or two for me to get around to approving your membership. Some security feature that more a hassle than its worth. But, your input would be valued.
The wood was cold formed, I get a special extra bendy birch ply from Strahan Timber yard in Dublin, it holds its form very easily. I made a jig out of MDF and formed it around it, pity but I scrapped that contraption as it wa too awkward to use. When I get time, I'll post some pics of how I make bodhrans, round drums, the technique is pretty straight forward provided the set up is thought out first. I will have a go at making a round end strum stick the next time I get batch of the bendy ply. I use 4mm ply if I can get it.
At the moment I'm making "Cigar boxes" out of a batch of ply that the timber yard cut the wrong way round for me (ouch on the price), Cut this way it is very stiff and makes excellent boxes. Trouble is it is all 8 ft long by 4 inches wide, so I'm joining it to make the tops and sides of CBGs.
How did you bend your wood for the round sides? Steam it, or did you just soak in hot water? I have only dry bent wood to date. My next mountain dulcimer will likely be soaked in hot water for about an hour so I can get more extreme with my bending.
Comments
Don't mention banjos.. I have a couple that I sometimes play, usually as a stand in for when our regualr banjo palyer can't make it to a gig.
I have an old banjo hanging on the wall which I have been meaning to fix up for the past two years, the rim seems to be slightly larger than the standard 11 inches... one day I'll either make my own skin or find one to fit...
Spot on Rand.
The wood was cut at 90 degrees to the felxible grain, my fault, I was doing a work shop on a budget and had worked out if I cut up 8 ft strips I'd get the best value from them. Coz of workshop safety you aren't supposed to be in the cutting shop when they trim down the timber for you. Hence the ouch when it came to the prodcut and the price, plus it is a 200 mile round trip for me.
My local wood store does some ash faced 4 mm ply wood, nice on kitchen cabinets but it is very difficult to bend, I'd say I lose around 40% of that timber as it splits. Currently I have some strips of the non-bendy birch soaking in water, it has been there for two months.. another experiment in wood bending is brewing.
I'll check out the resonator stuff alter.. gotta get some real work done today.
Hi Sean,
Making bodhráns and the like is a good skill to have - good for making banjos!
I'll have to try 4mm "bendy" ply. Sounds like if its cut in one direction it's very bendy and if cut at 90 degrees to that its stiff and strong? Is that right? Maybe you can enlighten me further.
Cigar boxes are also rare where I live (China), so I build my own boxes as well. You may want to check out my CBN discussion group called "Home Made Resonator Boxes 101". If you join the group, it may take a day or two for me to get around to approving your membership. Some security feature that more a hassle than its worth. But, your input would be valued.
-Rand.
The wood was cold formed, I get a special extra bendy birch ply from Strahan Timber yard in Dublin, it holds its form very easily. I made a jig out of MDF and formed it around it, pity but I scrapped that contraption as it wa too awkward to use. When I get time, I'll post some pics of how I make bodhrans, round drums, the technique is pretty straight forward provided the set up is thought out first. I will have a go at making a round end strum stick the next time I get batch of the bendy ply. I use 4mm ply if I can get it.
At the moment I'm making "Cigar boxes" out of a batch of ply that the timber yard cut the wrong way round for me (ouch on the price), Cut this way it is very stiff and makes excellent boxes. Trouble is it is all 8 ft long by 4 inches wide, so I'm joining it to make the tops and sides of CBGs.
How did you bend your wood for the round sides? Steam it, or did you just soak in hot water? I have only dry bent wood to date. My next mountain dulcimer will likely be soaked in hot water for about an hour so I can get more extreme with my bending.
-Rand.