Almost There!

The project is nearing completion!

I still need to do some shaping on the tailpiece.  Then, the peg holes need to be drilled.  After that, I can apply a finish to protect the wood--especially the soundboard and back which are made from the softer redwood.

I've whittled away quite a lot on the tailpiece . . . and my poor fingers.  The short story is to always pay attention to what you're doing, and if you're fatigued it might be a good idea to call it a day.  After using a chisel for the better part of the day, I took a half-inch slice to the thumb.  It has healed better than the blistered spot just above the cut, and the various other nicks and bruises.

I dug around the internet to learn what I could about sound holes.  I only followed two basic things: 1) the notches should line up with the feet of the bridge, and 2) the top holes should be just to the outside of the feet of the bridge.  I decided to wing it on the rest.  The masking tape helped to prevent tear-out.  I cleaned the holes up with a little sand paper.

Again, I really had no clue about the bass bar; so, there it is.  The rule I found about bass bars said the bar should run underneath the [left] foot of the bridge.  I assumed the highest point should be near the notches of the f-holes, then tapers on both ends.  It's about 1/2 inch (or slightly more) thick.  I used this piece because it sounded musical when I tapped all up and down it.  Highly scientific.

At this point I got carried away and forgot to add a label to the inside of the soundbox.  Oh well.  I think I'll remember it's mine.  If I ever become a world-famous nyckelharpa builder, this one will be special without a label . . . like a piece of McCoy pottery. 

These little clamps are working so well!

And here it is!  A little more fitting to do on the tailpiece, peg holes to be drilled, and the keybox underway!

Smoothing

When I removed the clamps from gluing the bottom/back and sides together, I cut away the lip of wood in order to even up the edge.  I like the clean look it has--though I have seen a few pictures of nyckelharpas with a lip around both top and bottom edges.  I'll leave a lip around the top.

I rough-cut the "curves" of the corners.  I was nervous the whole time in case I accidently removed too much wood or cut a wrong angle.

 

 Before and after.

I really like seeing the patterns of the grain of the different pieces come together.

The edges have turned out smooth and not hideous at all!  I had to splurge and buy a replacement sander (the one "power tool" I'm using) since my random orbital fell apart, and was really too big for this project anyhow.  Instead, I chose a Craftsman detail sander.

I was so excited after this point, that I couldn't sleep that night.  My female mind kept running down my list of what I should work on next and how long would it take to attach the sound board?  Cut the keys?  Put the keybox together?  Shape the tailpiece?  Don't forget the pegboard strengthener . . . .

Fiddley Work

 I find myself working in spurts.  While I waited on the glue to dry, I cut a rough piece of what will become the tailpiece.  Whew!  Maple is tough stuff to cut by hand.

I left extra wood on the tail of the tailpiece.  It will be removed and shaped when I do a final measurement .

Sawing, sawing, sawing. 

This chunk of alder is being cut for blanks for keys.  The sides of the keybox will be cherry.  I'm using the alder for the keys (for now) because I had a chunk of alder and it seems to be workable.  Because the keybox won't be glued to the neck of the harpa, I feel I could always go back and make a new keybox.

Back it up

 Once the sides were cut, leaving the ends square . . . well . . . square-ish . . . I clamped it together.  I have a large piece of heavy glass measuring about 1' x 2'.  It provides the perfect surface for sanding accurately.  I used it to level or even-up the bottom edges of the body of the harpa.  It worked!  This created flush edges all around which made attaching the bottom or back much easier.

Sides glued up.

To help with attaching the bottom/back and the sound board, I made clamps.  These are simply threaded rods (you can buy them at the local hardware store--precut in 6-inch lengths; however, I found long lengths at the lumber yard and the guys were happy to cut them for me . . . let's just say I could have saved about $20 if I'd gone to the lumber yard first).

I cut 1" pieces from the largest diameter dowel rod I could find.  Some matching washers and suitable wing-nuts, and "washers" I cut from a sheet of cork, and there you have it!  Voila!  There's just enough wiggle room plus the cushion from the cork that they can clamp uneven/slightly angled edges.

Here are my clamps in action.  Working very well.  They did leave a little cork residue when I took them off, but some light sanding took care of that.

Smoothing

When I removed the clamps from gluing the bottom/back and sides together, I cut away the lip of wood in order to even up the edge. I like the clean look it has--though I have seen a few pictures of nyckelharpas with a lip around both top and bottom edges. I'll leave a lip around the top.

I rough-cut the "curves" of the corners. I was nervous the whole time in case I accidently removed too much wood or cut a wrong angle.

Before and After

I really like seeing the patterns of the grain of the different pieces come together.

The edges have turned out smooth and not hideous at all! I had to splurge and buy a replacement sander (the one "power tool" I'm using) since my random orbital fell apart, and was really too big for this project anyhow. Instead, I chose a Craftsman detail sander.

I was so excited after this point, that I couldn't sleep that night. My female mind kept running down my list of what I should work on next and how long would it take to attach the sound board? Cut the keys? Put the keybox together? Shape the tailpiece? Don't forget the pegboard strengthener . . . .

Moving Right Along

Despite my lack of initiave in posting once per week as originally planned, the project has continued as planned.  I continued to take pictures of my progress.

A detail of the peg board with the tuning gears resting in their (now straight) holes.  Everything fits and is flush.  The next step with this will be to add the "peg-board strengthener", a piece of wood which will be glued down the middle of the peg-board, through which the tuning pegs for the melody and drone strings will pass.  I'm still a little perplexed as to how I'll make tapered holes without spending money on a reamer (on the wishlist)--perhaps I'll use my rat-tail file?

This picture shows the sides, tail/butt end, and neck/peg-board.  One side is cut and the other ready for cutting.  I left the ends square to make clamping easier when I'm ready to glue it all together.  You can also see that I angled the bottom inward--you can't see that the top of the side is thinner than the bottom.

If it doesn't turn out quite perfect, I've decided to tell people it's an "ethnic instrument".  ha ha

Here is a shot of how I went about removing the waste wood.  I used my FatMax to cut across the grain, then went back in with my coping saw for the curvey ends until there was enough room to get the japanese saw in there.  After all that, I went back with my files and smoothed everything out.  I'll sand it next.

This is the back or bottom of the instrument.  Two pieces of redwood cedar I ripped from a larger board and book-matched together.  I got my jointer plane just in time to plane this down to a little less than 1/2 inch . . . I've saved all the shavings for mom and dad (I think they make wax fire-starters with them).  I was surprised that the whole piece is evenly thicknessed, but that credit goes to the tool.

An Excuse for Tools

A dear fellow gave me two wonderful books, one on handtools and the other specifically about planes.  Both books have come in handy as references for deciding which tools might be needed and which can go on a wishlist for the future, and also for care and maintenance of those I have already collected.

Not only am I collecting tools, but also stories from people who have become interested my project.  Everyone seems to have some experience with woodworking or a memory of a woodworker in the family or community.  The response I get most often is, " . . . I always wanted to try making something with wood . . ."

Here's a look through my (pizza box) tool chest:

the saws: japanese, Stanley fat max, and coping (not very well, I'm afraid)

The planes: a little block plane, a smoothing/all purpose plane, and a big jointer

This little guy is the most recent addition, a spokeshave, which I think is just what I needed to shape the tailpiece!  Many thanks to Jim for this treasure!

Other stuff: yes, that big green mat is actually for quilting (sorry mom!) as is the long "ruler".  They're intended for laying out quilt pieces but I've "re-purposed" them.
The red square is a piece of grippy stuff used for lining drawers and cabinets and works great for a project as "gripping" as this one--ha ha.
A chisel, pen and small ruler.  And my files for shaping and smoothing after I've made my cuts.

starting to look like something . . .

I began working on the peg head/ neck two weeks ago, as I also began working on shaping the soundboard at the same time.  With the gears resting in their holes, it's beginning to look like an instrument.  The tuning gears came with grommets? which I'm not certain where they go.  I'm going to assume that those pieces go on the "exit" side of the gear.  Since the strings will be pulling on the gear-pegs (not sure of the technical name) against the wood, it makes sense to me to insert those pieces to protect the wood and strengthen the gear and keep it from wandering.

While I visited a friend this weekend, we hit a sort of consignment shop where I found a couple treasures.  Some wood files in great shape, which will help me shape the curved parts of the harpa and get into difficult-to-reach places like the grooves where the tuning gears exit; and, a Sigg wind screen for my Svea backpacking stove!  Perhaps not exciting if you don't know what significance a Sigg is--but the fellow I bought it from knew that I knew I had found a treasure, and he was genuinely pleased to know, as he said, "it's going to a good home."

I should also say that I've officially moved on from "wood splinters" to more serious cuts.  I was adjusting the position of my drill bit (yes, on a hand powered drill) when my piece of wood shifted and caused the bit to punch a hole in my finger.  Fingers bleed . . . a lot.  Silly, I know, but I am the girl who cut her hand on a toothpaste tube . . . yes.  A toothpaste tube. 

At any rate, I still wasn't happy with the position of the hole.  So filled it in with some sawdust mixed with glue and re-drilled the hole later.

I worked with a chisel to shape and pare down the grooves I had rough-cut with my coping saw.  Made a stupid "I know better-than-that" mistake when I got excited and cut my second groove before drilling my holes, so I had tear-out when I began drilling the second line.  A little work with the chisel fixed that and sand paper will do the rest.

The sound board has an amazing hum to it when I tap it.  I'm still a little doubtful about leaving it 1/4 inch thick; but, that's what Jan Ling's measurements describe, and this is a trial run so I'll go with it.

Li'l Shaver

Apologies for missing the last few weeks.  My goal is still to post once per week.  The reason I've missed making entries is that I am still waiting to receive one of my tools, forgotten at my last location, which I thought was essential to this project.  Instead, being eager to continue and not fall behind my schedule, I've been "making do" without said tool and finding creative ways to still accomplish my goals.

I have continued cutting out pieces.  One thing which has me puzzled is grain orientation; but, I'm figuring that out with trial and error.  I've cut pieces for the sides, neck, toe, back and top. 

Yesterday, I whittled a bridge out of maple and will try to make another with the grain going the other way--the way the grain worked on this first attempt tells me that the bridge wouldn't be very strong, so try-try-again.

Because this first nyckelharpa is experimental, I haven't gone to much effort to select "premium" woods (as in, air dried material--though being Montana, I'm sure the air has played a role in drying the wood further if possible).  The redwood I picked up at Johnson-Madison Lumber and the gentleman who helped me was something of a musician himself--he went to a special effort to research lumber options for me.  He also went through their ENTIRE pile of redwood planks to find the best one for my needs.

Here, I'm ripping a piece in two so that I can glue it up "book-matched".  I'm not sure if the joint will be a mistake and weaken the top and bottom.  I thought I read somewhere that the glued joint is stronger than the wood around the joint . . .
And yes, I'm sitting on the wood so I have enough leverage to saw.  The next day, I felt like I had been through a spinning class at the gym!  Youch!







The local hardware store was having a sale, so I made an investment and purchased a few good clamps.  I'm making some clamps for gluing the top and bottom on and they're not nearly so pretty--I've always leaned more toward functionality anyhow. 

I found, as I continued to work without my joiner plane, that I could actually do a better job of evening edges with my little block (Stanley 220) plane.  I asked my woodworking mentor about it, and he said it fit my hands better and that I could "feel" where I was more accurately.  Someday . . . Lie Nielson . . .
That was actually quite a joke yesterday with my roomie.  I woke early to get to the sale at the hardware store, and told her I could hardly wait . . . most girls get excited about clothing or bath products, yet here I was, anxious to beat the rush so I'd be sure to get my clamps . . .  funny!

Yes, that's a cutting mat for sewing projects.  I think mom keeps hoping I'll become passionate about quilting someday.  There is something purely delightful about strolling between long rows of quilts at a show with my mom, and together admiring the hand-stitching and patterns and stories the fabric tells.

Setting Up Shop

Through good fortune and an acquaintance who has taken an interest in encouraging a new woodworker, I have a little bench!  Since my "woodshop" is also my apartment (how many girls can say they sleep with their tools?) I needed something small for now--mostly to protect the landlord's floor from dings & etc.

This small bench is just the size I wanted and measures 16d x 36w x 29t.  The laminated top is sturdy and will provide a good surface for clamping and gluing up.  I'm thinking about fitting a piece of plywood between the legs to make a shelf for storage and possibly the use of go-bars.  There is just enough space under that to make a "drawer" on casters where I could store my tools . . . instead of the pizza box.

I may post a picture of my old-tool collection in the next post where I hope to cover plans and layout.

Here's what I have collected so far for wood and my intention for each.
Maple : bridge, tailpiece, toe end and string nut
Alder: sides and neck
Walnut: I may or may not use this, but thought it might make nice tuning pegs for the melody strings.
Cherry: this will be for my keys and key box sides, and may become the back/bottom of the instrument's soundbox.

The cherry isn't quite wide enough to make a one-piece back, so I may rip it to book-match it and glue it up/plane it that way.

I "thunked" each piece and all are highly resonant.  All I'm missing is a piece for the soundboard.  I purchased these woods at Windsor Plywood, but they didn't have any redwood or spruce.  I was encouraged to check with our other local supplier, Johnson Madison, as they "might have some quarter-sawn redwood laying around".

The Project & Goals

The goal of this project is to build and learn to play a nyckelharpa, and in the process explore woodworking with hand tools.  I plan to post weekly, unless the project moves more quickly and I have more material to share.  I hope to complete the instrument by June, allowing extra time for gathering materials/ tools/ etc. and for picking the brains of local woodworkers on using hand tools and working wood.
 . . . learning to play? . . . well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there!

Because I tend to side-track and lose myself in every little distraction, I have taken the time to sit down and write an outline for this project; however, I'll keep the outline to myself so that readers who miss this first entry will think I'm wonderfully organised, on-top of things and dedicated to this blog (not just checking off a list of to-dos).

Initially I'll cover the whys, whatnots and what-the-hecks which will allow me to write something while I continue collecting materials so that when I'm ready to cut and carve I can dive right in.

In the meantime, where does a girl who is new to woodworking keep her growing collection of hand tools?

In an old pizza box.  Yup, it's true!