[Above] Next I traced the sides/end block assembly onto the mahogany back piece. Then I attached that to the ?? wood front piece and cut them out on the band saw, keeping outside the traced line. I’ll neaten this up later with a flush trim bit on the router.
[Above] The band saw yielded the front and back.
[Above] Next step was to glue the side assembly together and onto the back piece. The instructions I’m following actually said to glue the end blocks and the center brace onto the wood first and then to glue the sides. (???) This made zero sense to me, so I just glued everything together in one go. Looks good.
[Above and below] I had 14 spool clamps already from a previous project, but I discovered that I need about 10 more to properly clamp together a project like a dulcimer. I made do this time with other clamps, but I’ll be gathering the supplies needed for more spool clamps. Notice I managed to use my one deep-throat shop-made C-clamp!
-- Ni faru ion el ligno!
5 comments so far
CFrye
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11405 posts in 3171 days
#1 posted 11-12-2016 10:29 AM
Those spool clamps look mighty handy, Dave, AND easy to make! Are they as easy as they look?
-- God bless, Candy
Dave Rutan
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2009 posts in 3519 days
#2 posted 11-12-2016 12:01 PM
Easy depends on what you have on hand. You only need machine screws, fender washers, wing nuts, and a large diameter dowel, something like a wood curtain pole. Then it’s just a matter of slicing and drilling. Felt or leather pads can be added if you want to use them to repair antique instruments. Cork pads would work as well. Mine are bareback.
-- Ni faru ion el ligno!
Dave Rutan
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2009 posts in 3519 days
#3 posted 11-12-2016 04:44 PM
Instead of ‘curtain pole’, I should have said ‘closet rod’ a curtain pole is too small. I just couldn’t remember what a closet rod was called.
-- Ni faru ion el ligno!
nomercadies
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590 posts in 3670 days
#4 posted 11-12-2016 07:03 PM
The closet rod idea sounds much better than using a hole saw and struggling through all that. It seems someone could create the same technology they used to drive nails with a 22 round and be able to blast the circle out of the jaws of a hole cutter. Drill, drill, drill … BOOM! (too much?)
-- Chance Four "Not Just a Second Chance"
Dave Rutan
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2009 posts in 3519 days
#5 posted 11-12-2016 08:30 PM
I can’t remember the brand, but one of the major tool companies has a hole saw ‘system’ which makes getting the core out much easier. It’s also able to be retrofitted to whatever current hole saw you use. using a hole saw would be a trade off in time vs slicing closet rod and then drilling, but if you had to buy the closet rod and had lots of time, the hole saw method would be cheaper.
-- Ni faru ion el ligno!
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