Project Information
I made this dulcimer for my wife. Although she doesn't play yet, she has wanted on for a long time. The woodworking club I belong to chose a dulcimer as a club project, so I couldn't put off making one any longer. This is my first stringed instrument, and was loads of fun to make. I started with a piece of 5/4 figured cherry (her favorite) 9 1/2" wide and 48" long. Since my jointer is only 8", I had to rely on the my planer, bandsaw and drum sander. The top, sides and bottom are 1/8" thk., but the sides are laminated from two 1/16" pieces glued up in a form the shape of the side. The fretboard is cocobolo. I sanded the cherry to 320 before assembly. I applied two coats of Watco Danish Oil to pop the figure out, then wet sanded with 600 using the same Watco. I let it dry for a week before buffing with 0000 steel wool and applying two coats of paste wax. My wife, Cathy, goes by the name of "Cat" hence the cat-shaped sound holes. Hope you enjoy. Thanks for looking.
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