DragonFly Harp

DonnaMenke said:

Planning, planning, planning

Hi, I'm Donna Menke and I enjoy making things out of wood. You can see more of my projects and links to other woodworking and carving blogs on my web site: www.woodworks-by-donna.com
I have some nice cherry wood on hand- so I'm going to make another harp similar to the last one, but with a few variations. Stocks above, and view of grain below.

This is the harp I made from plans from MusicMakers back in 2007, out of walnut boards. http://harpmaking.blogspot.com/

Here is the rough stock being analyzed for the best sections to use.

Cutting the big woods into littler woods makes them easier to handle. Here I'm checking the blade for square.

Sometimes it seems like the planning can take longer than the creation, but it is a necessary phase in any project.
Why am I designing my own harp? I wanted to see if I could modify the Limerick plans I used for the walnut Rainbow harp I made in 2007. I wanted the soundbox smaller, and I wanted it to be self-supporting and as tall as the Heartland DreamWeaver that I have and like. I took aspects of lots of different harps and put them all together and this is what I came up with. I also wanted a harp that could be easily transported- like the lap harps, but also be able to stand alone like the floor harps, but even more, to not need to lean it against myself to play it.
The first step will be to make a model out of foam. The plan is to make it fairly close to reality so that I can get close to correct interfaces for the parts. I also want to sculpt the knuckle out of foam before
committing to wood.
I may be trying to do the impossible- but I have hopes that it will work.

Here I'm checking out possible layouts for the neck and pillar plans. These are not the final plans, but I can get an idea if I will have enough wood for the project.

These are the boards that will be used for the sides.

This is the sort of damage to look out for. The obvious nick at the end is one, but the shallow splitting of the wood further up is even more dangerous.

I will run the wood through the planer to see if I can get below these 'shakes'. Right now the thickness is 1 7/8" and it should be 1 3/4".

Click to expand...

DonnaMenke said:

Planning, planning, planning

Hi, I'm Donna Menke and I enjoy making things out of wood. You can see more of my projects and links to other woodworking and carving blogs on my web site: www.woodworks-by-donna.com
I have some nice cherry wood on hand- so I'm going to make another harp similar to the last one, but with a few variations. Stocks above, and view of grain below.

This is the harp I made from plans from MusicMakers back in 2007, out of walnut boards. http://harpmaking.blogspot.com/

Here is the rough stock being analyzed for the best sections to use.

Cutting the big woods into littler woods makes them easier to handle. Here I'm checking the blade for square.

Sometimes it seems like the planning can take longer than the creation, but it is a necessary phase in any project.
Why am I designing my own harp? I wanted to see if I could modify the Limerick plans I used for the walnut Rainbow harp I made in 2007. I wanted the soundbox smaller, and I wanted it to be self-supporting and as tall as the Heartland DreamWeaver that I have and like. I took aspects of lots of different harps and put them all together and this is what I came up with. I also wanted a harp that could be easily transported- like the lap harps, but also be able to stand alone like the floor harps, but even more, to not need to lean it against myself to play it.
The first step will be to make a model out of foam. The plan is to make it fairly close to reality so that I can get close to correct interfaces for the parts. I also want to sculpt the knuckle out of foam before
committing to wood.
I may be trying to do the impossible- but I have hopes that it will work.

Here I'm checking out possible layouts for the neck and pillar plans. These are not the final plans, but I can get an idea if I will have enough wood for the project.

These are the boards that will be used for the sides.

This is the sort of damage to look out for. The obvious nick at the end is one, but the shallow splitting of the wood further up is even more dangerous.

I will run the wood through the planer to see if I can get below these 'shakes'. Right now the thickness is 1 7/8" and it should be 1 3/4".

Click to expand...

DonnaMenke said:

Planning, planning, planning

Hi, I'm Donna Menke and I enjoy making things out of wood. You can see more of my projects and links to other woodworking and carving blogs on my web site: www.woodworks-by-donna.com
I have some nice cherry wood on hand- so I'm going to make another harp similar to the last one, but with a few variations. Stocks above, and view of grain below.

This is the harp I made from plans from MusicMakers back in 2007, out of walnut boards. http://harpmaking.blogspot.com/

Here is the rough stock being analyzed for the best sections to use.

Cutting the big woods into littler woods makes them easier to handle. Here I'm checking the blade for square.

Sometimes it seems like the planning can take longer than the creation, but it is a necessary phase in any project.
Why am I designing my own harp? I wanted to see if I could modify the Limerick plans I used for the walnut Rainbow harp I made in 2007. I wanted the soundbox smaller, and I wanted it to be self-supporting and as tall as the Heartland DreamWeaver that I have and like. I took aspects of lots of different harps and put them all together and this is what I came up with. I also wanted a harp that could be easily transported- like the lap harps, but also be able to stand alone like the floor harps, but even more, to not need to lean it against myself to play it.
The first step will be to make a model out of foam. The plan is to make it fairly close to reality so that I can get close to correct interfaces for the parts. I also want to sculpt the knuckle out of foam before
committing to wood.
I may be trying to do the impossible- but I have hopes that it will work.

Here I'm checking out possible layouts for the neck and pillar plans. These are not the final plans, but I can get an idea if I will have enough wood for the project.

These are the boards that will be used for the sides.

This is the sort of damage to look out for. The obvious nick at the end is one, but the shallow splitting of the wood further up is even more dangerous.

I will run the wood through the planer to see if I can get below these 'shakes'. Right now the thickness is 1 7/8" and it should be 1 3/4".

Click to expand...

DonnaMenke said:

Planning, planning, planning

Hi, I'm Donna Menke and I enjoy making things out of wood. You can see more of my projects and links to other woodworking and carving blogs on my web site: www.woodworks-by-donna.com
I have some nice cherry wood on hand- so I'm going to make another harp similar to the last one, but with a few variations. Stocks above, and view of grain below.

This is the harp I made from plans from MusicMakers back in 2007, out of walnut boards. http://harpmaking.blogspot.com/

Here is the rough stock being analyzed for the best sections to use.

Cutting the big woods into littler woods makes them easier to handle. Here I'm checking the blade for square.

Sometimes it seems like the planning can take longer than the creation, but it is a necessary phase in any project.
Why am I designing my own harp? I wanted to see if I could modify the Limerick plans I used for the walnut Rainbow harp I made in 2007. I wanted the soundbox smaller, and I wanted it to be self-supporting and as tall as the Heartland DreamWeaver that I have and like. I took aspects of lots of different harps and put them all together and this is what I came up with. I also wanted a harp that could be easily transported- like the lap harps, but also be able to stand alone like the floor harps, but even more, to not need to lean it against myself to play it.
The first step will be to make a model out of foam. The plan is to make it fairly close to reality so that I can get close to correct interfaces for the parts. I also want to sculpt the knuckle out of foam before
committing to wood.
I may be trying to do the impossible- but I have hopes that it will work.

Here I'm checking out possible layouts for the neck and pillar plans. These are not the final plans, but I can get an idea if I will have enough wood for the project.

These are the boards that will be used for the sides.

This is the sort of damage to look out for. The obvious nick at the end is one, but the shallow splitting of the wood further up is even more dangerous.

I will run the wood through the planer to see if I can get below these 'shakes'. Right now the thickness is 1 7/8" and it should be 1 3/4".

Click to expand...

DonnaMenke said:

Planning, planning, planning

Hi, I'm Donna Menke and I enjoy making things out of wood. You can see more of my projects and links to other woodworking and carving blogs on my web site: www.woodworks-by-donna.com
I have some nice cherry wood on hand- so I'm going to make another harp similar to the last one, but with a few variations. Stocks above, and view of grain below.

This is the harp I made from plans from MusicMakers back in 2007, out of walnut boards. http://harpmaking.blogspot.com/

Here is the rough stock being analyzed for the best sections to use.

Cutting the big woods into littler woods makes them easier to handle. Here I'm checking the blade for square.

Sometimes it seems like the planning can take longer than the creation, but it is a necessary phase in any project.
Why am I designing my own harp? I wanted to see if I could modify the Limerick plans I used for the walnut Rainbow harp I made in 2007. I wanted the soundbox smaller, and I wanted it to be self-supporting and as tall as the Heartland DreamWeaver that I have and like. I took aspects of lots of different harps and put them all together and this is what I came up with. I also wanted a harp that could be easily transported- like the lap harps, but also be able to stand alone like the floor harps, but even more, to not need to lean it against myself to play it.
The first step will be to make a model out of foam. The plan is to make it fairly close to reality so that I can get close to correct interfaces for the parts. I also want to sculpt the knuckle out of foam before
committing to wood.
I may be trying to do the impossible- but I have hopes that it will work.

Here I'm checking out possible layouts for the neck and pillar plans. These are not the final plans, but I can get an idea if I will have enough wood for the project.

These are the boards that will be used for the sides.

This is the sort of damage to look out for. The obvious nick at the end is one, but the shallow splitting of the wood further up is even more dangerous.

I will run the wood through the planer to see if I can get below these 'shakes'. Right now the thickness is 1 7/8" and it should be 1 3/4".

Click to expand...

DonnaMenke said:

Progress in Design

12-29-2010
Worked most of the afternoon on the harp mock-up in builder's insulation foam board. We have a lot of this material left over from when we built the house over 25 years ago. It is 1" thick so it will work out well. I have made projects with and without mock-ups and those with the model always work out better. I even made one of this house before building it!

Here the plans have been transferred to the board and I've discovered that some of the stresses on the pillar are at too much of an angle if I angle it to the outside of the soundbox- so I'll have to go back to the original Limerick plans with the pillar ending inside the box.

You can see in this photo that there was a lot of fiddling with the curve of the pillar before I feel that I got the best design.
Before quitting for the day I cut out two of each of the main parts and glued the matching pillar and neck pieces together. Tomorrow I should be able to figure out how to make the interfaces. Working with this foam is a lot easier than working with hard wood. Mistakes are easily corrected now- so that maybe later I can do it right in cherry.

Click to expand...

DonnaMenke said:

Progress in Design

12-29-2010
Worked most of the afternoon on the harp mock-up in builder's insulation foam board. We have a lot of this material left over from when we built the house over 25 years ago. It is 1" thick so it will work out well. I have made projects with and without mock-ups and those with the model always work out better. I even made one of this house before building it!

Here the plans have been transferred to the board and I've discovered that some of the stresses on the pillar are at too much of an angle if I angle it to the outside of the soundbox- so I'll have to go back to the original Limerick plans with the pillar ending inside the box.

You can see in this photo that there was a lot of fiddling with the curve of the pillar before I feel that I got the best design.
Before quitting for the day I cut out two of each of the main parts and glued the matching pillar and neck pieces together. Tomorrow I should be able to figure out how to make the interfaces. Working with this foam is a lot easier than working with hard wood. Mistakes are easily corrected now- so that maybe later I can do it right in cherry.

Click to expand...

DonnaMenke said:

Making the Pink Harp

Started the new year off right with many hours in the shop working on the harp project. I'll try to keep track of my hours- a good guess would be about 10 hours to date.
I don't kid myself that working with this foam is anything like working with wood, but I need to get a prototype before I can even think about making working drawings.

I spent a lot of time trying to get my styrofoam pieces to stay in the right plane before I got the brain storm to make some supportive blocks at the right angles. Note the high-tech fasteners. At least they are easy to reposition, but they are not too stable.
I ended up drawing a lot on the table top- should have laid a big piece of paper down first- but that would not have been as stable. Time to refinish the top anyhow.

Finally got a piece to fit neatly into the top part. I won't show you the rejects- too discouraging. Suffice it to say that working with compound angles is difficult. The second layer isn't quite as pretty, but I have to shape it after I remove the model off the table, and I'm not there yet.

I have thought about how much easier it would be to make this harp with parallel sides- then I thought about megaphones and speakers and how they amplify sound- so I'm working the angles. On this base piece, for example, it has to follow the angles of the front and back (different angles, of course), as well as the angle of the bottom of the harp. . . and, fit fully into the bottom of the sides. That is another step that has to wait until I take the pink model off the table- tomorrow.

Click to expand...

DonnaMenke said:

Making the Pink Harp

Started the new year off right with many hours in the shop working on the harp project. I'll try to keep track of my hours- a good guess would be about 10 hours to date.
I don't kid myself that working with this foam is anything like working with wood, but I need to get a prototype before I can even think about making working drawings.

I spent a lot of time trying to get my styrofoam pieces to stay in the right plane before I got the brain storm to make some supportive blocks at the right angles. Note the high-tech fasteners. At least they are easy to reposition, but they are not too stable.
I ended up drawing a lot on the table top- should have laid a big piece of paper down first- but that would not have been as stable. Time to refinish the top anyhow.

Finally got a piece to fit neatly into the top part. I won't show you the rejects- too discouraging. Suffice it to say that working with compound angles is difficult. The second layer isn't quite as pretty, but I have to shape it after I remove the model off the table, and I'm not there yet.

I have thought about how much easier it would be to make this harp with parallel sides- then I thought about megaphones and speakers and how they amplify sound- so I'm working the angles. On this base piece, for example, it has to follow the angles of the front and back (different angles, of course), as well as the angle of the bottom of the harp. . . and, fit fully into the bottom of the sides. That is another step that has to wait until I take the pink model off the table- tomorrow.

Click to expand...

DonnaMenke said:

Making the Pink Harp

Started the new year off right with many hours in the shop working on the harp project. I'll try to keep track of my hours- a good guess would be about 10 hours to date.
I don't kid myself that working with this foam is anything like working with wood, but I need to get a prototype before I can even think about making working drawings.

I spent a lot of time trying to get my styrofoam pieces to stay in the right plane before I got the brain storm to make some supportive blocks at the right angles. Note the high-tech fasteners. At least they are easy to reposition, but they are not too stable.
I ended up drawing a lot on the table top- should have laid a big piece of paper down first- but that would not have been as stable. Time to refinish the top anyhow.

Finally got a piece to fit neatly into the top part. I won't show you the rejects- too discouraging. Suffice it to say that working with compound angles is difficult. The second layer isn't quite as pretty, but I have to shape it after I remove the model off the table, and I'm not there yet.

I have thought about how much easier it would be to make this harp with parallel sides- then I thought about megaphones and speakers and how they amplify sound- so I'm working the angles. On this base piece, for example, it has to follow the angles of the front and back (different angles, of course), as well as the angle of the bottom of the harp. . . and, fit fully into the bottom of the sides. That is another step that has to wait until I take the pink model off the table- tomorrow.

Click to expand...

DonnaMenke said:

1/4/2011 Completed Model

Here is a good example of just how difficult joinery is with foam. Lots of slop and instant gratification- not at all like wood. Wonder if one can play a foam harp- nah.

The foam model has been assembled for the first time- with toothpicks, tape, and chewing gum (just kidding about the gum). I tried to glue some parts with Titebond, but it never dried and didn't stick well. I've decided to return to the original plan to end the bottom of the pillar outside of the sound box. Hope it works. Everything else looks good to go.

I'm designing and making the base for the harp now. If I say I'll do it later I know it will never happen, so I will do all the building at the same time. I have changed the base profile many times and ended up with this 'walking man' design. I like it. By placing the pieces altogether I can make the base to fit just right (fingers crossed).

I ran out of pink foam so we have a two-toned harp base. I also left these pieces 1" thick though the wood version will use 3/4" cherry. You can see my Heartland DreamWeaver next to the model for size comparison. Everything has so far fit better than I anticipated. Then again, foam is much more forgiving than hard wood.
As you can see in the last photo- this is a perfect fit for me- and I am a happy camper.

Click to expand...

DonnaMenke said:

1/4/2011 Completed Model

Here is a good example of just how difficult joinery is with foam. Lots of slop and instant gratification- not at all like wood. Wonder if one can play a foam harp- nah.

The foam model has been assembled for the first time- with toothpicks, tape, and chewing gum (just kidding about the gum). I tried to glue some parts with Titebond, but it never dried and didn't stick well. I've decided to return to the original plan to end the bottom of the pillar outside of the sound box. Hope it works. Everything else looks good to go.

I'm designing and making the base for the harp now. If I say I'll do it later I know it will never happen, so I will do all the building at the same time. I have changed the base profile many times and ended up with this 'walking man' design. I like it. By placing the pieces altogether I can make the base to fit just right (fingers crossed).

I ran out of pink foam so we have a two-toned harp base. I also left these pieces 1" thick though the wood version will use 3/4" cherry. You can see my Heartland DreamWeaver next to the model for size comparison. Everything has so far fit better than I anticipated. Then again, foam is much more forgiving than hard wood.
As you can see in the last photo- this is a perfect fit for me- and I am a happy camper.

Click to expand...

DonnaMenke said:

1/4/2011 Completed Model

Here is a good example of just how difficult joinery is with foam. Lots of slop and instant gratification- not at all like wood. Wonder if one can play a foam harp- nah.

The foam model has been assembled for the first time- with toothpicks, tape, and chewing gum (just kidding about the gum). I tried to glue some parts with Titebond, but it never dried and didn't stick well. I've decided to return to the original plan to end the bottom of the pillar outside of the sound box. Hope it works. Everything else looks good to go.

I'm designing and making the base for the harp now. If I say I'll do it later I know it will never happen, so I will do all the building at the same time. I have changed the base profile many times and ended up with this 'walking man' design. I like it. By placing the pieces altogether I can make the base to fit just right (fingers crossed).

I ran out of pink foam so we have a two-toned harp base. I also left these pieces 1" thick though the wood version will use 3/4" cherry. You can see my Heartland DreamWeaver next to the model for size comparison. Everything has so far fit better than I anticipated. Then again, foam is much more forgiving than hard wood.
As you can see in the last photo- this is a perfect fit for me- and I am a happy camper.

Click to expand...

DonnaMenke said:

1/4/2011 Completed Model

Here is a good example of just how difficult joinery is with foam. Lots of slop and instant gratification- not at all like wood. Wonder if one can play a foam harp- nah.

The foam model has been assembled for the first time- with toothpicks, tape, and chewing gum (just kidding about the gum). I tried to glue some parts with Titebond, but it never dried and didn't stick well. I've decided to return to the original plan to end the bottom of the pillar outside of the sound box. Hope it works. Everything else looks good to go.

I'm designing and making the base for the harp now. If I say I'll do it later I know it will never happen, so I will do all the building at the same time. I have changed the base profile many times and ended up with this 'walking man' design. I like it. By placing the pieces altogether I can make the base to fit just right (fingers crossed).

I ran out of pink foam so we have a two-toned harp base. I also left these pieces 1" thick though the wood version will use 3/4" cherry. You can see my Heartland DreamWeaver next to the model for size comparison. Everything has so far fit better than I anticipated. Then again, foam is much more forgiving than hard wood.
As you can see in the last photo- this is a perfect fit for me- and I am a happy camper.

Click to expand...

DonnaMenke said:

1/4/2011 Completed Model

Here is a good example of just how difficult joinery is with foam. Lots of slop and instant gratification- not at all like wood. Wonder if one can play a foam harp- nah.

The foam model has been assembled for the first time- with toothpicks, tape, and chewing gum (just kidding about the gum). I tried to glue some parts with Titebond, but it never dried and didn't stick well. I've decided to return to the original plan to end the bottom of the pillar outside of the sound box. Hope it works. Everything else looks good to go.

I'm designing and making the base for the harp now. If I say I'll do it later I know it will never happen, so I will do all the building at the same time. I have changed the base profile many times and ended up with this 'walking man' design. I like it. By placing the pieces altogether I can make the base to fit just right (fingers crossed).

I ran out of pink foam so we have a two-toned harp base. I also left these pieces 1" thick though the wood version will use 3/4" cherry. You can see my Heartland DreamWeaver next to the model for size comparison. Everything has so far fit better than I anticipated. Then again, foam is much more forgiving than hard wood.
As you can see in the last photo- this is a perfect fit for me- and I am a happy camper.

Click to expand...

DonnaMenke said:

1/4/2011 Completed Model

Here is a good example of just how difficult joinery is with foam. Lots of slop and instant gratification- not at all like wood. Wonder if one can play a foam harp- nah.

The foam model has been assembled for the first time- with toothpicks, tape, and chewing gum (just kidding about the gum). I tried to glue some parts with Titebond, but it never dried and didn't stick well. I've decided to return to the original plan to end the bottom of the pillar outside of the sound box. Hope it works. Everything else looks good to go.

I'm designing and making the base for the harp now. If I say I'll do it later I know it will never happen, so I will do all the building at the same time. I have changed the base profile many times and ended up with this 'walking man' design. I like it. By placing the pieces altogether I can make the base to fit just right (fingers crossed).

I ran out of pink foam so we have a two-toned harp base. I also left these pieces 1" thick though the wood version will use 3/4" cherry. You can see my Heartland DreamWeaver next to the model for size comparison. Everything has so far fit better than I anticipated. Then again, foam is much more forgiving than hard wood.
As you can see in the last photo- this is a perfect fit for me- and I am a happy camper.

Click to expand...