Banjo #14 Show & Tell!
Added 2018-07-01 21:15:40 +0000 UTCLatest banjo is roughed out and about halfway completed. In this video I briefly discuss the concept/inspiration behind this build and some of the materials and techniques used.
Comments
Dang now I'm all fired up to make one of these things. I've made some cigar box guitars but this is a more involved project. Question... are the neck and head stock all one piece? Did you carve that out of a single piece of wood? However you did it, that is just beautiful work!
Richard Hawkins
2020-01-18 01:18:04 +0000 UTCThank you for guidance, Clifton I may have let my hide soak too long while getting other stuff ready. I'm keeping a close eye on it today as it dries. Got 4 tuning pegs in and working. Fixing to cut out the tail piece.
Banjo Jane
2018-08-27 20:35:38 +0000 UTCI have done the ring-and-wire method once but ever since then all I do is tack the hide down inside the banjo pot, then force the ring down and screw on the back. Has worked perfectly and, for me, is a much easier than sewing the hide onto a wire hoop. Basically, just lay the banjo face down with the back plate removed, lay your damp hide how you want it and then force your tension ring inside (usually a piece of stove pipe, a coffee can or homemade metal ring). Then I just set a tack and drive it home using a small hammer and a steel punch or nail-setter of some kind. It's best to use a hide that is not completely water-logged--I soak my hide for just a few minutes until it is pliable enough to work but no so soaked that the tacks might tare it during the drying process!
Clifton Hicks
2018-08-27 18:03:42 +0000 UTCWhich strategy did you use to attach the goat skin hide to the inside of banjo #14, or some of your other builds with a smaller head connected to the inside of the banjo? I'd like to try something a little different on my mountain banjo build #2. I'm doing the can with the hide sewn around a metal ring as shown in the Foxfire book on the banjo I'm putting together now. The hide should be dry tomorrow and I can finally string it up and see how it all comes together. I did attempt to put some neck angle to this banjo build while watching your neck angle video. Also, it appears you are sometimes attaching the tail piece with a strap of leather, is that right? I took your advice on making walnut stain from all these walnuts around here and it is a beautiful, easy to use stain. Your educational videos are like being back in school, but a whole lot more fun! Thanks!
Banjo Jane
2018-08-27 17:35:32 +0000 UTCI've been thinking of doing that... I actually wound up with an extra reamer in a recent trade.
Clifton Hicks
2018-08-14 04:16:47 +0000 UTCI ran into that reamer problem with the first banjo I made. So I ground a vee around the tip an inch or two down from the end and broke it off. Made it so I could still make regular peg holes for the
John Kaay
2018-08-14 03:50:33 +0000 UTCYou can make your neck or fingerboard out of any wood you please, it's just that some woods are more suitable than others. The generally rule is that some kind of hardwood should always be used and, if you're gluing on a separate fingerboard (something I have never done) the denser the hardwood the better.
Clifton Hicks
2018-07-06 18:44:02 +0000 UTCLooks cool! I was wondering if you’ve ever used oak for a fretboard (or a neck)? I’ve got some oak that used to be a barn floor and would love to use it in some way. It’s swedish oak (since I live in sweden) and I don’t know how or if it differs much from red oak, but i’d like to hear of your experiences of oak. Thanks for all of your great work! It sure is really inspiring!
Anton Myrin
2018-07-06 15:35:20 +0000 UTCJust keep reminding me periodically!
Clifton Hicks
2018-07-05 20:43:44 +0000 UTCI put my name in the ring in February so no worries if mine isn’t the very next. At our last conversation I was one or two down the list. Not in a big rush so as long as I have a safe spot on your list, I’m happy
John T
2018-07-05 19:57:51 +0000 UTCJohn, how long have you been waiting on a banjo? Send me a private message on here and we'll work out the details. I must admit that my list of buyers got too long for me to handle and I am now just "playing it by ear." If you have been waiting a long time I'll certainly get #15 to you. I know one guy has been waiting for about two years and I feel awful about it...
Clifton Hicks
2018-07-03 21:58:39 +0000 UTCDoes this mean #15 is mine? Can’t wait! This looks awesome
John T
2018-07-03 19:55:12 +0000 UTCCan’t wait to hear this when finished.
Marc Sirkin
2018-07-02 00:25:01 +0000 UTC<a href="https://youtu.be/YfC7NRs99K0" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/YfC7NRs99K0</a> Antique Roadshow banjo.
Sean Gares
2018-07-02 00:06:28 +0000 UTC
