It's not a carving,,,but

[Mark Yundt]

No , it's not a carving but just something else I decided to try making. It's a Hammered Dulcimer that I made for my wife for Christmas. She heard one play over the summer and loved it, I saw it was wood and figured I could make it. It was only a week or so ago that I got the bright idea to do it for Christmas. Duh!
But not only did I want to build the main carcass,, but I wanted to try and make everything, meaning, strings, hitch pins, tuning pins, the hammers and of course the tuning tool as well. Believe me, it would have been much easier to buy this stuff. But since it was my first, I wanted to have it all hand made and try and get the feel for what it took centuries ago.
This meant making jigs to keep all the pins and tuning pegs identical after forging them into shape. The acid dipping them for the black finish ( oxidized) . Making a machine out of an old gear reduction motor to wind the strings. Man , that .20 piano wire is brutal. After 50 strings my hands were beat! The top is Spruce , 1/8 inch thick and it not attached anywhere. It is full floating and is supported only at the side edges ( an 1/8 inch clearance for sound top and bottom edges) and 1/4 inch supports that sit directly under the main bridges. That's it. The tension of the strings keeps it flat and in place.
The rest of the wood is scraps I had around the shop. Walnut, Birch, African Walnut, Maple and some old inlays from a job 20+ yrs ago.
I designed the hammers to fit your hand and they are double sided. One , bare wood, and the other covered with suede. The tuner, well it's a carriage bolt, with a sleeve out of an arrow shaft to center it over the tuning pins.
And of course I made the rosettes. One is my initials overlaying each other and the other is taken from the inlay design. These were done in Cherry , 2" diameter.
The bridges are Walnut and Maple, segmented with brass inlays for the strings to sit on. Gold leaf designates the start of octaves. The side frets also have brass rod for the strings to lay on.
The finish is old school lacquer prior to the VOC rules. Wicked stuff, but is great for instruments from what I understand. Multiple sprayed coats and hand rubbed.
All I knew when starting this thing is the strings are in fifths with the treble located at 2/5's and the bass located at 1/5th. The side angles are 55 degrees. With that I was off and running. Drawing it full size told me everything I needed to know. Drawing an end view told me how high the bridges had to be for the strings to criss cross over and through them. After that it all fell into place.
I have more shots of the construction if anyone is interested in seeing them. It's pretty basic, ,build a box type of thing but I had a ball. Now I'm planning a bigger one now that the prototype is done along the lines of a 19/17, meaning 19 treble strings and 17 bass. This one is a 12/11. And of course with the next one,,,, it WILL be carved.

[Bill Dieckman]

You have to ask if we're interested?!?!

I've never had the desire to build a guitar, but this got me to really thinking about trying a build like this.

Beautiful

[Mark Yundt]

Thanks Bill, I only have a moment now as I'm getting ready to deliver the statue I restored on a post here but I'll get some more photos up.
A guitar,, interesting,, a violin,, that I'd like to try. But one of these, it's a can do with relatively little wood working skills necessary. And to play it, well if you can bang out Mary Had a Little Lamb on a childs xylophone,, this is the same thing, only vertical. Start at the bottom and run straight to the top and all the notes are in a row.
The tuning pegs can be had commercially at 25 for $6.99,, two bags needed for this. You can get ready made strings or buy a half pound coil for about 10 bucks and make your own. Draw it on a 2 X 4 sheet of ply, this becomes the back of your instrument eventually , and go from there. Use a hard wood like maple , cherry , walnut etc. for the pegboards as they are only friction fit and need the density.
If it sounds like I'm encouraging you to build one,, I am. You don't have to do the whole floating soundboard, just a frame skinned over will work ,just leave sound holes. And you can just leave holes without the rosettes,, but a great variety can be had for as little as 5 bucks each.
All total ( since I used scraps I had around the shop) I have $45.00 tied up in this thing including a very handy electronic tuner that makes tuning a breeze,, $15.00 bucks well spent and it's by Korg.
It makes an incredible amount of sound , and hints at a harpsichord to believe it or not,, steel drums with the leather side of the hammers used. And with two strings per note, there is a beautiful harmonic sound as well. Like a twelve string guitar vs. a 6 string.
I'd say,, go for it. It's fun to build, and a blast to play.

[Kevin Adams]

Mark, another beautiful piece and yes, we are definitely interested even though this one isn't carved! There must be a lot of hand work involved, so you should post it on that forum, too, so more folks can enjoy it. I can't wait to see the next one!

Thanks,
Kevin

[Mark Yundt]

Hello again Kevin,
I did post a similar thread on the woodworking forum as well. I tend to "cross pollinate" as I call it. Carving,, woodworking , it's all good and can be shared.
Really, not as much hand work in the wooden parts as you might think. The bulk was done on a table saw and a miter saw. Even the curved sides of the bridges were done on a table saw. You know the old trick of pushing a piece of wood diagonally across the blade to make cove type moldings. That's it. I just did it after drilling all the holes.
Now the making of the pins,, that took some work. Probably the bulk of it. More time was spent making jigs to ensure accuracy. Now that I have all that made the process is easy. The pins were nothing but cold rolled steel. Namely,, 10p nails! Cut the heads off, heat them cherry red, hammer them to shape and try and be consistent. Drill the holes. Then slip it on the jig, trim both ends to the proper lengths base on distance from the hole. Sand them, polish them ( burn your fingers a lot!) Dip them in oxidizing solution to make them black and not rust. etc. etc..then do the hitch pins..

The strings , two per note, were impossible to do by hand. This steel , thin as it is (.20) doesn't want to do anything but remain straight. Making the tool to wrap the loops like that was a life saver. I've seen some on line done by a hand tool that ,, well to be kind,, looked pretty rough. Making these,, even with the tool, were hard on my hands. The wire just wanted to cut right through my skin. I see why it was used to make Garrotes. Now what I have if it doesn't make music, I can always impress my friends with a killer cheese slicer at my next party. Throw a whole block at it and have it sliced instantly!
My point is, it's not all that difficult to make. No special skills are needed. Basic will do it. Won't bore everyone with the details but if anyone wants to build one I'd be happy to provide all the details.
For now I'll post some more shots and as you'll see there really isn't much to the whole process. I have to admit though, when it's all said and done, it does look pretty cool and might be difficult to figure out. Deceptive
First pic, showing the end of the tuning tool I made out of a Carriage bolt. I cut two sides off the domed top and left the square under the bottom of the head. This I buried in a piece of Maple carved to match the new bolt head. Added epoxy and finished it with two pieces of walnut. The other end I cut off most of the threaded part as I don't have a metal lathe , and ground down the threads to allow a piece of aluminum I cut from an arrow shaft to slip over it. I also cut a slot in the end of the bolt to go over the tuning pins to turn them. the collar keeps the tool centered and doesn't allow it to slip off if it weren't there.
Next shot are the two bridges you see sitting on the sound board where the strings from the left side go over the first bridge and under , or through the second. Just the opposite happens with the strings from the right side. Ultimately the strings bypass each other, treble on the left, bass on the right , in the middle and form an X if viewed from the end. These are the coves I cut on the table saw after drilling the holes where the strings pass through. The third pic are the braces that sit under the sound board and are placed directly under the bridges on top. Remember, the top isn't fastened down anywhere but is held in place sandwiched between these bridges and supports and the only thing keeping it in place, as well as the bridges and supports is tension from the strings. Believe me, none of it moves a fraction! 4th shot, the interior with the supports in place. See,, it's just a box with a plywood back. You can't really see it, but my original drawing is right on this piece showing me where everything goes. Not hard to make two 1" X 3 1/2 inch boards for the top and bottom rails. Then glue up a 3 X 2 1/2 maple and walnut block and cut the ends to an angle. That's the frame and back.
5th shot is what will become one of the frets. Made one board wide enough, here just one side was beveled and a slot made to hold the brass rod that the strings lay on. I made the slot on the table saw as well by laying it over at 45 degrees and using the edge of the blade to make a slight cut down the middle. Once done, slice off the both sides and you have two sticks that will be the frets.
I did this twice, making the fret pieces because in photo 2 you can see I used the same walnut, bevels and slots to make the same pieces for the tops of the bridges. The last row of shots are redundant, the brass rod (3/32) another interior shot,, oh,, the holes are done so the entire interior of the piece is open and you don't create small chambers that will capture the sound waves. It should be left as open as possible. and the last, is the tuner.

[Mark Yundt]

Here are just a few more shots showing the tuning and hitch pins. Photo 1,, yup,, nails. The process is discussed in a previous post. You don't have to make them. At 6.99 for 25 it's easier and faster to just buy them. The hitch pins were 8p finishing nails. Here too I cut the heads off, used a Dremel type tool with a small disk in it..chucked the nail in my cordless drill to get it spinning and held the dremel against the nail until I had a small groove in it. Then trimmed them to the same length again using the groove as a reference to either end.
2nd shot, a luthier tuning pin I used as reference and a variety of test pieces to see what shape I liked and what seemed to work. Heat, no heat as I pounded them flat. I tried to get them so each flat was identical and got to the point where X # of hits would produce the same shape and length of the flattened area. Then located a spot on the flat where the hole had to be , center punched them, drilled, sanded, polished and dipped them in oxidizing solution ( photo3). See, easier to just buy them. and they can be had in nickle silver as well.
Last shot one of the simple jigs I made. This one was drilled to the depth that I wanted the hitch pins to be, inserted a pin, and used the little wheel on the Dremel type tool to cut them all to exact length. The notch is for my finger to hold the little rod from spinning as I cut them.
All this "accuracy " talk is just because to make it easy and consistent when it came to installing the pins in the block. I was able to drill holes to an even depth , based on the length of the pins . Then when I went to hammer them in place ( a really tight fit as the hole is slightly smaller than either pin) I could just drive them home and they would automatically stop at the required depth. No thinking , no over driving them ( it's a bear to get them out) and the pin would stop on solid wood as the hole is only so deep.
Other than that, it's a matter of laying out the holes in the blocks. Remember , it's at an angle to the base so the measurements aren't in line with the holes, but relative to the base. Each string of two wires are 1/4 inch apart so the hammers strike both at one time. The distance between the centers of the pairs of strings is 1 1/4 inch. This can and does vary from what I've discovered recently especially with a larger instrument with a greater number of strings ( notes)
And ,, mine is made with two strings per note,, you can also do 3 and even 4 strings per note. There the blocks get a bit crowded with pins everywhere so they get staggered out for clearance between them so as to not compromise the strength of the blocks with so many holes drilled in it

Also,, from fret to fret is how you measure the string length. This is important as the placement of the bridges is based on string length. If you lay out the angles for the ends at 55 degrees,, as the two lines will head towards each other, find a point where they are 15 inches apart. That's your top string. lay out the other strings going down at 1 1/4 intervals and the last string will , in all probability end up being 25 inches long. Now you can find the exact placement of the bridges because if you divide the strings into 5 sections the treble bridge will be placed at 2/5 ths distance from the left side. So the top string it will be placed at 6 inches, and the bottom string at 10 inches from the fret. All other strings will automatically be divided when you connect these two points. The right bridge will be placed at 1/5 the distance from the right fret.
Reading this it may sound all confusing. but If you see it drawn out ,, it all falls naturally into place. Like I said, draw it on a piece of 1/2 inch ply, figure out all the dimensions right on this piece,, and it becomes the back of your Dulcimer. You build everything right on it.

[Susan Mattix]

What a beautiful gift! It's a musical instrument and a work of art! I really enjoyed watching the progression on this. Thanks for posting it, Mark. You didn't say anything about having it "tuned". Will it ever be tuned so that it can be played? In a shop in Black Mountain, N. C., they make them and also make special stands for them to be displayed on... A custom, carved stand....maybe? (grin) Does your wife have a clue what you've been up to? Or will this be a huge surprise for her? It's just fantastic.....

[Mark Yundt]

Hey Susan,
Wow, thanks!
I always wanted to do more with my work than just look at it. Here I took those same pieces of wood that became carvings, and turned some of it into something completely different that I can interact with. Oh, the possibilities that exist in a piece of wood! It can be anything you wish.
I did buy a really slick electronic tuner. Amazing just how accurate this thing is and it's a life saver. It can show you that just pushing on the strings a bit changes the note slightly. Tune to flats, sharps, slightly either way, or have it dead on accurate. I couldn't have this piece around and not have it tuned and play with it. I've been having a ball with it picking out a variety of songs. Not very good,, but you have to start somewhere.
I'm sure a stand will be in the works. They not only "display" them but they allow the Dulcimer to vibrate freely for more sound they way they're being held. Custom and carved? Well,, I guess if you twist my arm I can manage to figure something out beyond sitting it on an orange crate.
I at first wanted to have it be a surprise for her. Well that didn't work out too well. When I'm listening to Dulcimer music,, and I'm in the shop till 4 AM...She kind of figured out what was up. Besides I get all carried away with excitement as I'm doing something where I could just burst. I showed her the initial pieces along the way until I got to building and fitting the sound board and other details. She felt she was "entitled" to see it come along since it was for her anyway and she was excited to see and hear it.. but here I resisted and said "NO" .To be sure she didn't peek , I put it in the trunk of my car which is in the shop with me. Besides,, the anticipation is just as much part of it for her as well as myself. And this gives me a little time to play with it until she hogs it all and shooo's me away from her new toy.

[Susan Mattix]

Time to google "hammered dulcimer lessons" in your area.....

[Roger Strautman]

Mark, another great project! What separates you from the rest of us is your no hesitation at any time when making a piece, just keep moving and shoot from the hip when needed. It's hard for me to do that I want to think the process out after each step to make sure there is no mistakes. Thanks for sharing!

[Mark Yundt]

Thank you Roger,
The temptation to hesitate is always there. But as you say, forging ahead can take you far.I figure , how far wrong can you go? It's only wood. If something happens to turn out different than I planned, there are always ways to fix it. But it usually doesn't happen. For some reason I can plan very vividly and hold an entire project and the sequences in my head and know just where to go with each step. If something changes along the way, I automatically adjust for each succeeding step. It's something you get used to doing.
Besides I'm not going to end up with mistakes as severe as the statues and other works I have to repair. After doing them,, whatever I mess up can't be all that bad.

[Susan Mattix]

Thank you Roger,
For some reason I can plan very vividly and hold an entire project and the sequences in my head and know just where to go with each step. If something changes along the way, I automatically adjust for each succeeding step. It's something you get used to doing.

Mark, that ability comes from a lifetime of experience with wood, that not many others have.... you've been in business with wood for years and you have had to learn to fix things on the fly......

[Mark Yundt]

Hello Susan,
Yes, with wood that is very true. Do it long enough and something has to sink in. But it seems to be inherent in me regardless what direction I go. Restoring cars from the ground up, rewiring a house, replacing all the plumbing, building an addition. I just see a photo sequence in my mind of all the steps. I was that kid that gave parents fits. Always taking something apart. But I could put it back together again no problem. At 10 I took my dads garden tractor apart, from the carburetor and top end of the engine. Put it back together again and it did something it didn't do for years. Run. And run well. At first my dad was ,, well,, concerned ? seeing all the parts.Then just dumbfounded when it ran just fine. Me , standing there grinning. Guess it gave him confidence to let me do the welding on a 52 MG since my welds were better than his at 12.... Just the way I'm wired I guess.

[Bill Dieckman]

I don't think you're going to have to nudge too hard.
For some reason this struck a chord (pun not totally intended ) with me, similar to how the spoon carving came out of nowhere in October

I haven't touched a musical instrument in over 20 years so my terminology and 5ths and such are long forgotten.
Once I get my cast off, I'll have to start seeing what I can find for a scrapwood dulcimer

[Mark Yundt]

There you go Bill! Give it a shot. You don't have to remember all the terminology, theory, harmonics etc. to build one of these and play it. And it can be made VERY simply. Heck , the sound board can be 1/4 inch ply if you want just fastened to a frame. If and when you do get into building it don't hesitate to contact me should you need any info or clarifications. Or, as I've since found out, full scale plans can be had for as little as $10.00. But there are many ways to build these things that with a basic box you're well on your way. Hey, even rubber bands wrapped around a shoe box will make sound.