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Me and Sylvia (April 4, 2002)

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Sometimes I would forget Time altogether, and nestle into "now" as if it were a soft bed.

Orhan Pamuk


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Tuesday, August 21st, 2018

🦋 Tin-can Cello: the lateral pegbox

I've been fretting about carving the pegbox on my cello... Today I had an idea for how to hugely simplify the process. I can't swear it is a good idea, but I went ahead and acted on it. Won't know until setup time if it's a boon or a bust.

The lateral* pegbox

#tincancello pegbox #lateralpegbox

So the idea is, instead of having two ⅜" cheeks for the peg to enter and exit, with the string winding in the middle, there is just a central fin ¾" wide. Pegs enter from alternating sides; the string winds on the opposite side to where the peg enters.

posted evening of August 21st, 2018: 2 responses
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Sunday, August 12th, 2018

🦋 Tin-can Cello: steps and tools (updated)

Work plan for building the Tin-can cello (this post is changing a bit, I'm just going to edit it inline; further edits in comments):

  1. Flatten bottom of neck: this will be the reference flat when cutting on the bandsaw. Plane entire length of board flat and straight. For reference, this is going to be parallel to the plane of the washtub's base. [note I never planed it flat, at all.]
  2. Mark up neck: draw outlines of the dowel and the neck on the board. Draw outline on the top of the board (i.e. opposite the side that was planed in step 1) and on one side. Use cardboard cut into shape of tub profile to determine where the dowel will go into the bucket.
  3. Cut around the outlines on bandsaw.
  4. Rough out dowel and neck. Finish dowel so it is straight and true. Mark up pegbox and scroll. Drill pilot holes for pegs.
  5. Mark entry for dowel on bucket. Cut open using angle grinder. Mark exit hole for dowel. Cut open.
  6. Fit dowel into bucket. True up heel.
  7. Finish shaping neck, carve pegbox and scroll. Attach nut and fingerboard to neck.
  8. Mount tailpiece; put A and C strings on, loose.
  9. Mark up and carve bridge.
  10. Set up cello.

posted evening of August 12th, 2018: 3 responses
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🦋 Tin-can Cello: scale drawing/dimensions

rough scale layout of #tincancello

(Roughly to scale anyways). Some key measurements, as follows:

  • Scale length (bridge to nut) 27.4"
  • diameter of soundboard 17"
  • bridge position to edge of soundboard ~4"
  • length of peg box + scroll ~9"
  • length of fingerboard 23 ⅜"
  • height of tub 11"
  • width of fingerboard at bridge end 2 ⅜"
I reckon the blank for the neck will need to be 10/4 hard maple, 6" wide*, 5' long. (Hope my bandsaw is up to the task! Derek is coming over in the near future to help with tuning it, and also to help with picking out wood...)

posted afternoon of August 12th, 2018: 7 responses
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🦋 Tin-can Cello: planning the bridge

Two excellent resources for carving and setting up the bridge -- Fitting and Carving a New Cello Bridge at Triangle Strings lays it all out, Cello Bridge Carving at Jawmunji Fingerstyle Resources breaks down and simplifies a few key points.

I bought a good quality Belgian-style bridge from Menzel and a template from Metropolitan. Won't do much work on it until the main work of building the instrument is done... I'm already starting to visualize where its contours will be.

. #tincancello

posted morning of August 12th, 2018: Respond

Wednesday, August 8th, 2018

🦋 Washtub Cello: proposal

So here is the idea: to build a cello, using as resonating chamber a washtub + a bass drum head. The construction of it will be on the principle of a gourd banjo; but with curved nut, fingerboard, and bridge. I am using an 11-gallon steel washtub, 20" across at its widest point; splurged and ordered it from Amazon -- consider this circular form the lower part of a cello body. The position of the bridge will be near the top of the soundboard, meaning the neck will need to be a bit longer than the the fingerboard* -- unlike a cello, which has a longer body. So the spot where you're bowing is at the top of the circular soundboard (the soundboard, i.e., the bottom of the washtub), midway between the end of the fingerboard and the bridge. The drum head is clamped in to the back of the body, to enclose the resonating chamber; and I'll cut a soundhole in the side of the tub.

The instrument is in effect a bowed banjo-cello, with no soundpost -- a baritone rebab. I've got my fingers crossed that it will sound like anything :). I find it encouraging that a few experimental taps at the soundboard made the bucket ring like a bell!

First step is of course to have the washtub and cello components in hand, so I can mark it all out on cardboard. Local violin dealer Mo Menzel has very graciously offered to sell me a broken cello cheap, to use for parts, and I'm hoping she'll sell me a good bridge as well. In the next week or so, will swing by Board and Beam in Fairfield to pick up a hard maple board for the neck.

the tin-can cello

posted evening of August 8th, 2018: 1 response

Sunday, June 17th, 2018

🦋 Building a banjolele

I spent the past week in Long Branch at a instrument-making workshop taught by Jeff Menzies of Menzies Instruments, building a gourd banjolele -- a whole lot of fun watching the instrument take shape over the course of the week.

Banjolele

posted afternoon of June 17th, 2018: 1 response
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