As I see it, most of us agree on the following: 1) Hurdy-gurdies built by professionals are expensive. 2) An amateur can build a hurdy-gurdy from a kit or plans. 3) To do so, the amateur needs to invest in some tools and (if building from plans) some supplies. 4) The amateur also needs to invest a substantial amount of time in the building effort. 5) The amateur should not reasonably expect to create a professional-quality instrument on the first try.
With all of that said, I am very interested in what can be done without all the big tools, basically starting with nothing. There's a lot of room here for discussion, sharing our experiences. I propose the following thought-experiment: let's choose a set of plans that's available to everyone, and discuss the building process step by step, tool by tool, piece by piece, to build the instrument as shown in the plans. Consider how we would approach each problem, what tool(s) we would need to get to do so, and keep a running list of the (virtual) costs. If something in the plans is unworkable (such as the Varquin's bearing system) we can discuss what to do instead. I would suggest Graeme McCormack's "Jiri", but the plans are for a modified lute, not an instrument built from scratch. I don't know of any full plans available free on the web - if you do, this is the time to speak up. ;-) Alden F.M. Hackmann [email protected] "Beati illi qui in circulum circumeunt, fient enim magnae rotae." -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "hurdygurdy" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/hurdygurdy The rules of posting, courtesy, and other list information may be found at http://hurdygurdy.com/mailinglist/index.htm. To reduce spam, posts from new subscribers are held pending approval by the webmaster.
