I have to laugh just a bit here. Alden and I came up with this idea (the magnets) about 10 years ago. We decided not to because most of the time it really isn't necessary. But it sure is fun trying to solve the collection of problems generated by this instrument we all love and love to complain about :-)
Cali Hackmann On Mon, Feb 20, 2012 at 9:15 PM, California Dave <[email protected]>wrote: > Thanks for all the replies. Keep them coming! Also, if you, each of you, > have not looked at the album, the link for which I posted initially, please > do so. > > First, the design, such as it is, is influenced by two principal sources. > One are the hurdy gurdys of Michael Huppert in northern California, > Mendocino county, where I am from. > > Two, there is an old drawing in Doreen Muskett's book that shows a similar > bracing design and as a lute maker I realized that the wheel and bearings > should be stoutly braced so as to stand up to vigorous playing. The > bearings are set in ebony floating surrounds and epoxied in place in a > refractory fashion after the mechanism was well established. Wood expands > and contracts and is subject to hygroscopic changes that I wished to > control. I will make the next one differently by using a material with a > higher modulus. The braces I used are quarter sawn old heart western Red > cedar I milled myself. 500 year old wood. Thinner pieces of Larch or > Douglas fir or simple Sitka spruce would be better.A lute bowel needs to be > very light...almost a "hot air balloon" really and that is simply too light > a construction for a mechanical device or engine, if you will. > > About the entrapped compression springs...the design is very simple with > few and readily made parts. Each key shaft is milled and then the > cylindrical section is lathe-turned. They will not wear out for any > foreseeable time. Now the issue of finger fatigue may be a concern but as > I can play a guitar, zook and even a bass for six-eight straight hours and > survive I wonder how that will be. Since I am not a "gurdyest" I can only > take your words for it! The centers for the turned ends of the key shafts > will serve as pilot holes for screw attachment of a wooden washer or keeper > and the weight of the action is quite adjustable. I have repaired a few > Clavichords which have an action that depends more on the spring action of > the strings rather than any gravity or other weighted return. Since I > figured that I'd play this baby on my lap sometimes that these spring > return action would be a good idea. I will put up further photos as I > continue this project. > > One thing I will be doing is casting a bronze crank for the instrument > which should be fun. I try to stay away from metal pieces in my > instruments if I can, and tailpieces and bridges are always wood, dense > wood to be sure but wood none the less, but I think a beautiful bronze > crank would not be too far out of line, no? > > Thank you all. More ideas are welcome. > > Dave Bucher > > The Golden Wood Stringed Musical Instruments. > > -- > 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. > -- 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.
