Mel, Thank you for the kind words. The woodworking and fabrication is easy for me. The design is the challenge. I have made so many kinds of instruments resorting to regular output of CBOM instruments as they are in a small but always growing class. This instrument is not being made from published plans or anything like that. I have designed it from knowledge of music theory, engineering and as an artist. How it looks is very important.
One of your points I most definitely consider. The two rows of key shafts need to be closer together. I had overlooked the idea of the tangents having long posts that will having greater force placed on the lower set. About the setting of bearings farther from the bridge, I will consider it next time. many of the instruments I've made over the years have monstrous tension on them with 250 or more lbs exerted from string pull. I made a 26 string Harp-cittern with 14 unison strings on the fingerboard and the remaining pairs fixed into a glued on pin bridge. I had the dubious learning experience of having my first whole instrument, a guitar, begin to fold up a week after stringing. This was 22 years ago and since I've learned to build to the anticipated loads. In an attempt to get the wheel to be as solid as possible I placed the bridge just behind the first bearing so as to allow the feet to rest on the unbraced portion of the top. I can see redesigning this next time. The posts that hold the bearings and couple them with the top braces are ebony. I cut and carved the braces with mortices for the post to fit into. Perhaps overbuilt? The bearings are set in a floating fashion in the ebony "pillow block" with epoxy in a refractory fashion. Since the bearing block has some play in it as, a pillow block does, I hop[e that the shaft will not bind as the wood flexes. It is not finished yet so I don't know how it will sound but I have lathe turned the wheel and when I bend and glue the rim of the wheel I will chuck it up into the lathe for a final truing. Tanks for the compliments. I definitely love your instruments too! Dave Bucher The Golden Wood Stringed Musical Instruments. On Friday, February 17, 2012 10:20:15 AM UTC-6, Hurdygurdycrafters wrote: > > Hi Dave, > > Really sweet piece of work! > > The jointery is superb the bowl looks great (Australian Lacewood?) > interesting spring mechanism and round ends on the keys even ball bearings > too. > For a first attempt at design and execution this is just outstanding. > > There are some things I see that you may want to consider doing > differently next time but then again if it does what you want ... so be it. > > 1. I suggest that you install ball bearings on the shaft ends only and do > not use one under the bridge area in favor of a clearance hole for the > shaft to pass through. This allows that especially important area around > the bridge and bridge brace to vibrate more freely and thus increases > response, tone quality and volume. > > 2. I don't know what you used to couple the top braces to the lower but > when I build I look for the coupling to be light strong flexable and a good > conductor of sound. > Much like a violin or cello I choose a spruce dowell or sometimes > a spruce stick with small rectangle section turned the opposite of what > yours is, again to facilitate the bridge braces' movement. Some builders do > not even glue in this sound post in favor of inhanced movement. > > 3. It looks like the lower row of keys is a long distance from the top > row. We shoot for no more than 1/8" between the top row and the bottom. > This greatly shortens the tangent length and helps eliminate keyflex and > lifting torque that can cause excess key slap on the belly side of the > keychest when a key is pressed in. But then again your spring system may > reduce this to a negligable amount. > > Enough for now. I fear that to many suggestions tend toward the negative > and this is a time for rejoicing. You did it! > > How does it sound? > > All the best > Mel > > > > *From:* Arle Lommel <[email protected]> > *To:* [email protected] > *Sent:* Friday, February 17, 2012 2:59 AM > *Subject:* Re: [HG-new] Golden Wood hurdy gurdy album link > > I note that you're using coil return springs. I'm curious why you decided > to do that rather than using a gravity return? Relatively few makers use > springs. Not saying not to do, but curious more about your rationale. > > -Arle > > On Feb 16, 2012, at 20:52 , California Dave wrote: > > > Here is a link to a Facebook album from my studio of the vielle I've > been making. When finished this will be my 120th or thereabouts instrument > but my first hurdy gurdy. Any comments or observations would be greatly > appreciated! > > > > > https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.248449061904577.59202.100002184552554&type=1&l=4693e7fb6a > > > > > > Thanks > > Dave Bucher, citteraro > > 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. > > > On Friday, February 17, 2012 10:20:15 AM UTC-6, Hurdygurdycrafters wrote: > > Hi Dave, > > Really sweet piece of work! > > The jointery is superb the bowl looks great (Australian Lacewood?) > interesting spring mechanism and round ends on the keys even ball bearings > too. > For a first attempt at design and execution this is just outstanding. > > There are some things I see that you may want to consider doing > differently next time but then again if it does what you want ... so be it. > > 1. I suggest that you install ball bearings on the shaft ends only and do > not use one under the bridge area in favor of a clearance hole for the > shaft to pass through. This allows that especially important area around > the bridge and bridge brace to vibrate more freely and thus increases > response, tone quality and volume. > > 2. I don't know what you used to couple the top braces to the lower but > when I build I look for the coupling to be light strong flexable and a good > conductor of sound. > Much like a violin or cello I choose a spruce dowell or sometimes > a spruce stick with small rectangle section turned the opposite of what > yours is, again to facilitate the bridge braces' movement. Some builders do > not even glue in this sound post in favor of inhanced movement. > > 3. It looks like the lower row of keys is a long distance from the top > row. We shoot for no more than 1/8" between the top row and the bottom. > This greatly shortens the tangent length and helps eliminate keyflex and > lifting torque that can cause excess key slap on the belly side of the > keychest when a key is pressed in. But then again your spring system may > reduce this to a negligable amount. > > Enough for now. I fear that to many suggestions tend toward the negative > and this is a time for rejoicing. You did it! > > How does it sound? > > All the best > Mel > > > > *From:* Arle Lommel <[email protected]> > *To:* [email protected] > *Sent:* Friday, February 17, 2012 2:59 AM > *Subject:* Re: [HG-new] Golden Wood hurdy gurdy album link > > I note that you're using coil return springs. I'm curious why you decided > to do that rather than using a gravity return? Relatively few makers use > springs. Not saying not to do, but curious more about your rationale. > > -Arle > > On Feb 16, 2012, at 20:52 , California Dave wrote: > > > Here is a link to a Facebook album from my studio of the vielle I've > been making. When finished this will be my 120th or thereabouts instrument > but my first hurdy gurdy. Any comments or observations would be greatly > appreciated! > > > > > https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.248449061904577.59202.100002184552554&type=1&l=4693e7fb6a > > > > > > Thanks > > Dave Bucher, citteraro > > 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.
