Marie wrote:
>
> Why would a builder use the guitar type pegs instead of tapered tuning pins?
If you're talking about guitar tuning machines: no wrench required,
easier to adjust the short strings, and if the machines are high
quality, they stay in tune quite well. I've seen that setup on a lot of
small travel harps.
If you're talking about the pegs used on flamenco guitars (kinda like
violin or viola pegs), no reason at all, except that that's what are
used on some historical harps and they may have wanted to preserve the
authenticity. They work best on strings that have light tensions; for
heavier tensions, you need a wrench to turn them, which kind of defeats
the purpose.
John LaTorre
Sacramento, CA
Anybody know of plans or a kit for a cross strung harp? Ron discovered my garage
and is building some little harps. I would love him to try a little cross
strung.Â
Everybody enjoy the good weather - Martha
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Hi Martha,
Have a look at the Stoney End Esabelle. One can buy it as a kit, or 'in the
white' (or finished, but that is not what you are looking for). It is
available as a 7/5 or a 6/6. You may want to join the Yahoo group on cross
harps.
Kind regards,
Sietske (from the Netherlands)
----- Original Message -----
From: <marthaleah@...>
To: "Martha Woods" <harpmakers@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, May 19, 2012 2:52 AM
Subject: cross strung kit or plans
Anybody know of plans or a kit for a cross strung harp? Ron discovered my
garage and is building some little harps. I would love him to try a little
cross strung.
Everybody enjoy the good weather - Martha
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links
Thought you might be interested in this book called the Luthier's
Alphabet Book of Imaginary Instruments put out by the Guild of
American Luthiers based in Seattle.
Check them out: http://www.thorharp.com/pages/alphabet.htm
I'll be taking them with me to the Somerset Harp Festival July 26-29
or I could ship it directly to you.
Sharon Thormahlen
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I would like to know if anyone else has ever had the "problem" I seem to be
having. I make round back harps with spruce soundboards. The last two harps I
have made have used Engelmann spruce which has been dried in a drying room I
built with a desiccant dehumidifier. I did this to avoid having cracks appear in
the soundboards from the wood drying out further once the harp is completed. The
wood is placed in the room when I first receive it from the tone wood supplier
and left for a few months. During the process of making the soundboard and
gluing it onto the shell, I return the soundboard blank and the shell with the
soundboard glued on to that room overnight and whenever else I am not working on
it until I actually apply the finish. With the last two harps using spruce dried
in that room, the soundboard developed some noticeable expansion along some glue
joins of some segments of the soundboard, and also some slight expansion along
some of the grain lines. This only happened AFTER I applied the home-made wiping
varnish I use for a finish. I normally start with applying two coats of 1 lb cut
of shellac, sanding back after each coat to get a smooth surface tactilely and
visually, then apply my home-made wiping varnish. It is only after the 3rd coat
or so of the wiping varnish that I start noticing the expansion along some of
the glue joins and some grain lines. This never happened with spruce that was
not well dried in the drying room. It therefore appears this expansion along
some glue joins and grain lines is caused by the varnish (or the mineral spirits
I use to make my wiping varnish) expanding the thickness of the wood at some
glue joins and along some grain lines, maybe due to the finish adding either
some moisture to the very well dried wood, or by the oil in the varnish (I use
Diamond Vogel's alkyd resin varnish, not any spar or "long oil" varnish).
If anyone has suggestions about how I might avoid this minor "problem" I would
certainly appreciate hearing your thoughts. I should note that I use
PVA/aliphatic resin type wood glue to glue up the soundboard joints. Perhaps I
should switch to another adhesive for this purpose, or perhaps my PVA glue is
out of date and this is causing some of the problem. However, as noted above,
there are some grain lines on the soundboard that also get some very minor
swelling, so it does not seem to be solely due to the glue I use.
You are not clear about what you mean by "soundboard developed some noticeable
expansion". How is this manifesting itself?
I suspect that what you are experiencing is a natural reaction in this
situation.
•The soundboard is very dry.
•Once the soundboard is removed from the drying room it is in an environment
with an elevated humidity. (More elevated than the drying room or you wouldn't
be using a drying room.)
•From the time the soundboard is removed from the drying room it begins to
absorb moisture from the air.
•The soundboard expands as it absorbs this moisture.
•You apply liquids.
•The soundboard expands as it absorbs the liquids.
•With the liquids, it absorbs some solids. (Shellac)
•The soundboard expands as it absorbs the solids.
•The glue lines are much less absorbent than the wood.
•The glue lines absorb less moisture than the wood.
•The glue lines expand less than the wood.
•Similarly, the early wood absorbs moisture at a different rate from the late
wood.
Much of this will even out as the finishing process is completed and the strings
begin to deform the soundboard in their own way. Any irregularity that remains
will be far better than the cracks that won't develop because you did it this
way.
You can try to "chase" it by sanding between coats to completely level but you
will end up with a finish of uneven thickness and maybe too thin a soundboard.
Craig
Craig R. Pierpont
Another Era Lutherie
www.anotherera.com
--- In harpmakers@yahoogroups.com, "breizizel3" <breizizel3@...> wrote:
>
> I would like to know if anyone else has ever had the "problem" I seem to be
having. I make round back harps with spruce soundboards. The last two harps I
have made have used Engelmann spruce which has been dried in a drying room I
built with a desiccant dehumidifier. I did this to avoid having cracks appear in
the soundboards from the wood drying out further once the harp is completed. The
wood is placed in the room when I first receive it from the tone wood supplier
and left for a few months. During the process of making the soundboard and
gluing it onto the shell, I return the soundboard blank and the shell with the
soundboard glued on to that room overnight and whenever else I am not working on
it until I actually apply the finish. With the last two harps using spruce dried
in that room, the soundboard developed some noticeable expansion along some glue
joins of some segments of the soundboard, and also some slight expansion along
some of the grain lines. This only happened AFTER I applied the home-made wiping
varnish I use for a finish. I normally start with applying two coats of 1 lb cut
of shellac, sanding back after each coat to get a smooth surface tactilely and
visually, then apply my home-made wiping varnish. It is only after the 3rd coat
or so of the wiping varnish that I start noticing the expansion along some of
the glue joins and some grain lines. This never happened with spruce that was
not well dried in the drying room. It therefore appears this expansion along
some glue joins and grain lines is caused by the varnish (or the mineral spirits
I use to make my wiping varnish) expanding the thickness of the wood at some
glue joins and along some grain lines, maybe due to the finish adding either
some moisture to the very well dried wood, or by the oil in the varnish (I use
Diamond Vogel's alkyd resin varnish, not any spar or "long oil" varnish).
> If anyone has suggestions about how I might avoid this minor "problem" I would
certainly appreciate hearing your thoughts. I should note that I use
PVA/aliphatic resin type wood glue to glue up the soundboard joints. Perhaps I
should switch to another adhesive for this purpose, or perhaps my PVA glue is
out of date and this is causing some of the problem. However, as noted above,
there are some grain lines on the soundboard that also get some very minor
swelling, so it does not seem to be solely due to the glue I use.
>
I just got a notice that on July 4, 2012 the Yahoo! Groups Lab Applications
(beta) and Groups Chat will be chut down.
We are also requested to backup any data that we may have crated using the
applications. This was sent out by The Yahoo! Groups Team.
Is this the end of the group or is this a temporary thing?
Charles
This is the notice I have it's below the Yahoo! GROUPS logo at the top left of
the screen and the rectangle that contains ads.
On July 04, 2012, we will shut down the Yahoo! Groups Labs Applications (beta)
and Groups Chat . We request you to backup any data that you might have created
using the applications - The Yahoo! Groups Team
It's just Yahoo! screwing around again for some reason known only to themselves.
Go to our Home page - they are just saying there it will be down about 24 hours.
No doubt there will be a few burps but I can't think of any "applications" we
do, can anyone else?
Biagio
--- In harpmakers@yahoogroups.com, "Charles" <hooper_charles@...> wrote:
>
> This is the notice I have it's below the Yahoo! GROUPS logo at the top left
of the screen and the rectangle that contains ads.
>
> On July 04, 2012, we will shut down the Yahoo! Groups Labs Applications (beta)
and Groups Chat . We request you to backup any data that you might have created
using the applications - The Yahoo! Groups Team
>
Does anyone know how to do this? Dave gave us a good formula for nylon and I'm
thinking it should work as well for FC, although the material is less absorbent.
I want to try some "Tuff Stuff" FC leader, see how it works.....any thoughts on
that as well?
Thanks,
Biagio
Sorry Biagio, I tried several techniques, but I don't know of any good way to
get colorfast dye onto fluorocarbon strings. Savarez had trouble the first 2-3
years I used the KF strings. The ones they sell now seem to be died all the
way through from what I can tell.
Even when I experienced with various mordants, I could only get a sort-of blue
that rubs away using the RIT dye. The red was worse.
Rick Kemper
www.sligoharps.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
My sweetie has a Jay Witcher harp (the same model but  built before Sylvia
Woods' "teach your self to play the folk harp" see the harp on that cover) And
his is starting to show some cracks.Â
None of US ever retires to do NOTHING and I'm wondering if an old harp can be
refurbished to be good student harp, treble strings only harp, lower tension
harp, or something better than a coatrack.
Of course I'd like a wolf & pleyel cross strung and would pay to have it
professionally rebuilt, but I'm talking about smaller harps built this century
with not as much historical value. At least not as much historical value
today, but who knows what future centuries might decide!! Some of the
information about early lutebuilding comes from instruments that survived
because they were converted to Hurdy Gurdies.
forwarding to harpmakers list for input -
Â
Martha (who has no intention of retiring to an endless diet of soap operas and
Ensure)Â
----- Original Message -----
From: "harpywitch" <harpy1@...>
To: Harplist@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, September 7, 2012 9:41:25 AM
Subject: [Harplist] Cath's old harp
Â
Hi folks,
I recently acquired an old harp and I was hoping someone on this list could give
me a little clue as to its origin or age. I know its really hard to do that just
from photos but if anyone has an ideas I'd like to hear them. The pics are in
the photos section under "Cath's old harp"
I got this harp from someone on craigslist who bought it through ebay from
someone in California. He said it was "over 100 years old". I have no idea, but
don't trust anything I hear on eiher craigslist or ebay! Ha ha! I didn't pay
much for it at all, and I am probably not interested in restoring it (I doubt
that is even posible at this point) so I am content to give her a nice, warm,
humidly-stable retirement but I would love to know her history. Any opinions are
welcome!
Thanks so much!!!
Cath
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Martha,
There are a lot of things more musical than a coat rack that can be done. It
depends on the condition of the harp and how much you are willing to invest. The
best thing would be to get it to someone (Jay, myself, David Kortier, Others?)
who can take a look at it and determine the actual condition of the harp. The
cracks could be merely cosmetic or they could be terminal.
Rebuilding it as a cross strung would probably be more involved than building a
cross strung harp from scratch, but simply tuning it to a lower tension is
certainly an option and would cost only a set of strings. If the cracks don't
continue to widen, you're good.
You could post a better description and a set of pictures of the cracked areas.
I'm sure that opinions would follow.
Craig
Craig R. Pierpont
Another Era Lutherie
www.anotherera.com
--- In harpmakers@yahoogroups.com, marthaleah@... wrote:
>
>
>
> My sweetie has a Jay Witcher harp (the same model but  built before Sylvia
Woods' "teach your self to play the folk harp" see the harp on that cover) And
his is starting to show some cracks.Â
>
>
>
> None of US ever retires to do NOTHING and I'm wondering if an old harp can be
refurbished to be good student harp, treble strings only harp, lower tension
harp, or something better than a coatrack.
>
>
>
> Of course I'd like a wolf & pleyel cross strung and would pay to have it
professionally rebuilt, but I'm talking about smaller harps built this century
with not as much historical value. At least not as much historical value
today, but who knows what future centuries might decide!! Some of the
information about early lutebuilding comes from instruments that survived
because they were converted to Hurdy Gurdies.
>
>
>
> forwarding to harpmakers list for input -
>
> Â
> Martha (who has no intention of retiring to an endless diet of soap operas and
Ensure)Â
>
> ----- Original Message -----
>
>
> From: "harpywitch" <harpy1@...>
> To: Harplist@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Friday, September 7, 2012 9:41:25 AM
> Subject: [Harplist] Cath's old harp
>
> Â
>
>
>
>
> Hi folks,
> I recently acquired an old harp and I was hoping someone on this list could
give me a little clue as to its origin or age. I know its really hard to do that
just from photos but if anyone has an ideas I'd like to hear them. The pics are
in the photos section under "Cath's old harp"
>
> I got this harp from someone on craigslist who bought it through ebay from
someone in California. He said it was "over 100 years old". I have no idea, but
don't trust anything I hear on eiher craigslist or ebay! Ha ha! I didn't pay
much for it at all, and I am probably not interested in restoring it (I doubt
that is even posible at this point) so I am content to give her a nice, warm,
humidly-stable retirement but I would love to know her history. Any opinions are
welcome!
> Thanks so much!!!
> Cath
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
Very likely it can indeed be repaired. I have replaced entire necks, restored
sound boards and repaired back and side cracks. Most of the surviving old
violins and cellos /violas, have all be repaired many, many times. That is how
they have survived all these 300 + years !:-)
So, no matter if you are west coast , (myself, Glenn Hill of mountain Glen
Harps), or East Coast or Mid country, there are fine repair folks near by!:-)
Any of us will be happy to help you out!
Be well, Glenn
Live your life in Joy, and follow your Bliss !
Glenn Hill
Mountain Glen Harps LLC
LaserHarps LLC
809 1st Street, Phoenix Oregon, 97535
541-535-7700 Fax: 541-535-5657
skype: glenn.j.hill
www.mountainglenharps.com www.laserharps.com
My blog: http://thecustomharpbuilder.blogspot.com/
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Hi All!:-)
I wanted to ask my fellow builders about how their sales have been, or how
their experience sselling or showing their harps have been at the Somerset
Conference, and the South East Harp weekend ??
I would love to ask that if anyone has been to either or both these past
few years, if you can privately email me with your experiences, that would
be great !:-) I have not done a show/conference since Somerset West in 2006.
I am thinking that i will be showing some sample harps at one of both next
year in 2013.
thanks !! Glenn
mtglen@...
Live your life in Joy, and follow your Bliss !
Glenn Hill
Mountain Glen Harps LLC
LaserHarps LLC
809 1st Street, Phoenix Oregon, 97535
541-535-7700 Fax: 541-535-5657
skype: glenn.j.hill
www.mountainglenharps.com www.laserharps.com
My blog: http://thecustomharpbuilder.blogspot.com/
I have been having difficulty reaming holes for the #4 x3" pins sold by Argent
Fox for the past year or so. The pins are just a bit too small for anything I
can ream with a #4 reamer, and too big for anything I can ream with a #3 reamer.
Frustrated, I looked for something in between and ordered a 5mm METRIC taper
reamer from MSC Industrial. Wallah, perfect fits on the new sized Argent Fox
pins. Part #08849283
If you chamfer or countersink the narrow end of your taper pin holes, I picked
up a nice trick from Todd, a fellow that does some of the wood fabrication work
for Howard Bryan. He explained he had trouble with tear-out using conventional
countersinks, but found a drill mounted tapered stone left a nice chamfered
edge. It abrades instead of cutting. I went to the local Ace hardware and
found a a bit that is about 3/4" in diameter, tapering to a pointy tip - about a
90 degree included angle. It was less than $4 and has lasted for more than 100
harps now without significant wear. It works as well in Wenge as it does in
cherry. It takes me less than a minute to chamfer all the holes in a five
octave harp - gives them a nice finished look.
Rick Kemper
www.sligoharps.com
I have, somewhere in my chaotic toolbin, a chamfer bit I got back in the
dark ages when I worked in a machine shop. It is a tapered cone with a
hole drilled at such an angle as to work as a cutting edge. I have used it
for all kinds of wood, and steel, and it has never torn out.
Now if I can just FIND it!
Fred Gosbee
Harpers Wood
On Sun, September 23, 2012 12:15 am, rickemper wrote:
> I have been having difficulty reaming holes for the #4 x3" pins
sold by
> Argent Fox for the past year or so. The pins are just a bit too
small
> for anything I can ream with a #4 reamer, and too big for anything I
can
> ream with a #3 reamer. Frustrated, I looked for something in between
and
> ordered a 5mm METRIC taper reamer from MSC Industrial. Wallah,
perfect
> fits on the new sized Argent Fox pins. Part #08849283
>
> If you chamfer or countersink the narrow end of your taper pin holes,
I
> picked up a nice trick from Todd, a fellow that does some of the
wood
> fabrication work for Howard Bryan. He explained he had trouble
with
> tear-out using conventional countersinks, but found a drill
mounted
> tapered stone left a nice chamfered edge. It abrades instead of
cutting.
> I went to the local Ace hardware and found a a bit that is about
3/4" in
> diameter, tapering to a pointy tip - about a 90 degree included
angle.
> It was less than $4 and has lasted for more than 100 harps now
without
> significant wear. It works as well in Wenge as it does in cherry.
It
> takes me less than a minute to chamfer all the holes in a five octave
harp
> - gives them a nice finished look.
>
> Rick Kemper
> www.sligoharps.com
>
>
--
http://www.castlebay.net
Hear the music!
http://www.cdbaby.com/all/castlebay
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I really like the idea of metric tapered pins. I never thought of that. I use a
standard reamer that I've had reground to a smaller size. It works great but it
was hard to find a shop to do the regrind properly.
Craig
Craig R. Pierpont
Another Era Lutherie
www.anotherera.com
--- In harpmakers@yahoogroups.com, "rickemper" <RKemper@...> wrote:
>
> I have been having difficulty reaming holes for the #4 x3" pins sold by Argent
Fox for the past year or so. The pins are just a bit too small for anything I
can ream with a #4 reamer, and too big for anything I can ream with a #3 reamer.
Frustrated, I looked for something in between and ordered a 5mm METRIC taper
reamer from MSC Industrial. Wallah, perfect fits on the new sized Argent Fox
pins. Part #08849283
>
> If you chamfer or countersink the narrow end of your taper pin holes, I picked
up a nice trick from Todd, a fellow that does some of the wood fabrication work
for Howard Bryan. He explained he had trouble with tear-out using conventional
countersinks, but found a drill mounted tapered stone left a nice chamfered
edge. It abrades instead of cutting. I went to the local Ace hardware and
found a a bit that is about 3/4" in diameter, tapering to a pointy tip - about a
90 degree included angle. It was less than $4 and has lasted for more than 100
harps now without significant wear. It works as well in Wenge as it does in
cherry. It takes me less than a minute to chamfer all the holes in a five
octave harp - gives them a nice finished look.
>
> Rick Kemper
> www.sligoharps.com
>
This is called a "Weldon countersink". They are available in several different
angles - 82°, 100°, etc. These are what I use.
Craig
Craig R. Pierpont
Another Era Lutherie
www.anotherera.com
--- In harpmakers@yahoogroups.com, "Castlebay" <castlebay@...> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> I have, somewhere in my chaotic toolbin, a chamfer bit I got back in the
> dark ages when I worked in a machine shop. It is a tapered cone with a
> hole drilled at such an angle as to work as a cutting edge. I have used it
> for all kinds of wood, and steel, and it has never torn out.
>
> Now if I can just FIND it!
>
> Fred Gosbee
> Harpers Wood
>
>
> On Sun, September 23, 2012 12:15 am, rickemper wrote:
>
> > I have been having difficulty reaming holes for the #4 x3" pins
> sold by
>
> > Argent Fox for the past year or so. The pins are just a bit too
> small
>
> > for anything I can ream with a #4 reamer, and too big for anything I
> can
>
> > ream with a #3 reamer. Frustrated, I looked for something in between
> and
>
> > ordered a 5mm METRIC taper reamer from MSC Industrial. Wallah,
> perfect
>
> > fits on the new sized Argent Fox pins. Part #08849283
>
> >
>
> > If you chamfer or countersink the narrow end of your taper pin holes,
> I
>
> > picked up a nice trick from Todd, a fellow that does some of the
> wood
>
> > fabrication work for Howard Bryan. He explained he had trouble
> with
>
> > tear-out using conventional countersinks, but found a drill
> mounted
>
> > tapered stone left a nice chamfered edge. It abrades instead of
> cutting.
>
> > I went to the local Ace hardware and found a a bit that is about
> 3/4" in
>
> > diameter, tapering to a pointy tip - about a 90 degree included
> angle.
>
> > It was less than $4 and has lasted for more than 100 harps now
> without
>
> > significant wear. It works as well in Wenge as it does in cherry.
> It
>
> > takes me less than a minute to chamfer all the holes in a five octave
> harp
>
> > - gives them a nice finished look.
>
> >
>
> > Rick Kemper
>
> > www.sligoharps.com
>
> >
>
> >
>
>
>
>
>
> --
>
> http://www.castlebay.net
>
> Hear the music!
>
> http://www.cdbaby.com/all/castlebay
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
I have used a violin tail-piece tapered reamer, that comes with a handle,
for many years to finish the fine tapering of my holes. I drill with a drill
press, and then hand finish the holes with this tool. Works like a charm,
and you never over-ream!!:-)
Glenn
Live your life in Joy, and follow your Bliss !
Glenn Hill
Mountain Glen Harps LLC
LaserHarps LLC
809 1st Street, Phoenix Oregon, 97535
541-535-7700 Fax: 541-535-5657
skype: glenn.j.hill
www.mountainglenharps.com www.laserharps.com
My blog: http://thecustomharpbuilder.blogspot.com/
When I first started out, Robbie Robinson told me to use a #4 reamer for #5 pins
and then chuck a #5 pin in a drill and spin it in the hole until it burned the
hole to size. It's one of the few suggestions that he made that I never tried.
Craig
Craig R. Pierpont
Another Era Lutherie
www.anotherera.com
--- In harpmakers@yahoogroups.com, "Glenn J. Hill" <mtglen@...> wrote:
>
> I have used a violin tail-piece tapered reamer, that comes with a handle,
> for many years to finish the fine tapering of my holes. I drill with a drill
> press, and then hand finish the holes with this tool. Works like a charm,
> and you never over-ream!!:-)
>
> Glenn
>
> Live your life in Joy, and follow your Bliss !
>
> Glenn Hill
>
> Mountain Glen Harps LLC
> LaserHarps LLC
>
> 809 1st Street, Phoenix Oregon, 97535
> 541-535-7700 Fax: 541-535-5657
>
> skype: glenn.j.hill
>
> www.mountainglenharps.com www.laserharps.com
>
> My blog: http://thecustomharpbuilder.blogspot.com/
>
For my lyre and harp projects, I have been using a spiral #4 or 5 reamer.
I find this gives a much better and leaner peg hole than the older
straight cutting edged reamers. I use the handles for some jobs; for
others, I remove the handles use them in my drill press.
Larry Miller
On Mon, Sep 24, 2012 at 9:47 PM, Craig <crpierpont@...> wrote:
> **
>
>
> When I first started out, Robbie Robinson told me to use a #4 reamer for
> #5 pins and then chuck a #5 pin in a drill and spin it in the hole until it
> burned the hole to size. It's one of the few suggestions that he made that
> I never tried.
>
> Craig
>
> Craig R. Pierpont
> Another Era Lutherie
> www.anotherera.com
>
> --- In harpmakers@yahoogroups.com, "Glenn J. Hill" <mtglen@...> wrote:
> >
> > I have used a violin tail-piece tapered reamer, that comes with a
> handle,
> > for many years to finish the fine tapering of my holes. I drill with a
> drill
> > press, and then hand finish the holes with this tool. Works like a
> charm,
> > and you never over-ream!!:-)
> >
> > Glenn
> >
> > Live your life in Joy, and follow your Bliss !
> >
> > Glenn Hill
> >
> > Mountain Glen Harps LLC
> > LaserHarps LLC
> >
> > 809 1st Street, Phoenix Oregon, 97535
> > 541-535-7700 Fax: 541-535-5657
> >
> > skype: glenn.j.hill
> >
> > www.mountainglenharps.com www.laserharps.com
> >
> > My blog: http://thecustomharpbuilder.blogspot.com/
> >
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
That's basically the method I use from one of his old harp plans, the No. 4
first to the hilt and then the No. 5. Well, there are more steps to it than
that. First I drill out a 3/16th hole from one side with a tapered drill till it
just pierces (Lee Valley tools), then the other way, then I use a small rounded
stone before I do the thing with the reamers to move the edges out. I use the
reamers with a drill press at low speed, but I don`t drill the No.5 reamer all
the way through, though I tap it in a short ways from the opposite side. I save
last eighth to quarter inch for hand finishing.
laurie nicol
________________________________
From: Craig <crpierpont@...>
To: harpmakers@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, September 24, 2012 6:47:47 PM
Subject: Re: Refined tools for taper pin holes
Â
When I first started out, Robbie Robinson told me to use a #4 reamer for #5 pins
and then chuck a #5 pin in a drill and spin it in the hole until it burned the
hole to size. It's one of the few suggestions that he made that I never tried.
Craig
Craig R. Pierpont
Another Era Lutherie
www.anotherera.com
--- In harpmakers@yahoogroups.com, "Glenn J. Hill" <mtglen@...> wrote:
>
> I have used a violin tail-piece tapered reamer, that comes with a handle,
> for many years to finish the fine tapering of my holes. I drill with a drill
> press, and then hand finish the holes with this tool. Works like a charm,
> and you never over-ream!!:-)
>
> Glenn
>
> Live your life in Joy, and follow your Bliss !
>
> Glenn Hill
>
> Mountain Glen Harps LLC
> LaserHarps LLC
>
> 809 1st Street, Phoenix Oregon, 97535
> 541-535-7700 Fax: 541-535-5657
>
> skype: glenn.j.hill
>
> www.mountainglenharps.com www.laserharps.com
>
> My blog: http://thecustomharpbuilder.blogspot.com/
>
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The Cherry Harp is 36 strings and the spacing and tension are close to the L&H
Troubadour. In fact many of the elements I copied from a Troubadour III.
What not to do:
The internal braces were plywood
The arch was laminated from 3, ½" thick pieces of Baltic birch plywood.
The soundboard was made from 3mm Baltic birch plywood, although it had vertical
braces front and back.
On some of the other harps the thin soundboard wouldn't have been a problem as
the angle of the soundboard would have been steeper, but the Troubadour is
angled back 25o giving more pull on the soundboard.
Within weeks the arch stated to bend over and the soundboard bellied up. Finally
the soundboard cracked along the centre.
On the next harp of the same size (Big Brown) I addressed some of these problems
by:
Maple internal braces
Centre piece of laminate, being ¾" thick
The soundboard now 6mm (¼")
It's been since May that this harp has been up to tension and the problems that
I found with the Cherry stained harp don't seem to have re-appeared on this
version.
Big brown was not it's original designation. Dark walnut was the color. But as
the sound box was made from bendy Poplar, the rest Birch, I had to stain heavily
to match the color, ergo brown.
So I rebuilt the Cherry harp in June.
Maples braces, thicker soundboard, and through a mistake with the router, a
whole new sound box, with a 3mm Baltic birch outer shell. This proved to be
fortunate when trying to match the color of the stain to the rest of the harp.
In addition I stretched the arch back straight with blocks and clamps until it
lost it's curve, and then re-enforced the front edge with a ¼" thick maple
strip.
Since then it's been under tension and little or no changes to the belly or
arch.
In the latest rendition of a 36-string harp, not only have I thickened the arch
and braced the front edge of it, as well as maple cross-braces and a thicker
soundboard, and went back to the lesser tension of slightly shorter string set
from the Robinson's Tara harp.
But SWMBO won't let me paint the soundboard on the new Blue, AKA Bob Ross.
I've posted new pictures
laurie
hello everyone, I am new to this group.My name is Peggy.I have a travel harp
made be Keith Rogers in 1998. Over the years I have traveled between Ohio and
Utah and the changes in the climate have caused some problems.... I do not have
any current contact information for Keith...I am hoping for help from the
members of the group so I can get in touch with him to look at my harp.My phone
number is 435 213 6949.... thank you
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Hello everyone…
I’m quite unhappy and worry, I ordered 2
harps from Chris more than a year ago, fully pay them and I didn’t had any
news from him even after contact him on phone, email and facebook. I know he
had recently some heath problems but I worry to have loose the 2 harps and
my money. The worst part is that one of the harp was supposed to be a
present for my girlfriend birthday, a year ago…
Benoît Meulle-Stef
www.bmsguitars.com
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Dear Didier ;
I was doing that to prevent to have to make one…
Now I lost the money and didn’t got any answer from the guy. Just more
excuses from his friend…
Benoît Meulle-Stef
www.bmsguitars.com
De : Saimpaul Didier [mailto:saimpauldidier@...]
Envoyé : dimanche 14 octobre 2012 10:27
À : bmsguitars@...
Objet : Re: Chris Caswell
Hi Benoit,
Really bad ! But i'm not surprised. I wrote several times to Chriss to get
som hardware, and he never replied...
You make such wonderfull guitars, why don't you try making a harp ? Have a
look on my blog : <http://harpomania.blogspot.fr/>
http://harpomania.blogspot.fr/...
Didier
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