In November, 2013 I decided to try my hand at building a banjo. I didn’t have any prior instrument building experience, but I have worked with wood for many years. On November 2, 2013, my friend Ben Keyes gave a solo album release concert. I know it was Ben’s playing that got me to thinking about banjos. Take a look at the entries below to follow along with my several-month long project.
Cleaning up my bandsaw
I thought I should clean up and tune up my bandsaw before I start cutting expensive wood on it. I found this half eaten acorn inside the bandsaw, which is in my basement. I am assuming it's mice, not squirrels. Either way I need to speak...
read more
Picked up some lumber
I picked up some soft maple and ebony at a hardwood lumberyard, Downes and Reader in Stoughton, MA. I bought a 9ft long piece of 5/4 (1 1/4 in thick) maple about 5in wide, and some 4/4 (1in thick) ebony. One small piece of ebony wide enough for the peghead and one...
read more
Bought some banjo making books
I got a couple of books to help me along. Constructing a 5-String Banjo by Roger Siminoff and Old-Time Banjocraft by Robert Browder It's nice having both. Old-Time Banjocraft is not as exacting, but describes a banjo a little closer to what I want to...
read moreLearning a bit about banjos
Needing to learn more about banjos, I started searching the web for banjo construction, banjo playing and styles of banjos. The speed at which information can be gathered is amazing. In a few hours I developed a reasonable understanding of the direction I wanted to...
read more
Recent Comments