I ordered some of the parts I need from Stewart-MacDonald and they arrived yesterday. The first photo is of the tone ring I chose. The tone ring lies on the front edge of the rim under the head. It is used to improve the sound over using the wooden rim alone. There are other types of tone rings, but they are much more expensive, and I felt this brass round rod tone ring was the right choice for my first banjo.
Round rod tone ring
The tension hoop below is what pulls the head of the banjo taut. When I make my rim, I’ll need to machine it so it fits inside this hoop with enough room for the thickness of the head. The cutout is where the strings come across to the head from the neck.
Tension hoop
This is a bracket assembly held against the tension hoop. The shoe (with the bolt sticking down in this photo) is attached to the rim. When the nut on the right is tightened, the hook pulls the tension hoop down over the rim. The head has a lip that is caught under the hoop, and is thus tightened when the hoop is pulled. I bought 14 sets of hooks that will be spaced around the rim.
Bracket Assembly
A bridge is held in place against the head by the tension of the strings.
Bridge
These tuning pegs seem well made. I still need one more of a different type for the 5th string, which only travels part way up the neck.
Tuning pegs
The tuning pegs on most banjos stick out the back of the head, like this:
Tuning peg on template
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