J C Rockwell Music
6898 SR 329
PO Box 79
Guysville, OH 45735
Phone, Voicemail:
740-662-3011
Email:
jerry@jcrmusic.com
Thanks to the Ohio Arts Council, the Holland Center in Corning, SPiCYAM in Shawnee, and Sunday Creek Associates for making the YAM workshop possible!
Building a Mountain Dulcimer
Building
Outline: 1 | 2 |
3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | SPiCYAM
Class Syllabus |
Preparing Head and Fretboard
Hourglass Dulcimer: Preparing Head (Angled,
joined, three-piece head)
1. Mark the end of the fretboard with two lines that are approximately
2 3/4 inch apart. Cut off end at an angle between the two lines.
2. Use small block planer to smooth surface (move plane back
and forth at an angle).
3. Use a sanding board to sand the angle surface.
4. Invert the small piece and clamp to underside of fretboard
end (in a way that makes the head thinner than the fretboard).
5. Clamp/glue two pieces together. Allow 45 minutes to dry.
6. Using jointer planer, plane off excess from top of head.
7. Using sanding boards, sand head joint smooth (first coarse,
then fine).
8. Cut out head ears from 3/4 x 5/8" strips. Sand
sides that will be joined to head.
9. Clamp/glue ears to head, keeping the underside flush with
the back of the head. Allow 45 minutes to dry.
10. Trace head pattern from your template and cut with coping
saw.
11. File and sand head side edges, top and back (avoid removing
wood under fretboard that will join to body).
12. Using head template, mark holes for tuning pegs.
Using an 11/32" brad-point
bit, drill holes with a wood block placed under the
head to keep drill from tearing wood around the holes.
Hourglass Dulcimer: Preparing
Hollowed Fretboard
1. Roughly mark out fret pattern on the back of the fretboard. Mark relief holes (for hollowing fretboard) between the fret lines (3/4" apart for first octave, 1/2 apart for the rest).
2. Tap small starter holes for the drill using a nail setter. Drill relief holes (1/2" bit for first octave and 15th & 16th fret, 7/16" bit for the rest).
3. Rasp out and sand the strum hollow on the top side of the fretboard.
Preparing Straight Slotted Head Style Fretboard (SPicYAM dulcimers)
Steps 1 through 12 were prepared by Jerry before the group building session. We assembled 12 packets of precut and curved frets, plus bridges, for the YAM dulcimers (the zip-top plastic bags are shown proliferating in several photos)
1. Check fretboard for flatness – sand if necessary.
2. Mark head slot
3. Drill 3 holes sideways in head stock for seating tuner shafts (2 on one side of head, 1 on opposite side)
4. Cut head slots
5. Mark nut, frets, and bridge placement on fretboard using a fret ruler and dry point needle.
6. Use a dovetail saw and tri-square to cut nut slot (around 3/16" wide). Chisel out with 1/8" chisel.
7. File nut slot smooth with needle files.
8. Cut nut, install, tap into place, adjust height, add 3 groooves with needle file
9. Use a dovetail saw and tri-square to cut fret slots.
10. Rasp out and rough sand the strum hollow on the top side of the fretboard.
11. Cut floating bridge (bridge will be added during final setup and string installation)
12. Bend fret wire into a gentle curve using fret pliers, and cut lengths.
13. Tap in fret wires with fretting hammer from the ends to the middle (don’t tap hard in the middle). Don’t hammer the fret flat – leave a slight curve, and don’t hammer the first fret too deep.
14. File off the wire overhang by running a mill file at a slight angle along each side of the fretboard
15. Use steel wool to smooth corners of frets.
