Rim bent and glued

So, can I set the drum sander up for the first time in years? It’s still on the low trolley I built for a TV some 25 years ago, so I operate it kneeling on the floor. But it is the floor of the new workshop, so it’s all good. 

It took a moment or two to remember the finer points of drum sanding (believe me, there are those), but it turned out rather well. 

Next pic shows a 60 mm slice taken off for the one piece rim. 

And then I thought I might as well get reaquainted with the old bending iron, that isn’t made of iron but of aluminium. The skeleton is mounted on a stick for reference. 

And after a wee while I got the hang of it, sort of. 

The bending was done yesterday, and today the rim was dry enough to glue. If only I could find the rest of my clamps!

Should I get back to instagram as well? I might do that since nowadays fewer people are made of the stuff that makes them read blogs, damn them and damn all social media. 

New project started

Is there anywhere a more patient man than S? He and I have been penpals for a couple of years now, since he first approached me enquiring about the chance of me building a soprano resonator for him. I then explained the circumstances under which I toiled, with all tools and jigs packed and stored in boxes in grandma’s attic. 

But now the new workshop is well under way to completion. I have spent a month constructing storage solutions for the tools, and today I dug into the remaining boxes of… stuff, and found the small pile of resonator skeletons. 

And I thought, why not start already. 

I even found the ready-made dowels that hold the halves together. What I didn’t find was the spacers I used to get the distance right, but they were easy to replace. 

And a neck block of the right height. I think I remember using a strip of plywood for those, but this will sound better for sure. 

Clamped up and drying. Fanx, S. You’re a champ. 

Lazarus

Crackle… static… hello..? Hello? Is anybody out there?

What’s this. A long forgotten stash of wood, unearthed and almost ready to dig into. 

It is now stored in the loft above the new workshop. 

DID YOU HEAR [read] THAT? The new workshop. Look at it and marvel.  

Next post won’t take three years. I promise.