Randy Arnold: Whittler of Fine Banjos

Instrument Makers of Alabama Project

2009-09-20T06:48:00.002-05:00

I must apologize for the delay in posts, this summer turned out to be very busy.

One of my projects this summer was working with the Alabama Folklife Association documenting Instrument makers of Alabama. The interviews will reside in the state and national archives, and the final project will be exhibited at the Smithsonian in 2010.

The deadline for the project is September 30th. If there are any luthiers of traditional instruments living in Alabama who would like to be interviewed, or if you know someone who would like to participate, please contact me. I would really like to have at least one or two more interviews.

Hands to Work

2009-06-13T09:59:00.002-05:00

On a recent trip to Michigan we stopped and visited the Shaker village at Pleasant Hill.

I've been fascinated by the Shaker community for a number of years now, being most familiar with the Pleasant Hill Community in Kentucky.

People came to this country for many different reasons, but one thing united them all, a desire to try something new, live by a different set of rules. Naturally, with such independent spirits and liberal beginnings there were many Utopian experiments in Early America, religious and otherwise. To me the Shakers were the most endearing, beautiful and efficient experiment.

The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing were given the name Shaking Quakers, or Shakers, by the outside world because of their unusual dancing. The Shakers did not believe in a house of worship, instead believing that work was worship. Their mantra was "Hands to work, Hearts to God."

The Shakers were industrious, inventive people, inventing or improving many objects that we still use today. They believed in technology, science and hygiene. On average shakers lived 15 to 20 years longer than the people of the "outside world."

Shakers believed in equality. They believed that men and women were equals, and races were equal. They were vehemently opposed to slavery, on some occasions purchasing slaves from their masters to free them from slavery.

The architect of the Pleasant Hill Community was Micajah Burnett, a brilliant man referred to as the "Thomas Jefferson of the West" by one of the Shaker historians that I talked to. A self-taught mathematician, architect and engineer, he was brought to Pleasant Hill in 1809 by his parents. He was 17 years old. At the age of 26 Micajah began mapping out the Pleasant Hill Community.

For me, the Shakers represent the height of American design and philosophy. Craftsmanship that attempted to go beyond human, design that worked simply and efficiently, with satisfying and pleasing proportions. With all of the tools available, perhaps the most valuable was Ockham's Razor. We could learn a lot from their aesthetic today.

It is easy to feel the presence of craftsmen at Pleasant Hill, whose goal was to transcend what is human, and whose mark of craftsmanship was to attempt to go beyond what is possible.

Focus On Book Arts Conference

2009-06-12T10:37:00.001-05:00

Colophon Book Arts Supply will have a few of my Ebony Folders for sale at the Focus on Book Arts conference held on the campus of Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. The conference will take place June 24th through the 29th.

If you are attending the conference, please feel free to inquire about the Ebony Folders.

Colophon Book Arts Supply

2009-06-11T10:31:00.002-05:00

I am happy to announce that Colophon Book Art Supply will carry my hand crafted Ebony “bone” folders. For information on ordering please contact Colophon Book Art Supply.

Phone: 1.360.459.2945

Fax: 1.360.459.2945

Book Arts Tools

2009-05-30T08:37:00.004-05:00

I am pleased to announce the creation of my new blog: Randy J. Arnold: Handmade. The site will focus on Book Arts/Binding Tools. I plan to continue this site as well. As always, I welcome any thoughts, comments or suggestions.

Sam Maloof 1916-2009

2009-05-25T11:09:00.003-05:00

Sam Maloof

1916-2009

Ebony Bone Folders

2009-05-12T09:44:00.003-05:00

Images of a couple of ebony bone folders and box that I made for a great book artist and friend in Denver. Her father was a harpsichord maker. I was fortunate enough to get a tour of his shop and was given a large piece of the ebony that he made the keys from. I used some of that ebony for this project. I hope that it will be of some use.

Ebony Bone Folder: Ebony with pearl inlay.
Box: Spalted Oak (gathered locally), ebony, leather (locally tanned).

That Which Was Old Will Be New Again

2009-05-05T12:14:00.007-05:00

With the cool spring we have been having here in Alabama, I've been taking advantage of the beautiful weather and busying myself with a project that would soon be unbearable with the inevitable coming of the summer heat. Anyone who has not experienced summer in the deep south will just have to take my word for it.

Time to take care of the leaks in the roof.

Holes and nails patched...

covered with aluminum covering and finished. Hopefully the fixed roof will help protect the tools from rust.

Along the same theme, I decided to build a tool cabinet to protect some planes and saws from moisture. It gets very humid in the south, and a little bit of extra protection goes a long way.

I used some of the old boards that were saved when I put down a new floor last year. The old pine was rotten through much of the board, but I was able to salvage plenty to build the framework for the cabinet. The top and sides were from the old shelving on the side of the shop. Nice, thick old growth pine that I'm happy will see a new life and usefulness.

The floor boards were purchased locally, I imagine in the 1940's. I noticed the stamp E.E. Jackson Lumber.

The boards were cut and planed to uncover some beautiful wood underneath.

And here is the finished cabinet.

I keep this container of silica gel in the cabinet with the tools to protect them from any moisture.

Morning

2009-04-12T22:05:00.000-05:00

Greet the Spring

2009-04-02T17:31:00.000-05:00

Walking around the house, seeing the signs of spring. Bright, bright green leaves on the Oaks. and the blooms on the fruit trees, reminds me of a poem by Gary Snyder:

The rising hills, the slopes
of Statistics
lie before us.
the steep climb
of everything, going up,
up, as we all
go down.

In the next century
or the one beyond that
they say,
are valleys, pastures,
we can meet there in peace
if we make it.

To climb these coming crests
one word for you, to
you and your children:

stay together
learn the flowers
go light

For the Children

A poem by Gary Snyder

From the book Turtle Island

Happy spring.

Bone Folders

2009-03-26T20:49:00.003-05:00

Amy attended a workshop today taught by Julie Chen. It was a big deal, as Julie Chen's work inspired her to become a book artist. As a special gift, I made Amy a pair of ebony bone folders to use. Here are some photographs documenting the process.

The box was made with found wood. Bone folders are made of ebony with pearl inlay. The second bone folder specially shaped to aid in box making.

Southern Lights

2009-03-17T06:56:00.004-05:00

This blog was mentioned in an article in the Tuscaloosa News Sunday.

Thanks, Ben.

bindings

2009-03-09T18:32:00.005-05:00

Last week I inlaid ebony into the pot and installed a walnut cap. After gluing the Walnut cap, it was time to install the fingerboard binding. As I held the plastic binding in my hand, I thought, I can't install this. I can't put this on the fingerboard. It's plastic, and the reason why I enjoy building is to move away from plastic...in many different ways.

Every time I look around I see plastic. Things that look to be what they are not. Cheapness disguised as the genuine article. That little piece of plastic binding that I held in my hand became a lot more to me than something to hide the tang of the frets.

I cut a few small strips from a piece of walnut.

I put the strips in a bucket of water to soak, then looked around for a heat source to make a bending pipe. I dug up an electric camping stove and attached a pipe to it with wire.

I made a metal bending strap from a clamp used on the gluing form for the pot.

Bent the sides carefully and glued them to the fingerboard. The tape holds the binding in place as the glue sets.

And here we are, walnut binding on the fretboard. It makes me feel better to get away from the plastic. Hopefully that is the direction that I am personally moving as well.

Working on It

2009-03-07T06:35:00.002-06:00

Snow Day

2009-03-01T20:28:00.005-06:00

Not only have I begun to feel Spring in my bones, I have also begun to see it on the trees. Tell tale white flowers forming on the pear tree in the back yard, the slightly perceptible pink just beginning to bud on the peach tree.

And then today, Mother Nature's last hurrah. The raised bed garden, almost finished, rests silently under a blue tarp. The signs of my work lay as remnants in the yard. Scaffolding lay dormant on the porch, springtime painting only just begun.

This is the first snow in 9 years, and the heaviest snow since the early or mid 1990's.

All is silent. The tools and the work lay quietly for the day. This is winter's final moment. Inhale, exhale, then greet the Spring.

Weather Report: February 10

2009-02-10T06:00:00.003-06:00

WEATHER REPORT: FEBRUARY 10

I walk downtown, wearing a good many of the clothes I own, keeping my head down and breathing through several thicknesses of a wool scarf. A day so cold it hurts to breath; dry enough to freeze spit. Kids crack it on the sidewalk.

Walking with care, snow barely covering the patches of ice, I begin to recall a canticle or a psalm - I can't remember which - and my body keeps time:

Cold and chill, bless the Lord
Dew and rain, bless the Lord
Frost and chill, bless the Lord
Ice and snow, bless the Lord
Nights and days, bless the Lord
Light and darkness, bless the lord

Another line comes to mind: "at the breath of God's mouth the waters flow." Spring seems far off, impossible, but it is coming. Already there is dusk instead of darkness at five in the afternoon; already hope is stirring at the edges of the day.

Written by Kathleen Norris
From the book Dakota: A Spiritual Geography

Working on it

2009-02-03T10:18:00.002-06:00

How To Build a Banjo

2009-01-27T17:09:00.005-06:00

1. Plant a tree. I prefer black walnut.

2. When the tree has grown to just the right height and circumference (approximately 80 years), it is time to begin.

3. Look at the tree. Try to visualize the banjo within the tree.

4. With a chisel, remove the parts of the tree that are not a part of the banjo. For your safety, you may consider laying the tree on it's side before carving.

And that's all there is to building your very own banjo. Enjoy.

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White House Blues 1932

2009-01-20T16:44:00.003-06:00

For some reason I awoke this morning humming the 1932 version of White House Blues :

"Got up this morning, all I could see

Was cornbread and gravy just a-waitin' for me

And now he's gone, I'm glad he's gone"

Christmas Tree / Last leaves of the New Year

2009-01-02T10:46:00.006-06:00

It is December 27th. It is 75 degrees outside. The sun is shining brightly, but dark gray clouds are moving in from the east. The wind is up and even though it is almost the end of December, it feels like early spring.

I am at my day job at the moment. As I write this in my notebook (I usually keep a notebook handy, even when I'm away from the shop), I notice a crow take flight from one corner of the building where I work, to land on the roof of the bank building across the street. The sun throws an elongated shadow of the crow across the pitch of the bank building roof as the bird walks back and forth across the roofs length.

Christmas was especially nice this year. The rotten economy has effected us all, so gifts were thinner this year, but it seemed like we got closer to the core of what Christmas is about. To amend a popular saying, 'it's the thoughtfulness that counts,' and it's family that counts.

And now, as a new year approaches, so does a new life. My workplace will be closing permanently in a couple of weeks, and I will be without a steady job.

And that has given me an opportunity to pursue my dream of becoming a luthier full time. You only have one life, might as well try to do something rewarding with it, right? An old friend once told me that all major life choices were decided by either faith or fear, so let's hear it for faith. Lou Reed said that you've got to have a busload of faith to get by. Lou never did have the cheeriest outlook on life, though.

So, if all goes well, I will be spending my time in the shop building banjos, maybe book arts tools. I'm also open to other projects if anybody needs anything...but the wood is calling, and I must follow.

The one thing about my workplace that I will miss is a small maple tree planted on the sidewalk just outside the front window. Beautiful, caged in cement. It is unnatural that such a thing be caged like that. The tree's lifespan is the lifespan of the building. Depressing.

Nevertheless, I spent many pleasant moments gazing out of the window at that maple. I've watched that Maple since it was four years old, I believe. We've marked ten seasons together. Ten years of flaming red autumns and bright green springs.

About three years ago I planted a maple tree of my own in a wooded area on the family property. I cleaned out an area that was overgrown with nambina bushes covered with a soft blanket of kudzu. The tree is planted in a valley just across the street from our house, and is not visible without peering down into the valley from the road. As time moves on, I expect to see the top of the tree peer from the valley as it slowly but surely makes its way toward the sun. Even in its youth it is a majestic tree.

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, then you know that I am a man who loves symbols and ritual, so it would be no surprise to discover that the olive tree is one of my favorite trees. Beautiful, varied, and arguably the most significant tree in history. Mentioned in the Odyssey by Homer, written about numerous times in the bible and the Koran, painted by Vincent Van Gogh. Brought to America in the 17th century, the olive tree is a symbol of abundance, glory, peace and purification. Thomas Jefferson once said that "the olive tree is...the richest gift of heaven." And it was an olive branch that the dove brought to Noah as a sign that the flood waters were receding.

For Christmas I received three gifts from Amy based on new beginnings for 2009. The first a *black walnut tree, that I may live long enough to cut it down and use the lumber. The second, seeds for our vegetable garden from Seeds of Change, and finally, a Lucca olive tree, a symbol of hope, prosperity and purity for my new venture. I hope that, like Noah's dove, this simple olive tree is a sign that I will soon gain solid footing on dry land.

Just recently I painted the shop. I only got the base coat on before it turned too cold to paint, and then too wet, but it's a start. And now that the shop has a fresh coat of white paint, it resembles a little country church, to me anyway. And that is just as it should be; there are ghosts in there.

So, I planted my Lucca in front of the shop window. The tree is only 4 feet tall, so, from inside the shop, I have to consciously peer over the window sill to see the tree, and even then I can only see the top.

But, like the maple caged by sidewalk, I hope to spend many peaceful moments watching the Lucca tree grow, and I hope to grow with it.

And I hope to take care of my olive tree just as I build banjos. The Lucca tree will be a reminder to concentrate carefully, listen thoughtfully, and work peacefully and diligently.

And as the olive tree instills hope in me, it is a reminder to instill hope in others. I guess if I had a New Years resolution, that's what it would be, to try to be a vehicle of hope.

So...wish me luck, and think good thoughts, they will be felt and appreciated. I am fortunate to have someone in my life who has enough faith in me to entrust me with an olive tree. It is a big responsibility.

If I can find my copy, I hope to start posting The Man who Planted Trees by Jean Giono soon. One of my favorite short stories.

*this gift was based on something I wrote for Amy several months ago entitled "how to build a banjo." I never intended to post it, but since it came up, I'll try to include it in a post within the week.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T00:18:00.006-06:00

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Here's wishing everyone a happy holiday and a peaceful New Year.

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Sun is Gonna Shine (slight return)

2008-12-15T22:08:00.007-06:00

A quick follow up to the March 14th 2008 post, "The Sun is Gonna Shine."

TUSCALOOSA STREET TO BE NAMED
FOR "QUEEN OF THE BLUES"
DINAH WASHINGTON

The Alabama Blues Project is very happy that Dinah Washington, known as the "Queen of the Blues", will now have a street named for her in her hometown of Tuscaloosa. The Tuscaloosa City Council renamed 30th Avenue between 15th Street and Kaulton Park as Dinah Washington Avenue.

Reflections

2008-12-11T12:11:00.007-06:00

It's hard for me to pin down exactly what it is that attracts me to "old-time" or "roots" music. It's like a multifaceted gem, place it between your fingers and it will sparkle in different areas depending on how you hold it to the light.

Roots music is history: It's American history, the peoples history, our ancestors history...dig back as far as you like.

One of my favorite tunes to play on the banjo is "Road to Boston," a song popular during the revolutionary war. Another favorite is "If You Miss Me at the Back Of the Bus."

"If you miss me at the back of the bus
And you can't find me nowhere
Come on up to the front of the bus
I'll be riding up there"

Old-time songs keep history alive. They inform us and teach us, and we are the better for it.

And the old songs give me a certain, indescribable feeling, like a connection of sorts, a bond. It feels like the earth, the dirt. It's beautiful and dangerous and very, very real. Listen to "Little Bessie" by Roscoe Holcomb. If that doesn't hit you in the breadbasket nothing will.

I can't imagine what my world would be like without the song collectors, folk scholars and historians who collect, preserve and teach the music and stories of the past. People like Mike Seeger, who not only collects and preserves, but teaches as well, assuring that the music of the people will never be far from view for those who are willing to look for it. People like Alan Lomax, Art Rosenbaum, Joyce Cauthen, Cecil Sharp, John Cohen, Joe Bussard Jr., etc. These people handed us a gift. They are the ones who placed the multifaceted gem in our hands to do with as we please.

So, what do we do with it? Do we coddle it and protect it like a baby?

As Mike Seeger once said, "I feel like we're picking up this music from where it was left off, and we're going to carry it on. Some of us will warp it around a little and mix different elements together. And then some of us will write new tunes and songs based in tradition. That's the way tradition has always worked," and "young people all over the U.S. are picking up this kind of music now, and not only playing it well but...they're expanding on it."*

.

So, this music, this gift, has been given to us without baggage, to do with as we please. We can keep it to ourselves, preserving the music as one would bones in a museum, or we can let the music live and breath, continuing the tradition of integrating cultures and experiences into the music. We can think of the gem as something to be taken out and played with, not hidden.

That, I believe, is where the jewel will sparkle.

I'll leave with a quote from Alice Gerard: "It's not just a question of keeping the music alive but integrating it into our own lives, and it's having meaning alongside the way we live now."*

This post was inspired by Consumerism and Orthodoxy in old-time written by Cathy Moore on the Banjo Meets World blog.

*from the film Homemade American Music by Yasha Aginsky

A Joyful Sound

2008-12-08T21:15:00.001-06:00

Quiet Mornings & Unheated Workspaces

2008-12-07T19:18:00.011-06:00

The winter chill is making it difficult to enjoy the pleasures of woodworking. In the mornings as I wait for the temperature to approach something close to bearable, I have been designing a new instrument, my take on the obsolete mandolin-banjo, sometimes referred to (incorrectly) as a banjolin.

Late mornings and afternoons are spent jigging up, then it's back inside for hot tea.

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HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2008-11-26T09:14:00.004-06:00

I Will Bow and Be Simple*

I will bow and be simple,
I will bow and be free,
I will bow and be humble,

Yea, bow like the willow tree.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

*Shaker melody

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Old Friends & New

2008-11-19T08:58:00.004-06:00

I was recently asked by the West Alabama Woodworkers Association to demonstrate banjo making.

The presentation was last night. It was a great group and I enjoyed meeting and talking to all of the woodworkers, and I got to see some amazing work as well.

One of my favorite professors at the University of Alabama, Dr. Bing Blewett, is a member of the group. I took an environmental science class under him, and hung out/worked with him in the paleontology lab. That's him standing beside me wearing a baseball cap.

It was nice seeing an old friend and making new ones.

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New Mythology

2008-11-12T06:55:00.009-06:00

Amy and I were fortunate enough to be invited to do a demonstration of our crafts at Rickard's Mill.

Rickard's Mill is in south Alabama, about 20 miles north of Monroeville.

We stayed in Hybart, Alabama, one of the prettiest places I've ever seen, and the festival was amazing.

On Thursday and Friday school children were bussed in from all over south Alabama. Thursday was reserved for elementary school children, Friday was reserved for high school and home school children. Each day brought around 600 children. I took the kids through the different elements of banjo making, the tools involved and how they worked. Then I explained different styles of playing. I even lead a sing-a-long for the smaller children. All of the kids were very interested, engaged and well behaved.

Saturday was open to the public. I mainly worked on building a banjo and people stopped to watch, talk and ask questions. Rikard's Mill festival is one of the best festivals I've been to, and I would strongly recommend stopping by next year. I met a lot of very nice people over the weekend. You can read more about the mill here.

Tuesday I voted, then built a workbench that would be sturdy, but one that I could break down for portability. Essentially I had to pack a majority of my tools and a bench, along with Amy's spinning wheel and spinning paraphernalia into a mid-sized car. Tuesday night Amy and I packed and listened to election returns. The next day we loaded up the car and headed down to Hybart. We just got back Sunday night.

It was exciting traveling down to Rikard's Mill on Wednesday. As we listened to NPR, the landscape mingled with the news...the changing leaves reflecting the changing country. We have a new president elect, and the hope in the air is like electricity.

I thought of something Joseph Campbell said in a lecture entitled Experiencing the Divine where he spoke about the moon landing:

"[A] point that strikes one when one sees the earth this way (from the moon) is how small (the earth) is. It's really a space vehicle, flying at a prodigious speed and revolving. How perilous our position. Still, another point about it, how beautiful."

"When those astronauts came down, the first group from the moon, they said it was like earth was an oasis in the desert of space. And this feeling of love for the earth, and a sense of reaffirmation of our relevance to the earth was a beautiful thing, I thought."

"After all, we have come out of the earth. We are not delivered into it. That was an old theory that no longer can stand. Man has come out of the earth, as plants do. And man is thus an organ of the earth. And man's eyes are the organs of sight of the earth, and man's mind is the thinking of the earth."

"This is a new mythology, a quite new mythology. And furthermore, it's whole earth, and we are its citizens, so that those old, tribal mythologies which said, 'we keep love for our village compound, or for our tribe, or for our nation, and we project our hate outward, that won't work anymore. There has been [an] elimination of racial and of tribal and even national differences.

These remain, certainly, and are to be honored in a certain way, but they can no longer be dealt with as they have traditionally been dealt with."

Joseph Campbell

Seeds of Change

2008-11-03T07:30:00.009-06:00

I plan to plant a vegetable garden in the spring. The above photo shows the spot that I have picked to plant. Since the land has been damaged over the years, I will have to build a raised bed structure to plant in. Because I have to gather the soil and enrich it by composting throughout the winter, now is the time to lay the foundation and framework of the garden.

It is, in fact, the same location as my grandfather's garden.

Since the rich soil has been covered with gravel, I will have to approach the garden in a different manner than my grandfather, but I have faith that with time and work, I can plant seeds and grow nourishing vegetables. I can transform the land, which has been so damaged, into a healthy land where I can plant, grow and harvest.

And because my grandfather loved and worked this land, so do I love and work this land. And even when it has been damaged through neglect, I know that, with heart and hands and mind, I can repair it and make it better.

I want to encourage everyone to vote tomorrow. With heart and hands and mind, it is time to sow the seeds of change.

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The Art of Joinery

2008-10-31T12:37:00.005-05:00

I Just finished reading The Art of Joinery, originally published as a series of instructional pamphlets in 1678 by Joseph Moxon.

The complete series of pamphlets, titled Mechanick Exercises or the Doctrine of Handy-Works, served as an introduction as well as instruction for various professions, such as blacksmithing, house carpentry and bricklaying. The Art of Joinery deals specifically with the craft of woodworking.

This edition of The Art of Joinery was recently published by Lost Art Press and updated by Chris Schwarz. Each chapter ends with an analysis by Chris Schwarz which summarizes the text. New photos were added alongside the original engravings to provide a clear understanding.

It is surprising just how little woodworking with handtools has changed. From the introduction:

"Joseph Moxon's 'Mechanick Exercises' is more than just a curiosity for historians of the craft of woodworking. The woodworking tools that Moxon describes and the processes he explains have remained remarkably unchanged during the last 330 years. To be sure, we might use fancier materials for some of our tools-investment-cast bronze, ductile iron, A2 steel. But a fore plane is still a fore plane, and it is still used in the same manner to make rough boards into smooth ones.
In fact, I consider Moxon to be an excellent introduction to most hand-tool aspects of woodworking."

As someone who is incorporating handtools more often in daily practice, and as someone who is interested in the history of woodworking, I found this book useful and educational. Hats off to Chris Schwarz for bringing this book back in print, and making it clear to the modern reader.

Reclaiming Lost Space

2008-10-27T09:39:00.015-05:00

As I write this in my notebook it is early morning, just before sunrise. The wind is blowing powerfully, and with each gust I hear pecans being shaken from the tree, hitting the tin roof of the shop as they fall.

I don't know what it is, the perfect weather, the changing leaves encouraging me to follow suit, or the oncoming of winter, but I have been fostering an uncontrollable urge to work. The kind of work where muscles are stiff and sore at the end of the day. The kind of work that you can look back and say that you have achieved something positive and long lasting.

With the exception of a brief trip to New Orleans to witness the marriage of our good friends Pen and Adam, I have been in the shop, gutting a back room and rebuilding it.

My hope is that this new room will serve as an assembly room of sorts. Where I can work without as much sawdust, on the finish, assembly, gluing, etc.

Here's a photo of the room. It was added to the shop by my Grandfather, and was used for garden equipment. After my grandfather passed away it was used only for storage of things long forgotten.

The floor was rotten and had fallen in.

First I gutted the room and then removed the floor.

Then started rebuilding. I didn't take many photos of the process, simply because I didn't want to stop.

And here is the new space. Much more needs to be done, but this will get me started. Now I can happily listen to pecans fall on the roof as I whittle away on a new banjo.

John Brown, the self proclaimed "anarchist woodworker," passed away last month. I've been reading some of his writing recently and thought that I would share this, it seemed appropriate.

"When I had completed the chair I sat down and looked at it. I always have a notepad nearby, and I felt that I had to capture the moment. Here, for what it's worth, is what I wrote.

'This big chair was completed on December 9th, a Friday. It is as good as I can do. Perhaps if I live a while longer and work, I will develop greater skills. My mystic self tells me that everything is just right, the angles, and lengths of the parts seem to be in harmony.

This chair marks the recovery of my powers. I have no pain of discomfort, my mind is active my *lighted candle and the flooded fields around me seem to balance my mind and spirit. I know I can work and make a good chair, nothing else matters and I am stress free'"

John Brown. Good Woodworking March 2001

Amy and I enjoying the New Orleans weather.

*"...noticed a candle burning on my bench from the photographs of my workshop, even in broad daylight. The candle reminds me to concentrate, like tying a knot in your handkerchief as a 'remembrancer.' If I don't concentrate, sawcuts go awry, gage marks appear in the wrong place, in fact, lack of concentration lets the gremlins out of the cage."

John Brown. Good Woodworking September 1997

Make Nothing But Music

2008-10-08T07:38:00.007-05:00

The weather is slowly changing here in Alabama. The leaves are just beginning to turn and the nights seem to be made for sitting on the front porch swing.

And there is the pull of winter. Every once in awhile I feel it when I least expect it, that ambiguous comfortable feeling that winter is on it's way. It's nice to feel the simple pleasure of the tug of winter in your soul. It is time to hunker down, enjoy life, and make nothing but music.

Amy and I traveled to Scottsboro, Alabama to the Hardwood Center, where I get most of the wood for the banjos. They have the most beautiful selection of wood. I spent the day Friday thumbing through every piece of of maple they had in order to find the perfect piece. The photo above is what I brought home.

The darker wood on the left is Walnut, next to that is some nice curly maple. Beside the maple lay the most beautiful piece of Honduras Rosewood that I've ever seen. I thought that the Rosewood would make nice fingerboards. Next to that is a big chunk of ebony that I'll also use for fingerboards. On the end is a stack of maple that has already been cut down and ready to steambend into pots.

I've got the shop cleaned up and organized, and enough wood to last me through the winter.

I'm looking forward to it.

Curves

2008-10-07T14:22:00.004-05:00

Have you ever had that strange feeling that someone was watching you as you worked?

I had an email request to show how I create the curvature of the neck to match the pot.

I create the curvature of the neck with a sanding drum mounted to a drill press. The bottom of the sanding drum has a guide attached to follow a pattern.

The neck is set on a 3 degree angle, this assures proper string tension.

I created a guide for the sanding drum to follow. I transferred the curvature of the pot to the guide.

The form is the length of the neck.

On the guide I have marked a center line. I match the center line of the guide with the center line of the neck.

Clamp the neck at the center...

and sand away the waste...

to create the correct curvature.

I use a router to create the curvature for the tension hoop.

This jig replaces the router fence. It is the same curvature as the bracket band. By adjusting the fence, I can control the depth of the cut.

I clamp waste blocks to the neck to control tear out.

And a photo of the completed neck.

I still have to do some cleanup with sandpaper, and sometimes with chisels, but for the most part this system works pretty well.

Who Knows Where All Of The Time Goes

2008-09-23T06:03:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe that a year has passed since I began this blog.

Seems like just yesterday.

My muffin and I are going to the shop now.

New Possibilities

2008-09-18T17:35:00.004-05:00

I just finished a new banjo today which veers in a new direction. It started with a beautiful piece of maple that I looked at and said, "o.k., let's see what we can do."

Bubinga (African Rosewood) fingerboard. Decorative scoop.

Maple pot and neck.

Bone nut. Ebony truss rod cover. Carved walnut peghead.

Walnut cap.

This departs from the traditional banjo style but I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I think I'll keep going in this direction for a little longer and see where it takes me.

I'll try to post some better photos of this banjo soon.

I'm working on it

2008-09-10T03:50:00.005-05:00

I've been furiously working in the shop this week. At the end of the day today I stopped and took a good look around.

I can't believe that the shop went from this...

...to this in just over a week.

I hope the results will be worth all the mess.

Floors & Raccoons

2008-08-30T05:35:00.007-05:00

The past few weeks I've been working on the shop.

Before I began using the shop, it had not been in use (other than by raccoons) for 25 years. In that time it had developed a few problems.

The floor of the shop was in pretty bad shape. The edges of the floor were rotten and the floor was sagging in areas, so I needed to lay new floors. I also wanted to get a little more organized.

By the way, the raccoons were living in the shop, they were not using the shop to build furniture.

The support beams were rotten underneath the floor. I ripped up the floor to access the beams...

...and replaced them.

photo of old and new support beams.

Started laying the floor.

New floor finished.

I wanted the shop to function better...

...and become a more workable space.

The inside of my grandfather's tool cabinet was reworked for my tools.

Everything now has a place. Now, when I walk into the shop, the first thing I do is open the tool cabinet and I know where everything is. It's amazing how mush time is saved by being organized.

I'm not through yet, I have lots more work to do on the shop, but it has taken a lot of time away from building (although it was time well spent). So, I'll stop here for now.

Horses

2008-07-29T13:24:00.003-05:00

I thought I would take this opportunity to introduce you to where much of the planning stage of the banjo building is done.

I would say that this stretch of road was an integral part to learning to build banjos. Anytime I had a question during the building process, like, 'how am I going to bend the wood for the pot?' or 'how am I going to fit the dowel rod onto the neck?' I would throw the bike onto the back of the car and head out to Old Lock 15 road.

Biking out in the country air where it's so peaceful and calm gives me time to clear my head and think

I've been biking out here for years. So long, in fact, that I've made friends with a couple of horses.

My average speed out here is usually somewhere around 12mph. I bike so slowly that I don't even know if I'm getting much exercise. But I peacefully plod along for about 25 miles or so. It's good for the mind and spirit.

Little did I know that there is a whole community, a whole movement, dedicated to this philosophy. It's a big world out there.

And with my journey for the day complete, spirit and mind fortified, it's onward and upward.

Time to Finish the Pot

2008-07-21T09:30:00.003-05:00

Now it's time to finish the pot.

Above is a photograph of the centering jig that I created to find the location of the hole for the dowel rod and the hole for the tailpiece.

By using this jig, I can be assured that the tailpiece will be aligned exactly opposite from the neck.

Here's a photograph of my jig to cut the hole that accepts the dowel. The walls of the jig stop my rotozip, assuring a uniform square each time.

First I clamp the jig to the pot...

Then run the rotozip against the walls.

Here's the unfinished pot with the hole drilled for the dowel rod.

I use a Dremel tool with a binding jig to rout the groove for the tonering. I make several passes, increasing the depth with each pass. This assures a tight fit for the tonering, creating the best possible sound.

Time to drill holes for the bracket hooks.

And the assembled pot.

Nic is still designing his inlay, so I am taking this time to break from banjo building and work on the shop. If you remember at the beginning of the blog, the woodworking shop was built by my grandfather in the 1940's and had been abandoned since the early 1980's, so It needed a lot of work to get it going again. Once I had it operational I started using it, but it needs a new roof and floor (and a few other things). So now that I have a little break while waiting on the inly design, I think I'll tackle the floor. I'll keep everyone posted.

PEACHES pt. 2

2008-07-16T21:02:00.006-05:00

As I have mentioned in an earlier post, the first Thursday of each month is art night in downtown Northport. It's the time that the galleries have their openings and stay open at night. The last art night I met Robert playing jazz in front of the barbershop. Amy and I stopped to listen and talked to Robert for a bit.

I feel lucky to live in Northport. Being from, and living in a small community, where we know our neighbors, has instilled small town values. But living next to a large university (University of Alabama), offers me opportunities and resources that I would not otherwise have.

I recently took part in a political survey. At the end of the survey I was asked weather I considered myself rural, urban or suburban. I've never really thought about it, and I really didn't know how to answer.

I'm not rural. I live in a small town next to a medium town that houses a large university, so I wouldn't say I'm rural. I'm certainly not urban, and, although I live next to Tuscaloosa, Northport is not a suburb of Tuscaloosa, so I'm not suburban. I feel like I am something else, something without a name, perhaps. A mixture of the three, if possible.

So, I guess I'm going through an identity crisis of sorts.

What's in a label? Shakespeare sort of asks. Beats me. If I find one I'll try it on for size and let you know how it fits. People want to pigeonhole us too much anyway.

As promised...let's bend some wood.

Above is a photo of the supplies that I will use to bend. The wood for the pot, the form to bend it around, and a metal strap to keep the wood from cracking as it bends.

Above are a couple of photographs of the bending form that I use.

The forms are made from three pieces of plywood glued together for a height of 2 3/4" The measurements of the form don't have to be exact, just as long as it is as tall as the width of the wood being bent. The width of the form is 8 1/2," but once again, this doesn't need to be exact, I'm just trying to get the wood used to the idea of being round.

I cut a notch in the form, something that the wood for the pot can anchor to as it bends. I also cut some 1" holes to accept spring clamps. This holds the wood in place as it dries.

I attach this form to a base.

Attached to the bottom of the form is a piece of wood so it can be clamped to my workmate.

Once the wood has steamed for the appropriate amount of time, remove the wood from the steambox and, while holding the wood against the metal strap, place it into the notch in the form. I walk around the workbench, bending the wood around the form. Once the wood is around the form, fasten it to the form with spring clamps.

Try to work quickly, the wood is pliable for a short amount of time. Don't rush, but work steadily and with purpose.

Wear thick gloves, the wood and the steam are very hot.

One thing that I feel I should say here. As with most everything on this blog, I worked this stuff out through trial and error. I found what works for me, but I'm not encouraging anyone to use this information or suggesting that any of this is safe, so please be careful and use this information at your own risk.

After the wood is secured to the form it is left to dry.

After a couple of days the wood will develop a "memory..."

and be set aside.

It is time to make some decisions about the pot, to decide how thick, how tall, and the circumference.

I use an 11" pot that is 3/4" thick and 2 1/2 tall. That makes the inner diameter 9 1/4," so I must build a form 9 1/4" wide and 2 1/2" tall. I use three pieces of plywood cut in a circle and glued together to make the form, I then tack aluminum shim stock to the outside of the form to keep the pot from attaching itself to the form during glue up.

For the outer strap I use the same strap material that I use for bending. I cut the strap to the length of the outer diameter of the pot. I use T-bolt clamps to clamp the wood against the inner form. The T-bolt clamps need to extend to larger than the outside diameter but ratchet down to the the exact size of the diameter. This assures a little wiggle room to get the wood into the strap. Since I am working on an 11" pot I use one 5 1/2" and one 6" strap hooked together. I make two of these and place them around the large metal strap.

Now it is time to cut the wood to length. To figure where to cut the wood, just use the circumference x pi (C=pi x D) for each piece of wood. For example, my pot is 11" diameter, that would be 11 x 3.14159 = 34.56, so that is my cut. I like to cut the piece to length on the bandsaw with a slight angle for a better gluing surface.

Now it is time to glue up the pot.

With the pieces cut to length, I do a dry run. I like to alternate the joints of the plies, for example, if I were to do a two ply pot, I would position the outer joint at 12 o'clock and the inner joint at the 6 o'clock position.

First, place the outer ring of the pot into the clamp at the 12 o'clock position. Follow with the other plies. Since I do a three ply pot, I would follow with the second ply at the 3 o'clock position and the third at the 6 o'clock position.

Place the inner form in the center and ratchet the clamps together. This presses the pieces against the inner form.

If it is a nice tight fit, loosen the clamps, spread glue on the pieces, re clamp the pot and let it dry overnight.

The key to the process is to take your time, take good notes, and have faith. It sounds more complicated than it actually is.

PEACHES

2008-07-07T23:08:00.005-05:00

It's been awhile since the last post, but all is well. I've been traveling the slow and steady road forward.

The nicest thing that happened between posts was getting to spend some time with my dad on father's day. Amy and I traveled down to Pintlala for the weekend. We even got to play some dulcimer together.

Here's a photograph of my dad playing a Bowed Psaltry that he built himself. As I mentioned in an earlier post, dad was an amazing woodworker.

I use the word 'talent' occasionally, but I don't really believe in it. I believe that anyone can do anything that they put their mind to, talent is not involved. My father was a great woodworker because he had the will, the desire and the patience to be successful.

I'm lucky in the fact that I got to see my father shape wood. I watched him design and build furniture. I attribute my woodworking ability to my father. Although he did not really show me the tools or how to use them, just by shaping the wood he showed me something far more important...he showed me the possibilities that the wood had to offer. What we need today, much more than talent, are possibilities.

On the way home from Pintlala, Amy and I stopped in Chilton to get some fresh peaches. Chilton County is known throughout Alabama for their peaches. There must be dozens of peach orchards throughout Chilton County.

Since the beginning of this blog, I've made a bit of progress with my woodworking. I'm always tinkering with something, creating a new tool or jig that makes the process more efficient.

I have a new client, Nic, who has very specific needs for his banjo. Nic is a bluegrass player who is interested in playing clawhammer. Nic has requested an openback banjo, but with a similar feel to his bluegrass banjo. I thought that this would be a good opportunity to revisit the building process, to note the changes and improvements that have occurred.

Well, enough of all that. Let's roll up our shirt sleeves and get to work.

Let's steam bend some wood for the pot.

First I soak the wood to be steamed in a soakbox (above). I use 1/4" maple. The wood has been planed to the correct thickness and width, but not yet cut to length. My soakbox is nothing more than a PVC pipe cut to length and capped at both ends. This works very well. I soak the wood for a few days before steaming. This assures that the wood will thoroughly absorb the water. This will make the wood heat evenly, assuring a good bend.

Above are some detailed photos of the steambox. The box works well, but I am limited to steaming only two pieces of wood at a time. That was plenty when I began, but now I find it is insufficient. To be limited to steaming just two pieces at a time is wasteful of time, energy and fuel.

But, that being said, as long as you're not going to be doing production work, this box will serve you well.

The photographs of the steambox are self explanatory. It's just PVC pipe cut slightly longer than needed, with a t-connection in the middle. I drilled holes through the PVC and inserted bolts to create shelves for the wood. A hose connects the box to a five gallon metal gasoline "safety" can. The can rests on a propane fueled turkey fryer. Just fill the gas can full of water and light the burner.

All of the parts and supplies should be available from your local hardware store. A burner works just as well as a turkey fryer, whichever is less expensive.

I place the maple in the box just before the water boils and let it steam for 30 minutes. Once the wood is removed from the box it must immediately be placed on a form to give it shape.

And that's all there is to building a steambox and steaming wood.

The followup to this post, the actual bending of the wood, will be posted within the week (lord willin' and the creek don't rise), so stay tuned. Feel free to post a comment if you have any questions or suggestions.

Also, my friend Brian Kimerer is building his second gourd banjo and posting the progress. He has a great site and can be found here

FROM GREENSBORO TO GREENVILLE AND BACK AGAIN, or how I got them Mamlish Blues

2008-05-19T23:09:00.011-05:00

Last Weekend I went hunting for a ghost. From Tuscaloosa to Greenville and back again, in search of Ed Bell.

I actually made two trips, one the Saturday before, on May 10th. The trip on the 10th was less successful, but still it was great seeing the countryside.

Before my trip on the 10th, I consulted Mapquest for directions to Greenville...Interstate all the way. Tuscaloosa to Birmingham. Birmingham toward Mobile, Exit Fort Deposit. That's no way to see the country, so I grabbed the State Map.

Ed Bell, next to Charlie Patton, is my favorite blues musician. His guitar playing was unique. He did not quite fill out the chords that he played, he just hinted at them, and in that respect, was a subtle player. But he would also grab strings with his thumb and pop them wildly at times, giving his music an unrestricted emotional quality.

His Voice was haunting, sometimes strained with intensity. His lyrics strange and eerie at times.

I want you to send my body to my Mother-in-Law
If she don't want it, give it to my Ma
If my Ma don't want it, give it to my Pa
If my Pa don't want it, give it to my Mammy Lee
If my Mammy don't want it, give it to my used-to-be
If she don't want it, cast it in the sea
Then these women in Greenville stop squabblin' over me

Squabblin' Blues

I left the house around 1:00 pm on Saturday. the weather was very pleasant for this time of year in the south. A bright sunny day and unusually cool.

I don't know how much of this information is accurate, but here is what is commonly known about Ed Bell:

Ed Bell was born in 1905 in Fort Deposit, Alabama, on the Davis plantation. His parents were farmers. His family moved to nearby Greenville when he was young, which is where Ed Bell spent much of his life. Greenville was a prosperous town at one time, mainly due to the railroad. The town of Greenville had a strong music scene, mainly stringbands, which is the music that Ed Bell played until somewhere around 1919.

On the way to Greenville I passed through Greensboro, the self proclaimed "catfish capitol." I took these photos on the 10th while driving past catfish farms on the way back to Tuscaloosa.

There can be no more beautiful drive than through rural Alabama. Through the catfish farms of Greensboro, where the Herons line up beside the ponds and wait patiently for a meal, past bales of rolled hay and bright green, wide open spaces that appear magically through a break in the trees. To the beauty of South Alabama, passing through areas that at one time held great importance. Passing through communities that were once thriving towns full of prosperity, that are now desolate and neglected. Giant mansions and plantation homes sprinkle the landscape, neglected towering skeletons of the past.

Wealth and influence may seem important now, but in the south the kudzu always wins.

Ed Bell had a cousin named Joe Pat Dean. By all accounts he was a wild one. A hard drinking, buckdancing bottleneck blues musician who took Ed Bell under his wing. In 1919 the two took a trip up to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and when they returned to Greenville, Ed Bell had altered his playing from the stringband music of his past, to the more modern blues style.

Joe Pat Dean wrote a song that he titled Mamlish Blues, which he played bottleneck style. After the trip to Muscle Shoals, Joe Pat Dean grew increasingly jealous of Ed Bell's talent, and disassociated himself from Bell. Around 1924 or 1925, Joe Pat Dean was killed by a jealous husband. In September 1927, Ed Bell had his first recording session in Chicago for Paramount Records. The first song that Ed Bell recorded was a reworking of Joe Pat Dean's Mamlish Blues done in Bell's trademark fingerpicking style. The recording released by Paramount (12524) was a hit.

Before you ask, I have no idea what "Mamlish" means. The song Mamlish Blues begins,

"These are the Mamlish Blues
I'm going to tell you just what that means"

Of course he doesn't.

The word "Mamlish" appears on more than one recording by Ed Bell, and it seems to be used as a modifier of sorts.

The word "Mamlish" wasn't limited to Ed Bell, other blues musicians used the word as well. For instance, in the song Nappy Head Blues, we know that Bobby Grant had a woman whose

"Head is nappy and feet so mamlish long
like a turkey coming through the mamlish corn"

If anyone out there can enlighten the rest of us on the word "mamlish," please feel free to comment. My personal theory is that the word "mamlish" shifts between, or is a combination of "evil," "down and out," and "goddamn."

I traveled from Greensboro to 80, and followed 80 through Selma, where the ghosts of the civil rights movement lay heavily in the air.

From Selma toward Montgomery. I stopped briefly in Lowndesboro.

I stopped briefly at the Mt. Olive Baptist church. There were two churches, actually, one across the street from the other. One church was burned in the 1990's, and a newer church was built across the street.

A cemetery stood behind the old church. Several markers were fashioned from cement, the information inscribed before the cement set. One marker had pebbles placed decoratively to provide the information.

I left the church and took 97 through Hayneville and Latchatchee, to Interstate 65, down to Fort Deposit, the birthplace of Ed Bell.

In the early 1920's, Ed Bell farmed a little, but mainly played music. One of Ed Bell's lifelong friends in Greenville was Pillie Bolling, who he played music with often. Toward the end of Ed Bell's career as a musician, he and Pillie Bowling travelled to Atlanta to record some sides for Columbia Records. Columbia released I Don't Like That, and She's Got a Nice Line in 1930. Pillie Bolling recorded a couple of solo tunes which were released by Columbia a few years later. An Australian 78 collector tracked Pilllie Bowling down sometime in the 1970's to ask him about the record. It was the first time that Pillie Bowling had any knowledge that the record had even been released.

I didn't stay too long in Fort Deposit. I spotted a sign for Greenville and, since it was beginning to get late, decided to follow the signs to the town where Ed Bell spent most of his life.

As soon as I arrived in Greenville I began searching for Ed Bell's neighborhood. On the way I passed the South Alabama Shape Note Convention Center. There were a few cars in the parking lot, but unfortunately it was late and I was on a mission. Maybe a future post....

I found the area where Ed Bell lived. Unfortunately his house was torn down years ago.

Ed Bell's records were very popular in the 1920's and early 1930's, selling over 5,000 copies per pressing (that was a hit back then). He was a unique voice, especially for the time. His first recordings for Paramount Records, Mean Conductor Blues, and Frisco whistle Blues, recorded in 1927, predated much of the similarly styled Mississippi blues. Certainly ahead of his time, his best songs are full of an intensity unmatched by most blues artists. Ed Bell was able to sustain himself solely as a musician, traveling throughout the U.S. But as the new decade dawned, Bell grew tired of the lifestyle he was living. Ed Bell quit the music business and enrolled in Selma College, eventually becoming a minister and a civil rights activist.

The railroad was the major factor for the wealth and prosperity of Greenville. After WWII Americans began to rely more and more on trucks to transport goods, an effort by the government to put soldiers to work at home. The prosperity began to shift away from the railroad towns. The economic center shifted, or rather lost it's usefulness. People didn't rely on the the railroads as they once did. As the prosperity began to dwindle, so did the people, and the town of Greenville became frozen in time. I had such an intense feeling while walking downtown. I felt as though I were seeing layers of time that I could superimpose or peel away at will. It was easy to visualize the busy streets full of excitement and Ed Bell, standing in front of the Greenville Hardware Store, playing guitar.

The train figures heavily in Ed Bell's lyrics, with songs such as Mean Conductor Blues, Frisco Whistle Blues, and Leaving Train Blues. It was interesting to see the depot that was such an inspiration to Ed Bell and the town of Greenville.

There was just enough daylight to take a couple of photos of downtown from the railroad trussel, then it was time to travel back home.

Pineapple highway through Pineapple to Camden to Thomasville back to Greensboro and finally Tuscaloosa.

Hopefully I will learn more about Ed Bell the civil rights leader for another post. If anyone has any information to share, it would be welcomed

Listening to: Ed Bell - 1927-1930 (Document records)
Reading: A Maze of Death - Phillip K. Dick
Watching: A Tokyo Story - Ozu (Thanks Rick)

Bamalong Blues

2008-04-29T12:03:00.007-05:00

Last weekend Amy and I went to the 2nd annual Stringband Festival of Gordon County Georgia. The festival is held in the little town of Calhoun and pays tribute to the Georgia Yellow Hammers and Andrew & Jim Baxter.

For those of you not familiar, the Georgia Yellow Hammers and the Baxter's were stringbands during the 1920's and 1930's, back when Gordon County was a hotbed for stringband music.

Andrew & Jim Baxter were a father and son duo. Andrew, the father, played the fiddle, Jim played guitar. Like many stringbands of the time, the Baxter's could play many different styles of music. I believe that Andrew & Jim Baxter released seven 78's, and of these only four have surfaced (don't quote me on that). They are one of my all time favorite stringbands. Check out their song Bamalong here.

The Georgia Yellow Hammers began in the wake of Gid Tanner and his Skillet Licker's popularity in particular, and the popularity of "hillbilly" music in general. The Yellow Hammers had a hit in 1928 with the song Picture on the Wall, which sold 60,000 copies in the first year.

The Baxter's and the Yellow Hammer's played together occasionally, and in 1927 the two groups travelled to Charlotte, N.C. for a recording session. This session resulted in the release of the song G Rag, making the Baxter's and the Georgia Yellow Hammers one of the first recorded integrated stringbands.

Amy and I left Northport at about 7:00 am, so we didn't arrive in Calhoun until around 1:00pm or so. The small town of Calhoun was pretty busy with stringbands, jams and vendors. We watched the Bow Weevils, from Atlanta, Ga, play in front of a row of shops. We talked to Dean & Judy from the group. Dean was playing a very nice banjo that he built himself.

I happened to meet Art Rosenbaum, field collector, banjo player, oral historian and artist. He's the real deal. It was a pleasure meeting him.

As dusk fell it was time for everyone to pack up and move indoors.

Marshall Wyatt, owner of Old Hat Records sponsored the festival.

After a presentation on the history of stringband music by scholar and musician Joyce Cauthen, we watched the Jake Leg Stompers perform. You've heard of twin fiddles, how about twin washboards? The Jake Leg Stompers are my favorite band at the moment. I would highly recommend getting their newest cd.

After the Jake Leg Stompers we were off to the main event, the North Georgia Buggy Riders, Red Mountain Band, and the Skillet Lickers II. I've seen the Red Mountain Band quite a few times, and every time I've seen them they have been great, but this time they were on fire!! I can't even begin to describe how locked in and intense they were.

And after all that great music, it was time to gas up and head back home.

As Promised:

Reading: Ubuntu Hacks & the Official Ubuntu Book

Listening: Jake Leg Stompers - Hot Feet

Watching: Because of my deep and intense love of Godzilla films since I was about 9 years old, I rented Cloverfield. Should have known better. I'm kinda glad that I watched it, though.

Mushroom Banjo

2008-04-19T11:28:00.010-05:00

Here's a banjo that I recently finished.

Banjo Details:

Ebony Fretboard & Peghead
Scooped Fingerboard
Position Markers on side of fingerboard
Maple Pot
Figured Maple Neck
African Rosewood Cap & Heel
Pearl Mushroom Inlay
Binding around Pot
Vintage Bone Nut
No Knot Tailpiece
Custom Bridge
Brass Tonering

OF HATS AND MEN: or how I wrote myself a letter

2008-04-19T00:52:00.008-05:00

I know that it is Spring because I awoke this morning with the intention of shaving my beard. Last night when I went to bed I had no thoughts of shaving, but this morning it was time. I was a little nervous as to what I would find underneath six months of beard. We bearded men develop a Sampson complex after a few months without the blade. I was relieved to find, in the end, that I was indeed still there. I thought that I looked just a little older than I remembered, perhaps. I looked no wiser, unfortunately. Still the same ol' me.

I am writing this blog installment while sitting on a rock by a stream. I decided to celebrate Spring renewal by going for a hike on one of my favorite trails, the cliffs and dam of Lake Harris.

It is spring. It is a time of renewal and the evidence is all around. I walk among wild ferns and moss growing around the base of trees. The leaves are bright green. I saw my first Monarch butterfly of the season. I cautiously stepped over a snakeskin on the way to the rock, never can be too careful.

I haven't been out here for a couple of years, but I used to come out here often.

My good friend Sonya introduced me to this trail at least 15 years ago. At one time it was a pretty popular swimming hole, although it looks as though most people have forgotten about it now. I enjoyed hiking out here then. To this day I still hear songs from Pink Floyd's album More in my mind when I come out here. I also hear Movietone, Gong and Tarwater from other periods of my life coming out here. It's my personal soundtrack to this place, I guess. I just thought of my reflection in the mirror this morning. I sure didn't look like the thin, long haired kid that first hiked this trail with my friend Sonya. What's the title of the blues song? "I'm going to sit right down and write myself a letter?"

And Here's a photograph of my hat. Most guys, weather they admit it or not, have a lucky hat, and I'm no exception. I've had this hat for, let's see now, I guess about 12 years, give or take. It used to be green, by the way. I got that hat before I returned to school, and I bet I've worn that hat to every test I've ever taken. If you look closely you can detect a red tint to the bill. I used to throw pottery. The red southern clay dyed the bill of my hat slightly after removing my hat with clay on my hands repeatedly.

It's too beat up and nasty to wear in public now, but I can't just get rid of a hat that's been with me for so long, and, hey, remember that it's lucky, so now I just wear it hiking.

When I returned to school, I took a challenging science class taught by Dr. John Hall. It was a great class and, in many ways, a life changing experience as well. I've taken many great classes, especially through the New College program at the University of Alabama, but Dr. Hall's class was my first challenging class.

After Dr. Hall's class I would often come out here, either to hike the trail or ride my bike nearby. It would give me an opportunity to think obout that days class, or not think about it, depending on how that day went. My lucky hat and I would slowly walk through the trails looking at the rocks and plants and animals and think about how this planet was formed.

My mom passed away two years ago this week (April 5th), so I guess that's why I've been thinking so much about renewal, rebirth, and how I take so much in life for granted. Coming out here with the bright green leaves and the snakeskin, walking among the wild ferns and listening to the cool stream drift lazily by, gives me the feeling that everything is as it should be in the world, and it makes me want to sit right down and write myself a letter. I would recommend it
to anyone.

Reading: The Man Who Planted Trees - Jean Giono

Listening to: Bert Jansch - Dazzling stranger

Watching: Darjeeling Express

THE SUN IS GONNA SHINE

2008-03-14T22:37:00.008-05:00

At one point Northport was called Kentuck. I've heard a couple of reasons for this. One, because of the abundance of cane along the banks of the Black Warrior River, the body of water that separates Northport from Tuscaloosa. The second explanation for the name Kentuck is a bit longer. It goes like this.

Before Northport was incorporated, or even a community, someone got the bright idea to build a saloon on the banks of the Black Warrior, just across from Tuscaloosa (back when Tuscaloosa was spelled with a "k," Tuskaloosa, named after the Indian chief. Tuskaloosa means "black warrior. Confused?). This was long before the Oliver Lock & Dam, of course, and the Black Warrior River was a shallow river. So shallow, in fact, that boats could only get through during the spring and summer months. So, if someone in Tuskaloosa wanted a drink, it was no problem to row or wade across the river.

At that time the wildest, craziest, and downright weirdest place in the whole country was Kentucky. Apparently, the phrase "raisin' cane," refers to the wild-eyed Kentuckians.

So, we have Tuscaloosa, a shallow river, and a saloon on the banks of the far shore. You can start out with a saloon on a vacant lot, but pretty soon you'll end up with a community, and I guarantee that it will be a colorful community. So, people began calling the place "little Kentuck," because everyone was out a little tight.

I guess they called it Kentuck until someone down the way thought it would be a good idea to appeal to a different sort of tourist, and since it was the north port, they thought, "what the hay."

Is that story true? Beats me, I'm just the messenger. What I'm getting at is this. The name Kentuck still lingers around Northport. Each year we have a Kentuck Festival of the Arts, which is a pretty amazing event. We are lucky enough to have an art center named The Kentuck Center on the corner of 5th st. and Main Ave. The Kentuck center houses a gallery space on the bottom floor and artists studios above and in the surrounding space. The first Thursday of each month is "art night," the night that stores are all open longer and the galleys have new shows.

Sometimes bands play in the courtyard of the Kentuck Center and there's always wine and snacks. Snow's Bend Farm, our local co-op, usually has a table in front of the Kentuck Center during the Summer months, so you can get good, fresh veggies, too. It's a lot of fun, and I enjoy going, but I take it for granted, also.

One night, when I was somewhere between the ages of 11 and 13, I heard music coming from the Kentuck Center courtyard. Nothing unusual. I don't know if it was art night, or a private party in the courtyard, but I heard this great music from downtown Northport. Curious, I walked down to the Kentuck Center. I entered the courtyard area and quietly listened to some of the most powerful music I had ever heard, the music hinted to me that the world was much bigger and deeper that I had ever imagined.

The band that I saw perform that night was Johnny Shines and the Kokomo Blues Band. It really didn't mean much to me then.

I got to see Johnny Shines perform about a handful of times before his death, even though he made Tuscaloosa his home and he lived about 10 more years, give or take, from the first time I saw him perform.

I know that I passed up many opportunities to see him perform, but like downtown Northport's art night, I took him for granted. Back then I thought that opportunities stretched out like highways and that people lived forever.

But, I'm fortunate to have seen, and understood the importance of seeing, possibly the last musician of his kind. He was the link between Robert Johnson, who he played with, and the dawning of the newer electric blues.

Not long before he died, he released a cd with Snooky Pryor. Johnny suffered a few strokes by then, and I don't think that he played any guitar on the cd, but his voice was as sweet as honey and as earthy as red clay. The first track on the cd is my favorite version of "Trouble in Mind."

Recently I was asked by the Alabama Blues Project to help with some research, living history, etc. I look forward to the adventure.

My first priority is the historic marker project. We will be designing and placing historic markers in honor of blues musicians throughout the state of Alabama. The first two markers will be Dinah Washington and Johnny Shines, how about that?

If anyone out there wants to contribute or help in any way, or if anyone knows of any interesting musicians, blues or otherwise, to be interviewed, feel free to contact me.

I hope this will be a rewarding adventure. I'll keep everyone posted.

New Beginings

2008-03-01T00:00:00.004-06:00

It's been awhile since the last post. From the beginning I intended this to be a "how-to," stopping with the completion of the banjo, but after several "when's the next post," I've decided to continue. I really don't know what form this blog will take, or for what purpose. The original purpose was to show one way to build a banjo, but sometimes simple projects have a way of taking on a life of their own.

I'm working on a new banjo. The work is going well and it's progressing quickly. We've been having unpredictable weather, even by Alabama's standards. Last Tuesday afternoon I was wearing shorts and a short sleeve shirt. The next morning it was snowing.

But the days are getting longer and every once in a while I can feel spring in the air.

It's nice to be back, thanks for having me.

The dust blows forward and the dust blows back

2008-01-10T12:20:00.000-06:00

And here she is, finished, just before leaving for her new home.

I hope that this site will encourage people to attempt something that they've always wanted to do, no matter how large or small it is. Since I've been learning to build banjos, I've met some of the nicest people...and everyone has been extremely encouraging, helping in many ways. I think the same will happen to anyone who, to paraphrase Joseph Campbell, follows their bliss. And as my new friend Paul Waddle says, "if I can do it, anyone can."

Approaching an End

2007-12-29T09:20:00.000-06:00

Well, we're approaching the end. All that remains is to apply the finish and put it all together.

I did a lot of sanding. I actually have a rocking chair that I put outside of the shop to make the sanding more enjoyable. It helped. This was the first time that I enjoyed sanding. It is important to go through several grits of paper to get the proper finish. Best to just let go and float downstream.

After sanding it was time to apply the stain. I used a red mahogany, only one coat. I let the stain soak into the wood for about five minutes then wiped it off with a clean rag. The longer the stain is left on, the darker the stain.

Here you can see the stand that I built to hold the pot while I apply the finish. The stand is the same size as the dowel rod, only slightly wider toward the base so that the holder does not touch the inside wall of the pot. I can wipe on an entire finish on the pot at one time so there is no overlap.

After the stain has been applied and dried overnight, I applied a True Oil finish. True Oil is used on gunstocks. It leaves a nice finish and is built to be durable. A banjo is a social instrument, it's meant to be taken out and played with Friends and at festivals. I applied a finish that you don't have to think about. Wipe the dirt off every once in a while. Maybe apply some lemon oil or some pledge, and your good to go.

I applied three thin coats of True Oil. It only takes four hours to dry (I give it a lot more), so I can apply a coat in the morning, go about my day, and apply another coat at night, repeating the next morning.

After the True Oil had dried on the peghead, I installed the truss rod cover.

Here you can see the neck with lotus carving after two coats of True Oil.

After everything had dried, it was time to assemble the banjo. I put the entire instrument together and checked to make sure everything was properly adjusted, that it played well and it had a nice tone. Once I was certain that everything was perfect, I marked the dowel rod so I could install the neck brace.

I put it all together & played it to make sure everything was perfect. Then I marked where to drill the hole for the Dowel rod hardware.

After marking the spot, I removed the neck and drilled a hole for the metal rod that anchors the hardware

The photo below shows the hardware installed. This hardware pulls the neck tight against the pot so there will be no "drift" in tone as pressure is applied to the neck during normal play.

Almost there!!!

"You do the best you can, and very softly"

2007-12-27T22:17:00.001-06:00

I hope everyone had a peaceful Christmas.

Many years ago my Mother started the tradition of getting the family together on Christmas eve for chili. Well, my small family has gotten smaller in the past few years, my mother and grandmother are no longer with us, but the family still gets together for chili on Christmas eve. This year was the first year that we gathered at my house, which was nice since it's the old home place. So, while it's sad that family members are gone, it is comforting that traditions remain. And how can family members really be gone when they live on in each of us?

Amy gave me a couple of luthier oriented books for Christmas. The title of this post, "you do the best you can, and very softly," is from the book, Hearts & Hands: Musical Instrument Makers in America. The quote is by Warren May of Berea, Ky, by the way.

The class I was assistant teaching is over. Here's a photo from the last day of class. I don't think that you'll find a brighter group of folks anywhere. I'm sad that the class is over, it was certainly one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had. There's no profession that I admire more than teaching, and I'm fortunate to have had the opportunity to experience a little of what it is like to be one. I'm going to miss all the folks in the class.

My Friend Brian Kimerer just finished his first gourd banjo and documented the process. It's a beautiful and great sounding instrument. You can read about it at: http//www.thekimerers.com/brian/gourd/index.shtml

And now, on to the banjo:

I cut the nut out of a piece of ebony. Several different materials can be used to make the nut, each giving the banjo a different sound. I used ebony on my last banjo for the first time and really liked the way it sounded. It gave the banjo a nice earthy sound. I guess that when you hand make an instrument, each one will be different, each having it's own personality. After cutting and gluing the nut onto the banjo, I took it off. The ebony, while perfect for my last banjo, just didn't fit the sound of this banjo. I guess each instrument speaks to the maker and experience is how the maker understands the language of the instrument, I reckon. I replaced the ebony with bone. I didn't think to take photographs of the new nut, but the steps are the same. The photo shows the string spacing ruler that I use.

The photo to the left shows the tools that I used to notch the grooves in the nut. I used a small saw to make the initial cut, then a file to make the nut "v" shaped.

After the nut has been notched for the strings it is glued into the slot between the fretboard and the peghead overlay with a mixture of Elmer's glue and ebony dust.

When the glue was completely dry I began to install the fifth string tuner.

First I drilled a hole just shy of the correct diameter.

Next, I used the fifth string reamer to create the correct taper.

I removed the button off of the fifth string tuner and used a dowel rod with a hole drilled into the center to tap the fifth string tuner in place. By doing this, the shaft is protected from damage.

And here is the fifth string tuner in place.

Next I drilled the fretboard for the fifth string nut and glued the nut in place.

After the fifth string nut was in place I put strings on the banjo and made some slight adjustments. I forgot to take photos of the making of the bridge, but it was cut on the scrollsaw from rosewood. The rosewood gives the banjo a nice warm sound that's perfect for old-time music.

And with that, I think I'll call it a day.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2007-12-25T08:47:00.000-06:00

Dickens Downtown

2007-12-06T10:21:00.000-06:00

I have to apologize for taking so long to post. 'Tis the season to be busy, but today the presents are wrapped and under the tree, and John Fahey's Christmas Album rings softly from the stereo. It's not too cold outside, just cold enough to feel like it's Christmas.

A lot has happened since the last post. I guess that I should start with Dickens Downtown.

Each year Northport blocks off the streets of the downtown area and the community gathers to celebrate the season. Our sleepy little town is decorated for the season and alive with carolers, horse and buggy rides, and a parade of Scottish bagpipes.

Dickens Downtown is a beautiful start to the holiday season. It really gives you a sense of community. It's a time to meet new friends and reacquaint yourself with old ones.

And speaking of new friends, I happened upon a guitar player and fiddler playing old time music. Apparently, there were a lot of old time musicians around Northport, but most all of them have passed away. The old time players used to gather at the community center just down the street from my house. They would get together once a week to play. There were lots of dances to play for also.

Mr. Hobbs, the fiddle player, is 91 years old. The guitarist, Mr. Skinner, is quite a bit younger. They've been playing together for over 30 years. After talking to them a bit, Mr. Skinner told me that he was thinking about getting a group of folks over to his house to play some, like they used to, and if I'd like to bring my banjo?

I can hardly wait.

What, me fret?

2007-12-02T09:06:00.000-06:00

This week I continued working on the neck. First, I inlaid the pearl into the neck.

I used an engraving filler to fill in the details.

After the inlay was completed, it was time to fret the neck. In the photo to the left are the tools that I used.

The first item was to re-cut the grooves into the pearl to accept the frets. I used the jewelers saw to make the initial cut, then widened the groove with the fret saw.

Next I cut the fretwire to the approximate length.

I used a flat piece of metal to cover the fret, then I tapped the fret in with the fret hammer. Keeping a piece of metal on the fret while tapping the fret into the neck assures that equal force is distributed across the entire fret, otherwise I would just warp the fret.

Next I cut the frets to size.

I used a file to make the frets flush with the neck.

The next two photos show the neck after the frets have been filed.

Next I glued a heel cap onto the neck and called it a day.

It Seems Fitting

2007-11-24T23:55:00.000-06:00

This week I worked on the neck, mainly. The weather is still pleasant, but the cold is coming and I don't have heat in the shop, so I'm trying to work as much as I can. Hopefully I can finish before it gets too terribly cold.

I put the dowel rod on the neck. I used a metal dowel screw to secure the rod onto the neck. The dowel rod will also be glued, so it will be pretty solid.

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Next, I used a drill press to drill the holes for the tuning pegs.

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To the left is a photo of the headstock after being drilled. It is now ready to accept the tuners

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Next I checked the fit and alignment of the neck to the pot. The alignment is checked to make sure that it is correct before it is glued.

Next I attached the head to check that everything is correct.

Another photo of the neck attached.

After I was sure that the neck fit properly, I prepared to cut the inlay. The photo on the left shows the jig that I built to cut the pearl.

This photo shows the blank piece of pearl that I used for the inlay.

The wooden platforms are what supports the pearl blank as I cut. The pearl is pretty fragile, so the support is needed or it will break. With any luck this piece of pearl will look like a lotus flower.

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A photo of the cut pearl.

After the shape was cut, I carved the details into the pearl.

After the pearl was cut and carved, it was time to inlay it into the neck. I used my trusty dremel with a router base to cut into the wood. When I inlay, I leave the pearl exposed above the wood slightly, then I sand the inlay flush with the wood. This removes most of the etched marks from the pearl, but there are enough remaining to use as a guide.

And here the cavity has been routed and the neck is ready to be inlaid. I will glue the inlay onto the neck using a mixture of epoxy and dust from the fingerboard.

Well, that's all for this week. Next week I hope to finish the inlay and fret the neck. I have a lot of sanding, also.

THANKSGIVING

2007-11-20T07:31:00.000-06:00

Fall has finally arrived, sort of. It's still 80 degrees or thereabout each day, but the leaves are turning and it's beautiful around these parts.

Last week Amy was invited to demonstrate spinning yarn at Rickard's Mill in Beatrice, Alabama. Each year the town of Beatrice has a festival based around the making of cane syrup. On Thursday and Friday school children were bussed in from all over lower Alabama to learn about traditional crafts such as pottery making an soap making. Each day there were approximately 500 children. On Saturday the event was more like a typical festival. I brought my banjo, of course, and we Had a great time. Everyone we met was incredibly friendly and generous. I'm already looking forward to next year.

The class that I'm helping with at the University is beginning to wind down. The students presented their final paper today. I'm going to miss the class when the semester ends. All of the students are great. In a year full of highlights, helping teach has been high on the list of rewarding experiences. I will miss everyone after the semester ends. To the left is a photo from our bonfire a few weeks ago.

And as the year begins to wind down and the thanksgiving holiday approaches, I realize just how fortunate I am, and how much I have to be thankful for. I'm thankful to have friends and family, a roof over my head, Amy, three great cats, and a banjo to build. Seriously. It makes me very happy to piddle around in my granddad's shop. I am thankful to have such a meaningful and rewarding hobby.

As for the banjo, I decided to use the same wood for the cap on the pot as I used for the peghead overlay and fingerboard. I had planned on using the African Rosewood for the cap on the pot, but the ebony was so beautiful that I just couldn't resist using it on the pot cap also. Not very cost effective, but it will make a beautiful instrument.

I used 1/4" pieces of wood glued to the bottom of the pot to create the cap. To the left is a photo of the cap clamped to the pot.

Next I shaped the neck. To the left is a photo of the fingerboard scoop. I used a dremel tool with a router base to create the scoop.

The scoop makes it possible, or at least more comfortable, to play the banjo clawhammer style. Most clawhammer and old time players play in this position because they believe that the tone is so much better there. Playing just above where where the pot and neck meet creates a nice mellow "plunk" that most old time players desire. The scoop on the fingerboard allows the thumb to grab onto the 5th string.

I also shaped the heel and performed the final shaping of the neck. I foresee a lot of sanding in my future.

To the left is a photo of the pot after it was grooved to accept the tonering, and that is the tonering resting against the pot. I use a simple brass tonering because it sounds the best for old-time music, at least to me, anyway.

And here is a photo of the tonering placed on the pot.

At this point, I think it would only be proper to introduce you to my trusty shop assistant., Fela. She's been a big help.

Next I mark the pot for the L-shoe brackets.

After I marked the pot for the brackets, I cut a hole to accept the dowel rod

I then drilled holes for the brackets. I placed them 1 1/2" apart.

And here are all of the parts that make up the pot. The upper left corner is the pot. beside the pot is the head. In the lower left is the brass tone ring, and beside that is the tension hoop.

Here the head is fitted over the tonering.

And here we are. The pot completely assembled. If nothing else I've created a nice snare drum.

After I finished the pot I was able to complete the carving of the neck. I carved out the top of the neck so that the tension hoop could fit against the neck.

Another photograph of the neck.

Well, that's it for this week. I want to wish everyone a great Thanksgiving. We all have a lot to be grateful for.

Of Pecans and Such

2007-11-05T08:18:00.000-06:00

Working in the shop around a job and a life makes the banjo building go slowly, but I finally reached a point when I looked at the neck and the pot together and it actually looked something like a banjo.

The weather is still amazing. Nice mild days with bright blue Skies. Today it was cool enough to wear a sweater in the morning. Later in the afternoon I had an old metal box fan roaring over the Shirley Collins/Davey Graham cd.

The pecans are beginning to fall from the trees and I've been collecting them as I find the time. I'm beginning to believe that the Easter tradition of searching for hidden Easter eggs was created by southerners wanting to condition their children to find and gather pecans in the fall. While picking pecans today I had a strong memory of my Grandmother in the backyard, sitting at a wooden picnic table, shelling pecans and singing Amazing grace. The memory made me smile.

This week was very productive. I began by working on the contour of the neck. It's very important that the curvature of the neck is correct and fits tightly against the pot, otherwise there will be movement in the neck as it is being played.

Earlier in the week I began to create the curve on the neck as I did on the other banjos, by roughing out the curve on the bandsaw, then using a chisel and the dremel to get the exact curvature. This method does not have predictable results, and is based on trial and error, for the most part. I carve a little, test the fit, carve a little more, and on and on. It seems to end up o.k., but I would rather get accurate and predictable results from the start.

So I spent a couple of days designing and building this neck jig. It allows me to carve the neck accurately, so that the neck fits perfectly on the pot.

Here I am sliding a neck through the jig. I slide the heel of the neck against the curve of the jig and the bandsaw cuts the correct curvature. It's a simple design, but I've learned that the simplest designs are often the most accurate.

I glued the fingerboard and peghead overlay in place, then began to shape the neck. After making good progress on the neck, I shaped the peghead on the bandsaw. I have a jig that I use for this process that keeps the neck in position with the blade.

Next I roughed out the dowel rods to be fitted onto the neck

And steambent some more wood for the pot.

And here we are so far. If you squint your eyes and tilt your head just right, you can make out the faint impression of a banjo. I believe there's hope for it.

Paper Thin Shavings and a Raga Called Pat

2007-10-26T22:28:00.000-05:00

This week has been rainy and unusually cold for this time of the year. With the dark, low lying clouds and the steady drizzle, it was perfect working in the shop, hot cup of coffee in hand. Luckily, I had one good day to work on the banjo, which is unusual lately. When I wasn't listening to the gentle patter of rain falling on the old tin roof, I was listening to John Fahey's Days Have Gone By on the stereo. Life could not have been more peaceful.

This week I used the spokeshave to even the pot, and I began shaping the neck. The spokeshave is the most rewarding tool in my toolbox. Before I began making banjos, I was interested in the handtools in my grandfather's shop. It seemed to me then, that handtools were difficult to use and required great force, but just the opposite is true. It is best to let the tool work for you, as any tool should. To glide the spokeshave across the wood and produce paper thin shavings is a mighty rewarding experience. The photograph to the left shows the completed pot.

I also began to shape the neck. To do this, I first cut out the shape on the bandsaw. This shape, while still very angular, is closer to the final shape of the neck. Here you can see the shape of the hump that is characteristic of a 5 string banjo.

The neck is then clamped onto a jig to hold it above the vice. I built this jig to give me more room above the vice, this keeps my hands free from hitting the vice as I shape the sides of the neck. I also cut some peghead overlay from the same ebony block that I cut the fingerboard, and glued the overlay in place.

I also took the opportunity to rough out a couple of neck blanks and glued up another pot.

Well, that's it for this week. A small step for mankind, but a big step for me. (I got that from somewhere, but I can't for the life of me remember where).

Just Call Me Jed (or, how I finally learned to clamp it)

2007-10-19T22:48:00.000-05:00

Here is a photograph from our Sunday folk gathering, which will be called Second Sunday from here on out. I had a great time. Amy made a beautiful apple pie. The guests were: Ben, who brought the heart and soul, and played a mean washboard. Zane, who brought a truckload of knowledge, Heidi, who brought a beautiful accordion, which she will be playing very soon. Ian, who brought his new-to-him Harmony arch top, scales, and the Leadbelly songbook. Rachel, who brought a smile and more encouragement than is safe for any of us, and Elizabeth, Zane and Heidi's friend from New Orleans, who was nice enough to put up with our shenanigans. We're going to have to work on her a bit to convince her to drive all the way up for the next Second Sunday. Maybe if we promise to practice....

It has been a very hectic week, but I ended up getting more done on the banjo than I thought that I would. I redesigned the clamp that secures the pot during the gluing process. I feel much better about this clamp.

To the left is a photo of my old clamping system. The clamp was held together by eight bolts. When in use, the pressure was so great that it snapped the bolts in half after every few pots. Also, the pressure was slightly uneven, so it was easy for a pot to get slightly out of round.

To the left is a photo of my new clamping system. I built the new clamp from two 5.5" and two 6" T-bolt clamps around a metal strap, cut to length. The strap doesn't look strong enough to handle the pressure, but it feels strong, and there are four pressure points, which will help distribute pressure. So far the clamp has worked perfectly. So, as long as it can continue to handle the pressure, we're in business.

Here is a photo of the wood to be used for the pot. These three pieces have been steam bent, left on the form to dry, then removed. Next I cut the three pieces of 1/4 " maple to length using a tapered cut on the joints.

Next I glue the three pieces and place them into the clamp. I let the pot dry overnight.

And here is the finished pot.

I also cut the grooves into the fretboard (below). My last fretted banjo used modern sized banjo fret wire. After playing the fretless, I've been wanting to scale down a bit (sorry) and experiment with thinner mandolin fret wire, which may not even work. Never know until you try, right?

Buckdancer's Choice - part 2

2007-10-15T18:25:00.000-05:00

Lo Gordon of Cedar Mountain Banjos had a booth at the Tennessee Valley Fiddlers Convention and I was fortunate to get a chance to talk with him for a bit. Lo is a nice guy and, I would say, one of the top three banjo makers. His banjos are beautiful and the craftsmanship is excellent. We had a nice talk in which we discussed the zen of sanding, the craftsmanship of the early, classic builders, the definition of "handmade," etc.

Lo feels that the early, classic, builders sacrificed detail and craftsmanship in favor of ornamentation. The amount of time that a true craftsman would put into, say, sanding or small details, many of the older builders put into inlay, then covered the wood with a thick varnish or lacquer.

I found the discussion of "what is handmade in today's technology" conversation very interesting. Lo uses a machine to replicate his necks. While some may not consider this to be "handmade," Lo pointed out that this method of building employs 200 year old technology from the beginning of the industrial revolution, thus an "authentic" method of production, unlike employing computer technology in the building process.

I do not disagree with this philosophy and, in fact, can see an advantage in using machines to replicate parts, especially a professional builder. How different is that, really, from using a band saw or a table saw to cut wood?

That said, I enjoy using a spokeshave to carve the neck. I do it by hand simply because I enjoy doing it that way. In fact, that may be my favorite part of the building process. I like the feel of the wood, the thin curly shavings that float to the floor. It's a quiet, meditative way to spend the day. Although, I must say that if I were building for a living, in a situation where I needed every neck to be consistent, I would certainly use a replicator.

I enjoyed talking to Lo, it was certainly one of the highlights of the weekend. Lo strikes me as a dedicated builder, and I greatly respect his work.

On our way back home we stopped by the Homestead Hollow Folk arts Festival in Springville, Alabama. Surprisingly, I met a banjo maker there. His name was Bob Taunton. He just started building banjos. He builds gourd banjos mostly. I enjoyed talking with him.

He got into building after he ordered a banjo from builder Mike Ramsey. Mike is so backlogged at the moment that there is a three year wait once you order your instrument. So, during Bob's wait, he decided to just build his own. Good for him.

This week I didn't have much time to work on the banjo. I glued and clamped the wood for the pot, only to have the clamp break. The pressure on the clamp is so great that it broke four of the bolts holding it together. this is the second time that this clamp has failed, both times in the same way. So, instead of putting more bolts on and using the clamp until it breaks again, I'm going to rethink the whole system.

Other than that, I put some ears on the peghead (photo left), made a few more fingerboards, and experimented with different ways of clamping the pot.

I assist a class at the University of Alabama. I help with the pottery portion of a seminar class taught by Dr. Galbraith through the New College program. This week we are going to pit-fire some of our pottery, plus we will have extra studio time. Also, next weekend is the Kentuck Festival of the Arts, where I will be working with the Alabama Folklife Association on Friday afternoon and Sunday, so I'm not going to be working on the banjo much, if at all, this week. But, if you're at the Kentuck Festival on Sunday, look for the Folklife Association booth and say "howdy."

Buckdancer's Choice - part 1

2007-10-13T23:50:00.000-05:00

October is a busy time of the year around this part of the country. October is when the temperature starts cooling down and we have some nice fall days to enjoy. Lots of outdoor events are scheduled in October and I, like most people around here, plan to take the time to enjoy the pleasant fall weather.

That being said, I didn't get much done on the banjo this week. Instead of working on the banjo I went to the 41st annual Tennessee Valley Fiddlers Convention, held on the campus of Athens State University. 15,000 people were expected to attend.

Joyce & Jim Cauthen performing with Flying Jenny.

Amy and I arrived on Friday afternoon. In every nook and cranny of the campus there were string bands playing or groups of people jamming. There were vendors, crafts, and a sea of people. Amy and I were completely overstimulated. It took at least half an hour to get acclimated to it all.

Eventually we made our way to the main stage. The stage was the large front porch of what I believe to be the president's mansion. There, performers competed in different categories, such as "old time banjo," "old time singing," "bluegrass band," etc. The convention lasts from 8:00 a.m. until at least midnight Friday and Saturday. To the left is Charlie Hunter.

Amy and I watched the bluegrass banjo competition for a bit, then decided to just wander around, since most of the energy seemed to be concentrated away from the stage.

While walking around watching impromptu jams and string bands, we happened upon the Kudzu String Band playing for a group of Buckdancers. Energy sizzled from each and every person playing and dancing in that little corner. Everyone around that area was bursting with excitement and ready to GO!!! Every type of person was there, in every age group, from 9 to 96. Everyone was welcome. It was a powerful and moving experience.

Eventually the Kudzu String Band wrapped it up, and everyone slowly dispersed. As the man in the photo dancing passed by, I patted him on the back and said, "that was great." He looked at me with wild eyes and a big grin on his face and said, "you can't buy this, it's free," and walked away.

And that was it. We left the buckdancers. We walked around, watched more great bands, heard more great music, had a wonderful time, enjoyed each and every second, but nothing quite hit me as hard as that experience, and the words "you can't buy this, it's free."

For me, it gets to the heart of it all. It's free. It's homemade. It's playing and singing and interacting with others. It's interacting with your community. It's being a part of something larger that yourself, and it's open to everyone.

That buckdancer reminded me of something else, also. He reminded me of something Mike Seeger said in the film HOMEMADE AMERICAN MUSIC. He said, "now, instead of fiddling, storytelling or unaccompanied singing around the home, most people's musical lives are dominated by big business through t.v. and radio."

Inspired by the words of Mike Seeger and our buckdancing friend, Amy and I have invited a few friends over to the house on Sunday to get together and play music, in hopes of creating our own little community. Amy plans on making an apple pie, and I think that I'll make some chili since the weather is cooling down. It's important to be a part of a community, and I hope that this will be something that we can all enjoy, share, and grow with over the years.

Sometimes you find the most powerful messages in the simplest places.

Mr. Dudley, 96 year old buckdancer.

I'm a Rough Neck

2007-10-04T15:13:00.000-05:00

This week I roughed out the neck of the banjo.

Below is a photograph of the block of wood that I am using.

I purchase my wood from a hardwood center about three hours from where I live. They have a nice selection, and I feel that it's important to inspect the wood for cracks or defects. I like to get enough wood to last awhile. I should be able to get about eight necks from this block.

To the left are the three blocks of wood that am using for this banjo. The darker piece to the left is a block of Ebony. next to that is a piece of African Rosewood. They are both resting on the piece of hard Maple. I use the Maple for the pot and neck. The Ebony is used for the peghead and fingerboard. The Rosewood will be used for a cap around the bottom of the pot. The Rosewood cap adds a finished look to the banjo, but has no effect on the sound or playability of the instrument.

Here I am cutting the neck from the block of Maple.

After the neck is free from the block if maple I smooth the top with my grandfather's old plane. This is the area where the fretboard will attach, so it is important for this area to be as smooth as possible.

Next I cut a groove through the middle of the neck. This groove will hold the truss rod. The truss rod adds strength to the neck, as well as making it possible to adjust the neck should it ever warp.

And Here's the neck, roughed out with a groove ready to accept the truss rod.

A hole is drilled to anchor the truss rod. The truss rod, by the way, is just a fancy way of saying "a piece of metal rod incorporated into the neck." It's easier to say, also. I use a piece of 3/16" rod.

Here I am carving out a section of the peghead where the end of the truss rod will be exposed.

In the photo to the left I am threading the truss rod. To the right is a close-up of the die I use to cut the grooves.

And now it is time to remove the fingerboard from the Ebony.

I built this jig to re-saw wood. I can adjust the jig to cut any thickness needed. The maple strips on the bottom create a platform for the wood being fed through the blade, and keeps the blade steady so it doesn't "wander."

Here is a better view of the re-saw jig attached to the band-saw

Here I am feeding the Ebony into the Band-saw. Contrary to popular belief, making small pieces of wood from larger pieces of wood is actually quite boring.

And here is the neck so far. Not quite ready for a night out on the town, but looking better.

Details, Details, Details: Photos of the Shop and Details of the Bending Form

2007-09-30T09:18:00.000-05:00

I've had some requests to post photographs of the shop.
It needs a lot of attention, as you can see, but I have it up and running. It needs a new roof and floor, but I'm proud of it, and I feel comfortable in there. The shop feels like how Charlie Patton sounds to me.

Here are more detailed photographs of the bending forms. Notice that the form is notched to accept the wood and strap. This keeps the wood anchored so that it can be bent.

Here is a side view of the form. Notice that there is a piece of wood attached to the bottom of the form so the whole thing can be attached to a workbench.

Going on a Bender

2007-09-29T04:23:00.000-05:00

As far as working on the banjo, I've spent the majority of the week steam-bending the wood for the pot.

There are several methods for making the pot. I choose to steam bend the wood to create the pot because it is the traditional way of building the instrument. It's the "if it ain't broke" theory. Since I am interested in the pre-bluegrass style and sound of the banjo, the traditional approach to building the banjo makes sense. I build my banjo pots from 3 pieces of 1/4" maple. The pieces are soaked in water, made pliable using steam, then bent around a form.

To the left is an image of the soak box. Until recently I soaked wood in the creek beside my house, but that was during the cooler months. This summer I have decided to let the Water Moccasins have their privacy. In the south we have a saying, "let sleeping snakes lie." We are, of course, speaking literally.

The soak box is simple, just a piece of pvc pipe capped at the end and filled with water. I used to soak the wood overnight, but recently I've begun to soak the wood for a couple of days.

Once the wood has soaked it is ready to be steamed. On the left is a photo of the steam box. It consists of a propane tank, metal safety can, burner, hose and pvc pipe. The contraption works surprisingly well. I let the wood steam for about 30 to 40 minutes.

The final step is to remove the wood from the steam box and bend the now pliable wood around a form. I built this form from plywood. It is grooved to accept the end of the wood. It is also crucial to use a strap of some sort, or the wood will crack. Clamp the wood tight around the for and let it dry overnight.

I find that, for me, steam-bending is the most frustrating, but ultimately the most rewarding part of the building process. Steam-bending has, for the moment, somewhat unpredictable results, although that is changing with practice and experience. I have noticed that if I'm distracted, I will not be able to bend any piece wood to my satisfaction. I may be able to bend a usable piece of wood, maybe, but not a perfect piece. The learning curve is high, and the trial and error is costly in time, energy, and resources.

But...when I do bend that piece of wood perfectly, that's when I feel like I have accomplished something. When I push the wood around the form and feel it yield, when the wood is bent and perfectly clamped, well, it makes me feel like anything in the whole world is possible. And it is, you know?

Hello...you in there?

2007-09-23T21:30:00.000-05:00

Hello, and welcome to Randy Arnold’s Amateur American Luthier blog. Here I hope to share my explorations in instrument building. My primary interest is the banjo.

I began building banjos in late 2005, in the wood shop that my grandfather built in the 1940’s. He used this shop until the 1970’s. My father, a talented furniture maker, used the shop until the early 1980’s. The shop lay dormant until two years ago, when I began to clean it out and recondition the tools. I have added some of my own tools to my father’s and grandfather’s tools.

My first woodworking project was a banjo. It took me about nine months to build the first one, and a little over a month to build my second, working in the afternoons and on weekends. The whole process is a journey. I’m learning (slowly) what it means to be a craftsman, and how to think simply and efficiently.

And it’s getting to know my grandfather. To use his tools, to feel the bite of the wood in my hand the same as he felt in his. And to know the meaning of “God is in the details.”

Anyway, enough of that. Feel free to look around, ask questions if you want. There’s drinks in the fridge.