DIY Network

Handmade Dulcimer, Part 1: Preparing the Stock From "Handmade Music" episode DHMM-108

	Figure A
	Figure B
	The word dulcimer literally means "sweet music." The dulcimer built in this episode is known as an Appalachian Dulcimer. According to luthier Gary Mahoney, the roots of the instrument can be traced to several countries in Europe and even some in Asia.

This edition of DIY's Handmade Music focuses on the step-by-step building of a dulcimer by luthier Gary Mahoney (figure A) of Berea College in Kentucky. Gary shows his best methods for building the components of a dulcimer, crafting a top, a back, a fret board, two sides (bent with a hot pipe) and a peg head--all from walnut. After assembling all the pieces to create the dulcimer, Gary uses a spray booth to apply finish, and after a quick set up job the dulcimer is ready to play (figure B). Once the instrument complete, Gary puts it to the test playing a traditional folk ballad on the newly made dulcimer.

As musical instruments go, dulcimers are relatively easy to build. When it comes to the demanding task of building stringed instruments, this is one project that most do-it-yourselfers could undertake using some fairly basic woodworking tools.

The dulcimer first found its way to the Appalachian region thanks to musically inclined settlers. Instruments were hard to come by on the frontier, so early luthiers improvised and built the familiar dulcimer with readily available materials. This relatively simple instrument has changed little through the generations and, as such, is a great first project for any budding luthier.

To create a dulcimer like the one built in this episode takes about two weeks work in a woodshop, assuming that you can put in about two hours work per day.

This first phase of the project focuses on preparing the stock used for building the dulcimer.

Materials:

Walnut stock (or other hardwood stock)
Table saw or miter saw
Band Saw
Jointer
Thickness sander
Drill press
Wood glue
Clamps

Safety Alert: Always wear safety goggles or safety glasses when
working with wood, power-tools, saws, drills, routers, etc.

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Preparing the Wood Stock for the Back

A dulcimer is constructed from seven components (figure C). Gary's job is to create each piece and then assemble them into a musical instrument. The components include: a peg head (figure D), a tailpiece, a fret board, a top, a back and two sides .

Figure C

Figure D

It's a good idea to start with the back since its glue joint will take about a day to dry. After Bryan runs the stock through a jointer (figure E) he trims it to a four-inch width--half the width needed for the back. Instrument makers rarely find wood wide enough to be a top or a back, so traditionally they create the necessart width by joining two pieces. The two pieces are cut using a re-saw band saw (figure F). Both pieces must be 3/16-inch thick and, in orfer for the grain pattern to match, must come from successive cuts.

Figure E

Figure F

"The technique is called book-matching," says Gary. "What it will give you is a mirror image because the grain of this board is as close as it can be to the other board, so you've got sort of a mirror image pattern (figure G)." The other reason for using successive cuts is so that the pieces will be matched as closely as possible in terms of resonance. "As far as resonance," Mahoney continues, "when you hit one of these pieces, it will resonate and sound closest to [the matching piece] as any that exists."

Gary uses the traditional clamping method used by luthiers to join tops and backs with safe, consistent pressure. Normal clamps can create uneven pressure that could crack such thin walnut stock. Both pieces are eight inches wide, so he creates a corridor of nails slightly thinner than both pieces so the will form a "teepee" when he joins them between the nails. Gary applies wood glue to the joining edges and collapses the teepee with gentle pressure (figure H).

Figure G

Figure H

	Figure I
	Figure J
	Figure K