Page 9
The headstock and tail piece are going on
Well, the bindings have all been scraped and sanded.
The whole dulcimer has also been sanded to 220 grit so it's really smooth.
The fretboard is glued to the dulcimer top. The bottom of the
fretboard and the top of the instrument are so flat that I only need to clamp
the ends and then add some weight to the middle.
When the glue dries it's really starting to look like a dulcimer.
Next, the block that will become the tail piece is glued on.
While that glue is drying I drill the holes for the tuning machines.
This instrument will use gold plated Schaller tuners.
I like to use 2 internal dowels to add strength to the headstock glue joint.
To locate those hole properly I use a trick my grandfather taught me.
First, I tap in 2 finish nails.
Then I clip them close to the wood.
Next, I press the headstock into position.
That leaves 2 small dents that match up exactly with the holes in the body.
I drill 2 blind holes and glue in the dowel. The body will also have 2 holes
drilled at the mark that's left by removing the nail. The 2 holes will line up
exactly.
And then it's time to glue the headstock on. I like using a combination of a
bar clamp and a strap clamp to pull the joint tight.
So tomorrow we'll have an instrument that looks like a dulcimer.