Stick Dulcimer Making part 6.1: The fingerboard

Stick Dulcimer Making Season 2
This is the first part of making the fretboard/fingerboard, please feel free to ask any questions if anything needs clarification. I found filming this section was rather tricky as the camera was inbetween me and the work,

I am currently releasing an episode a day until the series is complete,
Please feel free to comment in the section below or message me,




Please note that I have had to work with no dust extraction on in order to film, plus I have had to remove clamps to get a clear shot as well as raise the bandsaw blade higher. I also don;t recommend working with a camera between you and your work!! It takes 10 times longer :)

The Brass tailpieces are now in stock if you want to buy a set

Disclaimer: Always follow safe practices while working with tools. What is safe for one woodworker under certain conditions may not be safe for others in different circumstances. Viewers should undertake the use of materials and methods as shown in these videos after evaluation, and at their own risk.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• stick
• dulcimer
• luthier
• king
• cherrywood
• michael
• pau
• rosa
• mcnally
• strumstick
• bouzouki
• guitar
• mandolin
• plans
• project
• building
• making

[gtotheummi]

thanks for making these videos! could you give me a list of the lengths between nut and fret for each fret?

thanks

[michaeljking]

@gtotheummi The scale length is a normal guitar one, 25.5" The DVD/or downloadable plans have all the information, but to work it out yourself just visit the stick dulcimers forum website, they have had that discussion recently and have a program to help you!

[ghettoswagtypewriter]

i've been watching these videos and making instruments myself out of whatever i can find, but i can never figure out how distance the frets correctly. how do you figgure the placing of the frets from the length the strings have to resonate? is there a scaling system that could give me more accurate placements given different lengths of instruments?

i hope this all makes sense... also you're videos have helped a lot. thanks.

[michaeljking]

The plans for this instrument have the fretting distances listed but if you are making your own design from scratch there are free to download fretting programs(google Mountain Dulcimer Fret Calculator, for example) that calculate the diatonic fret sizes for you. I am just using a guitar scale length, some people use shorter or longer scale lengths, mine is better for accompaniment I think, like a demi irish bouzouki!!

[ghettoswagtypewriter]

beauty! thanks for your help!

[rasputia]

Thanks, Michael! I'm looking forward to studying all of these.

[tit4tat4dat]

great clip micheal, tanx so much.....