i decided to make a banjo

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - i decided to make a banjo

Posted: 11/16/2014 8:19:40 PM EDT

well i needed a project, to fill that little free time i had. ive been listening to a lot of bluegrass lately and then it came to me. Build a banjo.
i spent about two weeks of research online. looking at all the different types and what i thought might be a good one to start with. i decided to go with a wood top version that is similar in design to one i found online.
i got my materials together from my stack of wood. and started at it
turned out the "pot" out of mahogany. the front and back pieces out of maple. those are an 1/8th inch thick and both came off the same glued up slab

here the pot glued up, trimmed off the excess and sanded

i got the neck roughly shaped, but close to where it will be, and glued on the fretboard. (i purchased the fretboard, i wasn't 100% that i could get the fret spacing right on my first banjo)

got around the finishing the neck today and test fitting the neck to pot fit. and this is where I'm at now

next is installing frets, and im waiting for the tuning pegs, tailpiece and strings to come in

Posted: 11/16/2014 8:45:35 PM EDT

[#1]

Op that's some excellent work.

Posted: 11/16/2014 8:52:49 PM EDT

[#2]

I'm gonna follow this one

Posted: 11/16/2014 10:55:05 PM EDT

[#3]

SWEET!

Posted: 11/16/2014 11:06:37 PM EDT

[#4]

Post.... iTunes?

Posted: 11/16/2014 11:13:55 PM EDT

[#5]

Damn, I'm impressed.

Woodworking is a skill that takes a lot of practice to become proficient. Making musical instruments is in an entirely different universe. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of this project.

Posted: 11/17/2014 3:07:09 AM EDT

[#6]

Reminds me of the time I decided to make a shelf. Except I didn't know how, didn't have the right tools or materials. And mine looked like shit.

Nice work OP!

Posted: 11/17/2014 6:51:43 PM EDT

[#7]

tag. love threads like this. I hate you folks that are great working with wood.

Posted: 11/18/2014 10:50:50 PM EDT

[#8]

This is not a tag

Nice job OP!

Posted: 11/21/2014 9:35:56 PM EDT

[#9]

thanks for the compliments. I'll have some more pictures up tomorrow. ive got a bunch more done. tunning pegs are in, most of the sanding is done. bridge and nut are almost done.
ive made a few mistakes on a few things in the past couple of days and had to spend sometime fixing them. (ill point them out in the pictures)

so far i learned a few things about where my skill level is, or isnt. ive also learned that i may have reached the limits of some of the tools i have, and need to get a few more that i dont.

Posted: 11/22/2014 8:46:21 PM EDT

[#10]

some more pictures of the progress

Posted: 11/23/2014 2:07:19 AM EDT

[#11]

Waiting for iTunes/YouTube.

Posted: 11/23/2014 10:27:52 AM EDT

[#12]

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Waiting for iTunes/YouTube.

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funny thing there... i actually dont know how to play the banjo yet. but once ive learned at least a little bit ill post some thing up

Posted: 11/23/2014 1:09:53 PM EDT

[#13]

some finish work

and yes the bathroom is the best place for this

Posted: 11/23/2014 5:12:50 PM EDT

[#14]

FRETS!

Posted: 11/23/2014 5:17:44 PM EDT

[#15]

If you'd cut KeyMod slots you could've added a 1913 rail.

Posted: 11/23/2014 5:58:24 PM EDT

[#16]

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Quoted:
If you'd cut KeyMod slots you could've added a 1913 rail.

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im already planning my second one....

carbon fiber pot, free float neck, and a 500 lumin tac light?

in FDE

Posted: 11/25/2014 4:46:28 AM EDT

[#17]

Mahogany. Alongside maple, mahogany is a classic ingredient in both slab and multi-wood (or laminated) bodies, and is a common neck wood, too. It’s also used in single-wood bodies. As for the classics, the Gibson Les Paul Jr., Les Paul Special, and SG were made of solid mahogany (with mahogany necks), and countless makers have used the wood in both solid and semi-solid designs over the years. Harvested in Africa and Central America, mahogany is a fairly dense, medium-to-heavy wood that yields a wide range of guitar-body weights, depending upon stock sources. Used on its own, mahog-any’s characteristic tone is warm and somewhat soft, but well balanced with good grind and bite. There is usually good depth to the sound, with full but not especially tight lows, and appealing if unpronounced highs.

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Sounds like that wood might mellow out the 'twang' normally associated with a bango. I wonder what it will sound like when finished.

Posted: 11/25/2014 6:21:22 PM EDT

[#18]

FINISHED!

i got it put back together and strung last night. after the strings settled in and a few minor tweeks to the bridge it is done.

Posted: 11/25/2014 6:29:18 PM EDT

[#19]

Quote History

Quoted:

Sounds like that wood might mellow out the 'twang' normally associated with a bango. I wonder what it will sound like when finished.

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View All Quotes

Quote History

Quoted:

Mahogany. Alongside maple, mahogany is a classic ingredient in both slab and multi-wood (or laminated) bodies, and is a common neck wood, too. It’s also used in single-wood bodies. As for the classics, the Gibson Les Paul Jr., Les Paul Special, and SG were made of solid mahogany (with mahogany necks), and countless makers have used the wood in both solid and semi-solid designs over the years. Harvested in Africa and Central America, mahogany is a fairly dense, medium-to-heavy wood that yields a wide range of guitar-body weights, depending upon stock sources. Used on its own, mahog-any’s characteristic tone is warm and somewhat soft, but well balanced with good grind and bite. There is usually good depth to the sound, with full but not especially tight lows, and appealing if unpronounced highs.

Sounds like that wood might mellow out the 'twang' normally associated with a bango. I wonder what it will sound like when finished.

it is definitely different from the normal banjo. its a bit less twang and a bit more guitar-ish I knew from the beginning that the sound would be different and was expecting about what it does sound like. its also quieter which will be good while im learning so i wont keep the kids awake at night.
there is alot of variance in sound based on where you pluck the strings too. closer to the bridge is more twangy, closer to the neck more guitar.
as soon as i can figure out ow ill record something and post it. even if is just a few plucks of the strings to show sound

Posted: 11/25/2014 6:36:48 PM EDT

[#20]

Anxious to hear it

Posted: 11/25/2014 6:52:39 PM EDT

[#21]

How is the neck attached to the body?

Posted: 11/25/2014 7:19:06 PM EDT

[#22]

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Quoted:
How is the neck attached to the body?

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inside the pot is a dowel with a hole in it. a peice of all thread goes from inside the neck at the heal, throught the pot/dowel and come out the end at the tail peice, with an acorn nut on that end. inside the neck at the heal is a furniture nut (barrel with a threaded hole going sideways) that the allthread goes in to pull it to the pot.

Posted: 11/26/2014 1:44:20 AM EDT

[#23]

Wow. Can you give us a rundown on price and time to make it?

Posted: 11/26/2014 5:49:46 PM EDT

[#24]

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Quoted:
Wow. Can you give us a rundown on price and time to make it?

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alot of the wood i already had so i can easily put a price on it.
but lets say about 2 board feet of mahogany and around 3 board feet of maple. (i dont know what local prices are for that)

all the hardware, (all thread, nuts, tuners frets, tail piece, strings) and fret board came to about $60ish

as far as time, about 40 hours total, spread out over a month.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - i decided to make a banjo

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