Wild Meadow Dulcimers: 2015

A Brief History

Back in 1978, I was attending college at Southwestern College in Winfield, Ks. The first fall I was there, I saw an ad for help at a local Bluegrass Festival. A college student, broke, chance to make extra cash? I was all over this, so I signed on. Not only did I get paid, but I received free tickets to the festival. So there I was, walking around on Saturday, when on one of the back stages was a mountain dulcimer workshop given by three attractive women. I still remember two of them, Cathy Barton and Mary Faith Rhodes. I sat back and watched. I also fell in love with the dulcimer. Here was a simple instrument that originated in the USA, the Appalachians in fact, and made with woods that I was very familiar with due to my families mid western logging business. I went to these ladies shows, watched the Dulcimer Championships. I spent my earnings on a very cheap dulcimer. I could not learn to play.

The strings were too high, it was poorly made. The next June, there was a June Jamboree segment of the fall festival. Once again, I worked it, this time I spent my earnings on a dulcimer kit. I built this with less than half the recommended tool list, I remember using a rock to pound in the frets and a stack of bricks for clamps. I ended up with an instrument that was more playable, and amazingly enough, better looking.

It was at this time I transferred to Iowa State. A few years into school there, I discovered that there was a wood shop available for student use. Wood from the family sawmill, and my first dulcimer was made. Again I looked at it, thought about it, saw my mistakes, a cherry board from Dad, and I built number two. It was an hourglass, all cherry, natural knotholes for the upper sound holes. My Mother still has this one, A-2. I made 5 dulcimers at Iowa State, except for #2, I have no idea where or who has them.

I ended up back at home next, worked for the family logging business, built a few more in the basement of my parents house. One of those was shipped back to Winfield, Ks. I also entered one in the county fair, it received a ribbon. Can't remember how many I built in Woodbine, but they were numbered W-6 on.

I ended up back in Winfield, Ks next. Here I decided to get serious about the dulcimer business. It was here that I also took first place in a major art show with one of my dulcimers. These dulcimers were numbered Wf-XX. Not sure the starting number, but when I moved I was in the 50's.

My next shop was in Wapello, Ia. Here I got busy. The last dulcimer built there was Wp-149. Formed a loose partnership with a singer/teacher named Pat Walke. She had me build a student model. These were very simple in shape and design, allowed me to use a lot of scrap lumber and also try out new and "exotic" woods such as mulberry and honey locust. It was here that I also branched out into other instruments. I built two 3/4 size guitars, 18 old-time banjos, 2 hammer dulcimers, some kalimbas, and assorted other things.

My next move was to Winfield, Iowa, where I built WFI-150 for my wife. That was over ten years ago, and I am ready to re-open my shop in Webster Groves, Mo.

Monday, December 21, 2015

Sawdust is flying

Back in the shop working on guitar #5, back and sides will be white oak, experimenting with the side profile a little, slimmed it down and removed the slimming at the top. Will see what it looks like when finished.
Also am working on a five string double rim banjo. All walnut.

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Guitar #4 finished

Saturday, November 28, 2015

#156

Work Haulted

Not totally, am applying finish to two dulcimers and a guitar. No making sawdust for at least a week. But that's OK, the guitar will be ready by Christmas, my grand-niece should be happy, perhaps I will be able to sell the dulcimers at Christmas time. Looking forward to the next guitar on the build list, am needing to figure out a better way to cut binding slots, and work on the heel. Sooner or later, I'll get the guitar build down. As long as I'm having fun!

Friday, October 30, 2015

Coming up

Two dulcimers and another guitar. Need to fret the curly maple dulcimer, sand all three out, then the finishing commences!

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

#157 started

A nice piece of curly/quilted big leaf maple was resawn this week. I'm building another mountain dulcimer out of some of this wood. The billet contained enough wood 4 dulcimers with an extra top/back and side. Excited to use this wood.

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Happy customer

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

A sound clip of the guitar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfwgSH6goHA

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Guitar #3 is finished

My grandson, Owen, will be receiving this very soon.

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Guitar #3, first coat of finish

Latest Dulcimer, first coat of finish.

Sweet gum, Osage orange binding, walnut fret board and scroll.

Saturday, August 8, 2015

Been a while......

I've been working on a guitar for my grandson for quite some time. Have a dulcimer ready to finish at the same time. The guitar is made from shagbark hickory, Englemann spruce top, sweet gum neck with persimmon used for fret board, peghead and bridge. It is bound in walnut. Starting to come together.

The bridge is half finished, looking forward to finishing this so I can start the next one.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Upgrades

I'm doing many upgrades to the shop. First, I'm hard wiring the shop. It is now being fed by two 20 amp circuits! Second, a major tool upgrade. I purchased a Jet 10-20 drum sander. This tool will save up to 4-6 hours of pure drudge work in sanding out my rough cut lumber. I see hammer dulcimers on the horizon again as planing and sanding the broad fronts and backs was most of the actual work.

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Cutting fretboards

Cut some fretboards today out of persimmon and Osage orange. Out of the persimmon, I got 8 guitar and 4 ukelele, out of the Osage orange, 4 guitar and 4 ukelele. Hopefully they will not warp to unusable!

Saturday, March 7, 2015

It is spring!

The shop can be comfortable now, much work done today. Bought samples of persimmon and more osage orange to be tried as fretboards. Also bought some sweet gum, lovely wood, pretty, already have a dulcimer going with it.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

First Guitar

The first guitar I ever built. It is made from black walnut with a butternut top. Check out the back, a prettier piece of walnut does not exist!

Hammer Dulcimer

Branched out into hammer dulcimers for a while. Here is a picture of the first.

Chorded Zithers

Made a pair of these back in the 90's

1994 Midwest Mountain Dulcimer Championship prize

This walnut with curly burr oak top was awarded as the second place prize.

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Guitar Building

Pam has volunteered me to build my grandson a guitar. With half the work of building being making the jigs, molds and clamps, I have bought wood to build three. My bandsaw will not allow me to cut two piece backs and tops, need 8" wide boards, the saw can only cut 6" at best, I have bought this lumber precut. I have white oak, hickory and black walnut to choose from with Engleman spruce for the tops. I will try to chronicle the first build in this thread.

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Progress

I'm back in the shop working away. The first ukelele is getting close to being finished. Will be gluing on the back tomorrow and starting on the fingerboard! Also will be putting a banjo rim together.

I finally finished this one on 2-7-15. Looks ok, sounds really good, have made note of my mistakes, so Ukelele WG-2 will be much improved!