A tribute

[sailor55330]

First off, forgive me if I ramble, but hopefully you'll understand. I recently lost my father this week. One of his great passions in life was woodworking and he was one of the most incredible craftsmen I knew. He is the one who got me started trying to work with wood, but I just don't have his talent. For those of you who may have heard me rant about being frustrated with woodworking, this is was the type of standard I set for myself. Anyway, knowing that he was extremly talented and that regardless of whether the person was a member of the forums and known or not, everyone here appreciates a great build. So with that said, I'd like to share with you his last work as I think it was one of his best.

He had started building cigar box guitars as a hobby and a co-worker asked if he had every considered building a dulcimer (for those of you unfamiliar, you can easily find examples). He agreed and without any plans, he began to "layout" the dulcimer in his head as he never used a single drawn plan that I can remember. The results are in the pictures below and the sound is as good as the images.

A few points about the dulcimer:

All of the wood started as 10+ year old storm fallen trees that were sawmill slab cuts
The sides are black walnut
The top is cherry
The fretboard is black walnut with inlaid cherry fret markers
The strip in the middle of the back is white oak, used as an accent.

The sides were re-sawn on the bandsaw and then planed down to approximately 1/8" using a jig that he had build to allow his 12" planer to achieve that thickness. The sides were then steamed in a home-made wood steam box and then clamped into a home-build jig until set.

The headstock and tailstock were laminated up from black walnut and the scroll patterns on the cherry top were hand drawn and cut out.

The entire instrument was sanded to 300 grit and finished with a hand rub. poly finish (forgive me as I'm not sure of what brand).

I should also mention that this was the first dulcimer he had ever built and I take comfort in knowing that it will be actively played by the owner, which was his hope. I'm sure I'm leaving out many important details, but this is what comes to mind at the moment. The entire build is documented in pictures that I have for my memories.

This post is meant as a tribute. Hopefully you will appreciate the craftsmanship and thank you for listening.

David

I am trying to get the pictures now

[sailor55330]

Here are some pictures as I just figured out the attachments. There are dozens of the various build phases if anyone is interested. I'll try to field any questions as the best I can. Thank you for looking.

[sailor55330]

Two more pics

[LCHIEN]

that's quite a work of art, even better if it plays as well as it looks. I'm sure your father is in the ranks of true craftsmen.

My condolences for your loss.

[cabinetman]

Sorry to hear about your father. He was a very gifted craftsman. The workmanship is absolutely beautiful.

.

[tommyt654]

Sorry for your loss David and ours he was a fine craftsman. You should feel proud to have learned from someone of his skill and hope you pass that on too others as well. Tommy

[Richard in Smithville]

Im very sorry to hear of your loss. That was quite the skill that he had.

[sailor55330]

As a musician, I can tell you the intonation, resonance, and overall sound matches the craftsmanship without question.

Thank you all for looking.

[Turaj]

Very sorry to hear about your loss. Obviously a very gifted craftsman as shown in this work.

[Pappy]

David, you and your family are in my prayers for help getting through this troubled time. It sounds like you are filled with great memories of your father. Keep those memories close to your heart always.

That is a beautifully crafted instrument. He was obiously very talented and a true craftsman.

[chopnhack]

My prayers for you and your loved ones, David. The piece is exceptional. I have always regarded instrument making as the pinnacle of woodworking. True masters who understand wood are the only ones I would trust to shape a piece that can withstand time, heat, internal stresses and still play and sound beautifully. It is a fitting tribute to his legacy.