Comment

Comment by Habanera Hal on July 16, 2011 at 10:38am

Hi Rand!

Because the strainer I used was only 3", I was able to use a fixed size hole cutter in my drill press.  If you need to cut a large(r) hole, there is a way to do it with hand tools and get a perfect circle.

 

I'm sorry I don't have any pictures to help, so I'll try to explain it as best as I can.  Basically, you want to make a compass.  Drive a nail into your box where the center of the hole is to be located.  Tie a string to the nail, then tie the other end to a sharp knife (like an X-acto) at a distance equal to the radius of the circle you want. Scratch around pulling the string taut and you should get your circle.  If the wood is not too thick, you can cut through with the knife, or use the scratch mark as a guide for your coping saw, then finish it out with a file and sandpaper to smooth it.  Hope this helps!

Comment by Rand Moore on July 16, 2011 at 7:31am

Hi Hal,

I have been wanting to do a Reso-CBG build, but I guess I've been put off by the prospect of having to cut a large fairly perfect hole in the sound board, and since I only have hand tools, doing this with a coping saw seems like a big job that will take me several attempts until I get good at using a coping saw. I guess I should get some scrap wood and just practice cutting curvy designs into it to gain confidence using a coping saw. Do you have any secrets? Would be nice if there was an attachment for my hand drill. Maybe I should research that on Google.

-Rand.

Comment by Habanera Hal on July 14, 2011 at 11:48pm

Thanks, Rand!  Surprisingly loud for it's size, the sink strainer really worked as a resonator.  I strung it with the top three strings from a light electric set (.09, .11, .16 gauge), sounds very banjo-like!

Comment by Rand Moore on July 14, 2011 at 2:25pm

That stick dulcimer is looking good! How does she play/sound?

-Rand.