mike gregory - Posted - 02/27/2015:  10:02:00

Bert Baker, the woodcarver, wants to make a banjo. And not a Squared Eel.

So, since I have a massive crush on his growed-up daughter, I figured I'd cobble up a round-bodied banjo, as plain as could be, and send him the plans.

Then he can make one as plain, or even  fancier, as he wants.

Just for my own purposes, I kept tabs on how long it took me.

Not much sanding, and no finishing (although HE will probably have his done beautifully).

That saved SOME time.

And I just drew the frets on.

The head is a 2-liter soft drink bottle, fastened on with slow-set epoxy and carpet tacks.

The strings are 40 lb fishing line, Twisted 2 for the 3rd, twisted 3 for the 4th.

I'll post a sound file after the weekend, give the fishline time to stretch and settle.

But, all-in-all, including twisting up the fishline for the 3rd & 4th strings, this took me slightly less than 5 hours.

Edited by - mike gregory on 02/28/2015 08:53:31

5 hour banjo- Marc the Arc or Mark the Ark.	5-hour banjo	5-hour banjo: Slots & Slats	5-hour banjo: Epoxy & tacks
5-hour banjo: Perch rod	5-hour banjo: NECK	5-hour banjo: Top nut & pegs	Five Hour Banjo- FINISHED

xnavyguy - Posted - 02/27/2015:  10:13:21

Nice (sort of) work! 

beegee - Posted - 02/27/2015:  10:33:48

Ya gotta say one thing for it...it sure is ugly.

leadbelly - Posted - 02/27/2015:  11:07:42

Who knew Slippsen Falls was a third-world country?  

                         (Per The Virginian, I smiled when I called you that)

Angel Baker - Posted - 02/27/2015:  11:14:38

Mr. Mike

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I am beholden to you. 

Alec Cramsie - Posted - 02/27/2015:  11:24:06

Mr. Mike



Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I am beholden to you.

No beauty is in the eye of the beer holder!
He he he
Nice down and dirty banjo Mike, as always.

Todd Treadway - Posted - 02/27/2015:  11:29:49

WOW! Five hours?! I would'a thought four, tops.

KIDDING! I like it!!

rudy - Posted - 02/27/2015:  11:35:35

Mike,  I'd have never thunk you'd depart from the angular.  Nice work, I'm breathless.  That might be the result of shoveling snow, though...

mike gregory - Posted - 02/27/2015:  11:52:57

And within two hours of getting it tuned up and playing a song on it, the local PBS station called, asking if I want to donate an item for THIS year's fundraiser.

Turns out the HANDMAID got them a hundred bucks.

Guess I might donate this one.

But. I'll have to take the strings off, and finish it up NICER.

mike gregory - Posted - 02/27/2015:  11:59:16

quote:

---

Originally posted by beegee

Ya gotta say one thing for it...it sure is ugly.

---

Aw coined roar, mon frere!

It speaks for itself.

It boldly states "I am that which puts the UGH! in UGH-Lee!"

maneckep - Posted - 02/27/2015:  12:59:36

Probably the nicest looking banjo every built from scratch using junk in less than 5 hours!!!!!!

Brian T - Posted - 02/27/2015:  13:27:34

Great "peg-hand".  Peg heads are never head-shaped, anyway.  As a wood carver, that thing is just itchin' for a trim.

Jonnycake White - Posted - 02/27/2015:  14:54:23

I grinned when I saw this - same as always with your creations

mike gregory - Posted - 02/27/2015:  15:08:24

quote:

---

Originally posted by maneckep

Probably the nicest looking banjo every built from scratch using junk in less than 5 hours!!!!!!

---

Let there be no confusion:

The one in the video took longer.

But, the one in this picture, you are right, very probably is the nicest looking within the parameters you posted.

1. Built from scratch

2. Using junk

3. In less than 5 hours

Five Hour Banjo- FINISHED

mike gregory - Posted - 02/27/2015:  15:11:39

quote:

---

Originally posted by Angel Baker

Mr. Mike

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I am beholden to you. 

 

---

People who know how to post a quote, accentuating SOME portions, and completely eliminating other portions, could get me badly beaten by a goodly looking woman!.

QUOTE

"....his growed-up daughter, I figured I'd cobble up a round-bodied banjo, as plain as could be,........"

Dave1climber - Posted - 02/27/2015:  15:16:05

Best looking, sounding, down and dirty five hour banjo I have seen.

Helix - Posted - 02/27/2015:  15:28:05

I was told my bridges were as ugly as homemade soup.

Your banjo is ugly as homemade soup, but it's good, though.

xnavyguy - Posted - 02/27/2015:  16:00:43

Larry, the iconic quote is "uglier than homemade SOAP" not soup.

BugTugly - Posted - 02/27/2015:  16:58:24

And here I'd always heard the colloquialism, "ugly as homemade sin". 

mike gregory - Posted - 02/27/2015:  20:04:21

quote:

---

Originally posted by xnavyguy

Larry, the iconic quote is "uglier than homemade SOAP" not soup.

---

We tried making soap, one time, when I was a kid.

Did not turn out to BE soap, so I really don't know how ugly it would have been.

I have seen some fairly rough-looking soap at the Art & CraP fairs where I try sell my banjos. Some of it is not at all "beautiful", but I guess people do not EXPECT soap from an individual maker to look as slick as factory soap.

Maybe its irregular appearance is part of the charm.

Will1717 - Posted - 02/27/2015:  22:10:56

Mike:

Have you ever considered that you may need some serious help??? Just think if you moved up to Canada you'd be eligible for free health benefits, plus they'd probably throw in one of those nice comfy padded rooms! Still love the banjo! I just don't know anyone else in this world that could come up with such a neat banjo!

Bill Rickard

Edited by - Will1717 on 02/27/2015 22:12:40

dulcimer - Posted - 02/28/2015:  00:15:15

It's Great Mike!
Regards Gary. :-)

The Old Timer - Posted - 02/28/2015:  05:48:04

New England Congregational grandmotherly proverb: Idle hands are the devil's workshop.

Shawn Hoover - Posted - 02/28/2015:  07:04:57

Looks like you've got the process pretty well distilled down to the essence. Nice job. Here's hoping for a record-breaking time on any sanding and finishing that you choose to tackle.

Hang on to that handy annulus gauge. It will be indispensable for making more rims precisely like this one if you ramp up round EEL production.

mike gregory - Posted - 02/28/2015:  07:07:36

quote:

---

Originally posted by The Old Timer

New England Congregational grandmotherly proverb: Idle hands are the devil's workshop.

---

Mods! MODS!! He's mentioning RELIGION!!

Is that LEGAL??

Of course, the connection between Banjos and Religion goes back a long, LONG  way, including Gramma's favorite hymn, "Gladly, the Cross-Eyed Bear"!

So I guess it's OK.

And they shall call it Bluegrass Gospel	Thank God for Advil	GLADLY	Leaving Egypt
Francis

gregsquared - Posted - 02/28/2015:  07:30:39

You must do more penance, Mike!  Click link for refresher course:  youtube.com/watch?v=WhP4DS2WURU

mike gregory - Posted - 02/28/2015:  09:01:47

banjohangout.org/myhangout/med...archived= 

I chose to play "Cabbage Them Boils on Down "  an old folk remedy, passed from generation to generation by our pioneer foremothers.

A bit of plain old strumming, a bit of Seeger style, a bit of simple Bluegrass rolls.

Crusty - Posted - 02/28/2015:  09:44:15

Dogpile on Mike everybody!

Looks like another one for the Landfill Harmonic Orchestra.    Sounds not too shabby. 

FWIW, there's a tab of Bile Dem Cabbage Down on my homepage which I nailed together from some other tabs and you might like playing that version B part especially.

mike gregory - Posted - 02/28/2015:  14:06:15

Appreciate the compliment.
Never really learned to read tab, but thanks for the offer.

Ken LeVan - Posted - 02/28/2015:  14:26:12

It's very cool!  It reminds me a little of the "sheep to shawl" contests at county fairs where they have to shear the sheep, card the wool, spin the yarn, warp the loom, and weave a shawl. Tough to do, and you have to be more focused than I am!

If there was a banjo making contest like that, you would surely win. Good for you!!  You are a force of nature.

twayneking - Posted - 02/28/2015:  16:33:40

Very Nice!

steveh_2o - Posted - 02/28/2015:  19:49:07

Mike,

That is some rig.  I'm going to have to try that soda bottle thing.

Before I tried to build my own contraption, or had even considered such a thing, I ran across this video of Johnny Butten playing Mike's Squared Eel on YouTube:

I was amazed by the music coming out of the thing.   Sort of inspired me to try myself.   

Somewhere along the line I got brave and posted one of my kludges here on the hangout, and Mike was right there offering up encouragement and advice.  

Small world. 

Edited by - steveh_2o on 02/28/2015 19:51:13

MrManners - Posted - 02/28/2015:  20:34:12

so did you get the attention of the growed up daughter?

mike gregory - Posted - 03/01/2015:  05:31:22

quote:

---

Originally posted by MrManners

so did you get the attention of the growed up daughter?

---

Here we are, trying to re-create the look of a couple of characters he carved, YEARS before he met me.

And I guess I've got her attention.

I've been invited to dinner this afternoon, with her and four of her adopted kids, and two grandkids.

Lynnie & Mike pose as characters from Bert's carvings

blindsniper - Posted - 03/02/2015:  00:02:51

I like your banjo, Mike.  Well done.