frankiej73 - Posted - 09/16/2011:  19:57:42

This is a video I made detailing the construction of my latest banjo. Recycled cherry barn wood, parts from Goodwill and lots of hillbilly engineering. Hope it's okay to post a video here, it seemed more appropriate to put it here than in the video section.

If anyone has questions, please contact me and I will be willing to answer you to the best of my knowledge. Thanks for watching!

youtube.com/watch?v=Etegz0N6ODk

Jason Wilkerson - Posted - 09/16/2011:  20:28:43

Nice looking ax....and a great sound, too.

frankiej73 - Posted - 09/16/2011:  20:45:57

Thank you muchly Jason!

richla - Posted - 09/17/2011:  17:22:28

Really nice! Do you follow any particular plans or just go freestyle with your design?
Any particular tools that your find essential?
How much woodworking experience do you have?

I have been giving a lot of thought to trying one of these as a winter recreation project, just trying to figure where to start and your video is giving me a lot of inspiration.

Thanks
Rich

frankiej73 - Posted - 09/17/2011:  19:49:09

quote:

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Originally posted by richla

Really nice! Do you follow any particular plans or just go freestyle with your design?

Any particular tools that your find essential?

How much woodworking experience do you have?



I have been giving a lot of thought to trying one of these as a winter recreation project, just trying to figure where to start and your video is giving me a lot of inspiration.



Thanks

Rich

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Howdy Rich! Thanks for the kind words! I'm grateful for them. I don't follow any plans at all. I kind of get an idea in my head what I want it to look like and go from there. I do figure what scale length I want and do a lot of measuring where everything will be at (nut, bridge, 5th string, etc.) so there won't be any surprises. I try to think ahead when I'm building, which is really required when you don't follow a plan. I'll sometimes lay a few parts out and stare at them for a long time and think about any potential problems before I make any cuts. I've even used paper or cardboard to make life sized patterns to make sure everything will work right. This method works for me, because I can't be bothered with locating and following plans, but I make plenty of mistakes this way. Most are fixable though.

As far as tools go, I'd have a hard time without my bandsaw. I find a jack and smoothing plane essential too. Necks would be a pain to shape without a spokeshave or a rasp. I use scrapers a lot as well, my two favorites being made from a handsaw blade and a wide putty knife.

I've been woodworking for probably 14-15 years now, but I'm relatively new to the intricacies of musical instruments, and it has been really challenging so far, even with my low-tech approach. My woodworking experience is very much as a hobbyist, nothing formal.

Getting your hands on a copy of the Firefox 3 book would be the best start. There is a thread on here titled "the amazing mountain banjo" that I got a lot from. Build your first one knowing it will have a lot of mistakes and get you more experience to make your second one even better. They are pretty cheap to build, especially if you can use scrap or re-claimed lumber.

I hope I've answered your questions. If I haven't, or if you have more, please ask. I love answering them, and won't be upset if you ask a lot of them. If I can help you in any way, let me know. Take care!

Jonnycake White - Posted - 09/17/2011:  22:34:46

That sound and looks real good.

frankiej73 - Posted - 09/18/2011:  04:52:00

quote:

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Originally posted by Jonnycake White

That sound and looks real good.

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I do appreciate it. Thanks for the kind words!

rudy - Posted - 09/18/2011:  04:58:27

quote:

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Originally posted by richla



Really nice! Do you follow any particular plans or just go freestyle with your design?

Any particular tools that your find essential?

How much woodworking experience do you have?



I have been giving a lot of thought to trying one of these as a winter recreation project, just trying to figure where to start and your video is giving me a lot of inspiration.



Thanks

Rich

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 Rich, Here is a Proffitt-style mountain banjo plan:

bluestemstrings.com/pageFPMB1.html

richla - Posted - 09/18/2011:  11:37:46

Hi Frankie, great info and thanks for the excellent detail on your response! I checked out some of your other video's, really great stuff.

Rudy, that looks perfect.

I think I know what I'll be working on in the garage when the weather turns cold this year.

Waltj - Posted - 09/18/2011:  14:25:27

I enjoyed your video, especially the comment about your "African no being very good." Great banjo! It sounds awesome. Thanks for sharing.

Walt