rubicon - Posted - 02/06/2015:  16:12:05

I gotta ask Dan how is Tyler's banjo coming along ? Cant wait to see it...

Edited by - rubicon on 02/06/2015 16:12:39

tylerandal - Posted - 02/06/2015:  16:13:55

He's keeping it a secret from us till feb 21 now...  ;)

rubicon - Posted - 02/06/2015:  19:09:09

Secret till the 21 st thats gotta be killin ya

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/06/2015:  19:20:51

Tyler's banjo?

What banjo?!?

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/06/2015:  19:24:28

Well the metal parts are at the plater's and all of the wood parts have been finished and are curing. Next week I plan on sanding and rubbing out the finish then puttin' her together. 

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/06/2015:  19:52:18

FRIDAY

VISITIN' DAY

There ain't nothin' like havin' folks drop in... and today was a drop in day, sure!

The first

one to sneak under the wire and through the gate was my good friend Jim Fields.

Besides being one of the best interpreters of Mississippi John Hurt's music, Jim was one of the great singers on the recording of my old time country opera 1934.

Jim came in and we discussed several biography's he has recently read. We also discussed Gibbon's Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, that he just completed.

Jim keeps trying to get me to like Faulkner. I keep trying but either Faulkner or me keep failing!

Next it was my distinct privilege to welcome the Shepherd Family into my shop for some pickin'!

Does it sound like I'm practicin' for an introduction? Well, I'm not...

Well, maybe...

These folks can really play! Iris nearly sawed that fiddle in two, Jordan picked that mandolin so fast it made my fangers itch and  Gideon kept the bass perfectly on his cello.

Did I forget anybody?

Oh yes the proud papa my good friend Scott Shepherd. Scott is the minister of music across the street at First Baptist. He was also the voice of Sir Kevin McFearsome from my opera 1934. Must be opera day!

I wish I could remember just what was said...

Must'a been good!

We sawed out Saint Ann's Reel and man was it ever real!

This is the new poster for the Lee Academy Concert. The poster hasn't been released yet...

Well maybe it has, Here!

More Tomorrow!!!

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 02/06/2015 19:58:47

Cottonmouth - Posted - 02/07/2015:  17:33:51

To hear Tyler Andal would be well worth the price of admission.

Tom Berghan - Posted - 02/07/2015:  17:39:51

Dan, I especially like the red elastic band on your right leg above the ankle. (It keeps you pants from getting in your bike's chain). Now most guys would take it off after they get to work, but you have managed to turn it into a fashion statement  - and not many of of us could pull it off - but Maestro on you it definitely works!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/07/2015:  17:46:36

Ken,

I totally and completely agree!!!

Tom,

I just read your comment to Debra (my wife). I'm still waiting for her to quit laughing!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/07/2015:  17:50:08

SATURDAY

ZEB STARS IN THIS 'UN

Saturday and once again we were in the shop guitar building. 

Kevin left early.

So Zeb being stuck here got a chance to really shine!

Today he finished bracing both the top and back on his guitar. If we're not careful one day soon he'll turn around and have a guitar built!

Here I'm showing shaving the bottom of a back brace (to a 15' radius) with a box plane...

Now Zeb's showin' us jus' how it's really done!

I'm not sure how I got this photo so large but I did... Here inside the go bar deck gluing a bridge plate and a couple small braces...

And on with the back braces....

More tomorrow!!!

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 02/07/2015 17:58:58

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/09/2015:  18:44:31

MONDAY

I'm not sure how it has happened, but Monday night has become my Skype evening. As by now I'm sure you have guessed, I enjoy teaching. It is very fulfilling. 

And this Skype thing... it is just amazing! Just think back a few years. Who would have ever figured that I'd be sitting in my living room in Tennessee teaching somebody in Alaska. It's just amazing! The feeling I have must be similar to the one my grandpa had watching Neil Armstrong on the moon.

(It was all fake! Done in some studio somewhere!)

(My Skypin' that is)

Earlier today I wet sanded and did some hand buffing of the mandolin neck I recently sprayed. I'm checking to make sure the spraying/ sanding was good and smooth. Luckily it was...

I got to looking at the back and there was a spot that had been banged and the finish was delaminating from the body. Behaving like one of ole' Pavlov's dogs I fixed it. Tomorrow I'll sand it level and Wednesday or Thursday I'll buff it out.

This is an interesting piece. It is a fiddle which came from a shop in Nashville for me to repair and replace a bunch of inlay, rope binding and purfiling. Here I remove some badly placed pearl...

Here is the fiddle. All of those cavities will receive new purfiling around their outside edges. Then they will be filled with broken (not cut) pieces of pearl or abalone. Also I will make some rope binding (matching the original) to replace missing areas...

Banjo time. The Aeroplane is back and ready for its heel cut. I do this in a three step process. First I remove most of the waste with the band saw and this jig...

MORE TOMORROW!!!

Alec Cramsie - Posted - 02/09/2015:  19:54:59

Can't wait to see more of aeroplane, John Hartford has always been one of my favorites, I know you'll do it justice!

DEmery - Posted - 02/10/2015:  01:50:32

Dan that is an interesting old fiddle. Is all the inlay and binding something the builder did at the time of the build; or something an owner at some point had done to personalize it? Any markings of the builder or period? David  E.

Dave1climber - Posted - 02/10/2015:  06:21:34

Dan

I will be interested to see how you do the rope binding on that old fiddle. Also the purfling and filling of the cavities.

Its good to see progress on Aeroplane.

Dave

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/10/2015:  18:51:27

Alec,

I certainly will try too. It is an honor to help honor one of my heroes.

David,

I haven't noticed any builder markings but I will try to remember to look in the morning. My gut feeling is that it's 1900-1920's. Tyler knows some about this instrument and perhaps he can comment on it.

BTW speaking of Tyler. I just got off of the phone with the fella who is doing the plating for us... he's plating the bracket nuts even as I write.  Pickin' day is in sight!

Dave,

I've measured the pieces involved in the rope binding and I hope to start making the component parts in the next few days. It appears to be made of maple and ebony, each chunk around .092 thick. Also the are som black / white linings which are around .010.

Making things like this used to be common place in a luthier/ woodworkers arsenal but with the advent of industrialization making things like this became specialized trades. It is really not too difficult but it will be very time consuming. I plan on documenting the process.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/11/2015:  05:10:49

Here is a video that I just found y'all might just find interesting. This is from my first performance with bagpiper Ed Smith. Also included are my son Sam Knowles, Bass, Tyler Andel & Adam French, fiddles.

youtube.com/watch?v=bAY2mDSI_aQ

DEmery - Posted - 02/11/2015:  06:32:39

Always on the vanguard of Home Sweet Home. I recall seeing that but it has been a while. Looks like a fun time and my guess is bag pipers show up infrequently at the fiddle championships. Must have been a hit. David E.

guitarman8491 - Posted - 02/11/2015:  07:46:48

That old fiddle is amazing..I bet it sounds as magical as it looks!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/11/2015:  17:43:18

David,

My grandson Chandan shot a video of that performance that was released a few years ago on Youtube. This version I just found. I really enjoy when I get to play with bagpiper Ed Smith, he is a real treasure!

Doug,

It's a neat ole' fiddle. It should sound much better after Brian's work on it. I'll jut be attempting to inlay it like it was originally done.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/11/2015:  18:02:52

WEDNESDAY

I finished making the heel cut on the Aeroplane heel today. I'm not sure how other folks do this, but this works well for me.

The other day I set up my bandsaw jig and made the basic cut. So today I laid out the t-hoop notch and basically sawed it out. I lie this little Japanese pull saw. It's not as sharp as it once was and I'll soon replace it...

Since this is a straight cut a few taps of the chisel and the shape is very close...

Oh ya, my grandson Andrew (formerly known as Chandan) has started working at the shop regularly. It's good to have help and knowledgeable help is even better. He's helped out in the shop since he was 3 or 4 years old.

Yes I know about child labor laws...

After all the heel roughing in the neck goes in this drill press sanding jig for final shaping. I made a trade for this big Harbor Freight industrial drill press. I leave the jig set up in it all the time.

Here it is flipped around sanded to shape...

MORE TOMORROW!!!

Dave1climber - Posted - 02/11/2015:  20:56:30

Dan

After doing the final heel shaping, do you do some sort of check against the rim to insure that the angles relative to the neck center line are correct?  Could you show us that check?

guitarman8491 - Posted - 02/12/2015:  06:00:39

Dan, do you have any information as to when, who and where that fiddle was made? It is really something special in my book.

tylerandal - Posted - 02/12/2015:  21:00:01

I think those fiddles are often czechoslovakian, but this is more likely to be a German one... at least, that's what I've been told.  They probably aren't too old, 1920-30s maybe?  I know that in the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, they have one that looks identical to this one's style that they say was Spade Cooley's fiddle.  Dan was saying that this is more of Cajun style inlay, I think.  

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/13/2015:  04:39:28

Dave,

Because of the way the jig is made the angles have all been figured. If the neck is correctly placed in the jig it's no problem to have a perfect heel cut every time. I'll check it out when I put the banjo together some time in the future. I will try and shoot some photos of just the jigs though.

Doug, 

Look below...

Tyler,

Thanks. I guess the reason that I always think of this as Cajun style is that when I was a younger person there was a Cajun fiddler from Louisiana that I knew. He had a fiddle with this chunk or chip style inlay. He always said that it was "Cajun Style". This was the first inlay of this type I had ever seen so... 

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/13/2015:  05:54:05

THURSDAY

Practicing last night with CHILL TONIC. Notice who is on bass...That's my son Sam. On guitar- Mark Holladay, Fiddle- Danny Conger and on bass-you know who.

More Soon!!!

60spicker - Posted - 02/13/2015:  07:04:01

Regarding the fiddle, Dan, I guess the question is could you use your inlay magic to create a similar look or feel (custom, of course) on anybody's fiddle?

guitarman8491 - Posted - 02/13/2015:  09:07:59

Thanks Dan..Tyler thanks for the information on the fiddle.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/13/2015:  18:49:43

Terry,

This is not really the style of inlay I normally do, but that said years ago I did do a tree of life banjo inlay with chips. It had a very rustic feel.

Doug,

You are so welcome.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/13/2015:  19:34:06

FRIDAY

Today was spent mostly wet sanding and buffing out the finish on a Martin 12 string. It is amazing how much time I can spend perfecting a finish. I didn't make any good photos of the buffing. I use a buffing wheel and McGuiares. I've had good luck and gotten shiny finishes with their compounds. 

Here I'm Sanding...

I've been listening to podcasts of all sorts of things while at work since my buddy Joe Snow turned me on to them. Today due to a link sent me by Tom Bergan, I enjoyed several from Fretboard Journal. I went from this piece on the great inlay artist Icilio Consalvi fretboardjournal.com/features/...-consalvi (one I must say is well worth looking at). Then I noticed the tab for podcasts.

Today it was Stan Jay (Mandolin Bros.), Chris Martin (C.F. Martin & Co), David Grier & Dana Bourgeois. What a treat!

******************************

I believe it was Dave who asked me to show how I check neck heels for true fit and I said that I don't. Well this is the reason that I no longer have to. This final sanding heel fitting jig.

Well I guess I did talk a little out of school because this jig is made for 11" rims. So when I do 12" rims I do have a small amount of additional work. Next 12" job I'll try and remember to show the bit of extra.

What this is is a sanding drum shaped with the dimensions of  a finished 11' rim & tension hoop. Mounted to it is some 40 grit floor paper. This does the cutting.

Mounted to the shaft (and providing a bearing for that shaft) is a sled & track (shown below). the neck blank is mounted to the sled, the drill press is turned on and the heel is pressed against the sand paper. 

Wala, finished heel cut.

Now mind you this jig has been a work in evoloution. I haven't needed to make any changes in the last bunch of necks because it has worked so well. 

This is how it works. 

The neck angle is permanently fixed to the jig...

But these measurements are the heart. With these I can center a neck on the jig. There are two sets of these. One near to the 7th. fret placement...

And the other at the heel. Line it up clamp it down and off you go.

More Soon!!!

Alec Cramsie - Posted - 02/13/2015:  22:08:56

Jack of all trades....
And master of quite a few!
Is there anything you can't turn your hand to?

Nels - Posted - 02/14/2015:  03:22:39

Thanks for the pics on the neck sanding jig....

Dave1climber - Posted - 02/14/2015:  09:03:35

Dan

Thanks for posting photos of your heel sanding process.  I tried the drum sanding method, and was not happy with the result.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/14/2015:  19:17:10

Alec,

There are quite a few... to be enumerated later...

Nels,

You are welcome.

Dave,

It took me a bunch of tries to get this jig working. In fact several time I almost filed it in 13. It just made sense to me that if I could get it to work this would be the way to go.  So I just kept after it until all the bugs got worked out. Now I couldn't be happier with what it does.

Aradobanjo - Posted - 02/14/2015:  19:25:31

Hello Dan,

Seems your name is on an eBay banjo. Looks like you were a mandolin player with the Toulumne River boys. Has a picture of you with the group.  Very cool.

Edited by - Aradobanjo on 02/14/2015 19:29:44

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/14/2015:  19:39:39

SATURDAY

Today Kevin didn't make the guitar building class. He is an engineer (not a train one either) at a plant in Murray, Kentucky. They are installing a new machine today and his boss figured the machine was more important than guitar building...go figure.

So once again ole Zeb stars in todays post.

Last week he finished gluing braces in his top and back. So today, for his first time, he carved braces. We took the patient and laid them back in the chair, applied laughing gas, grabbed the dental burrs and began to carve...

Not.

Real world now...

Here I'm laying out the carving of a back brace. I carved it as a demonstration and Zeb carved the rest.

Using a small plane to shape the sides of the brace...

Laying out center on another...

Carving the end scallop...

And another scallop...

Beginning to shape one of the two shoulder braces. Next week he'll carve the x-braces and the tone bars...

Being that today was Valentines Day we were blessed with a house of grandkids so that parents could go out. Our eldest granddaughter Amber Knowles helped me with THE PUPPET MASTER. She is a budding artist in her own right.  I love getting the chance to share a brush & paint with her!

MORE TOMORROW!!!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/14/2015:  20:09:55

John,

Yes, that is true. In my misspent youth I was the mandolin player in the Toloumne River boys.

That banjo belonged to Ed Corbiser. He was the one who in fact is really responsible for this post existing. He started me on the clawhammer style banjo. 

I'll never forget Ed showing me the basic lick (on another banjo in 1971). I asked him to show me. So he did, playing faster than my mind could even think. I said please slow it down. So he played even faster all the while laughing like a loon. Eventually I got it though. 

Ed had a strong right hand and played banjo much like Ralph Stanley, who he worshiped. He also had a giant laugh and a lightning wit. He taught me how to run a band and how to behave on stage. In my first shop he supplied a photo of a hand missing fingers which he gleefully glued to the face of my band saw.

So in fact, not only this post but my entire musical career can be laid at his feet. 

Ed passed from this life in 1985. The victim of a brain aneurysm. His wife Mel died of lung cancer a couple of years later.

I think of Ed often. 

Whenever I hear FLING DING , the CLINCH MOUNTAIN BACKSTEP, CRY FROM THE CROSS or sing ANGEL BAND he stands there with me a deep strong voice and fingers flying.

When I first heard of this banjo being on the market I tried to contact his daughter Crystal. She inherited the instrument and I could not imagine her even considering the sale of this banjo. Unfortunately I was not able to find her.

This banjo holds so many fond memories for me. Were it not so over priced for a converted mid 70's Gibson RB-250 I would be tempted to visit my bank account.

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 02/14/2015 20:16:10

Nels - Posted - 02/15/2015:  03:26:44

Dan, thanks for sharing your memories of Ed. 

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/15/2015:  19:01:02

Nels,

You are so welcome.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/15/2015:  19:13:33

SUNDAY

PUPPET MASTER UPDATE

We have just returned from Clarksville, Tennessee and are now home awaiting what they have promised to be a beautiful snowy day tomorrow. 3-5 inches. I know for you folks up north it might not be much, but for us it's a real wham banger!

Although it will be cold, I'm looking forward to wondering a bit and snapping some photos.

For those of you who have been watching the progress of the Puppet Master, This is an update of the changes over the past two or so weeks.

I'm beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. After almost a year I know it will soon be complete.

More Tomorrow!!!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/18/2015:  19:39:48

WEDNESDAY

I can't believe that it's Wednesday already! How fast this week is speeding by! Monday, snow and ice day, Tuesday, Teaching day and now it's Wednesday. 

I've taken very few photos yesterday and today. Those few I took were mostly of the snow outside variety. I know it's cold (real cold!), but I do love the stuff. It slows time. Monday night Debbie and I went walking over t the school.

I said to her, "Listen, it's so quiet!"  And it was. No noise of traffic growling on the highway. No siren cry. No voices in the night. 

This morning on my way to work I managed to get this shot of my neighbors place...

And tonight as I was getting ready to leave the shop I thought, dawgoneit Dan yer fallin' down on the job son, You haven't fired the camera up even once today. It was then I looked across the workroom and saw my open tool chest. Many's the time folks in the shop will comment about all of the hand planes in the top of the chest.  So I thought y'all might like to see it too. 

Most of the bench planes I inherited from my Great-grandfather and Grandfather are old Stanley's, every thing from a #3 up to a #7. There are a smattering of small box planes, a small plane I made years ago, violin makers planes, spoke shaves, scrapers and even a set of cheepo brass & wood Harbor Freight planes that Kevin gave me. Now that I have sharpened and set them I like 'em quite a bit!

Hopefully tomorrow I'll do better with the camera,

see you then!

Kaelri - Posted - 02/18/2015:  20:15:59

Hope you and your family are staying warm, Dan. We are heading towards -5 F tonight with a lovely jaunt to -11 tomorrow night! But that is what Michigan is all about.......Sometimes my ole banjo doesn't want to stay in tune in this cold dry weather. 

cbrianroll - Posted - 02/18/2015:  21:20:52

Nice collection of planes! I must admit I use my jointer more than I should, I really love the feel of a tuned plane!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/19/2015:  05:31:25

Ellen,

I just got up looked outside and it's beautiful. Blue sky's white glistening snow. Looked up the temperature, 7 degrees... shucks, I guess I won't wear shorts and a short sleeve shirt today...

Brian,

I can't remember the last time I used my jointer, even though I have one. To me it is so much easier to use a plane. I guess that must be asign of old age!

kwl - Posted - 02/19/2015:  12:13:11

Dan, thanks for the photos of the planes. Any chance you can post a photo of the front of the toolbox? It looks like something I have been thinking about building. Thanks.

Ken

Crusty - Posted - 02/19/2015:  12:20:38

I agree Dan - I'd rather use my trusty jack plane than fire up the jointer, which scares me more than any other power tool.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/19/2015:  20:28:25

Ken,

I'll try and remember to shoot you a photo tomorrow.

That old toolbox has quite a history. The fella that I baught it from was a retired machinest (around 75) named Henry. When Henry was about 17 he bought it from a retired man who built it as an apprenticeship project in his youth. At the same time I got this one I bought a couple old Gerstner chests, from Henry, one I sold and one I gave to my son Sam. This one though, has stayed.

Mike,

Yep I love my planes too!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/19/2015:  20:49:54

THURSDAY

WORKIN' ON MY WINGS

Tonight it was my privilege to practice with the CHAMBER ORCHESTRA DU PARIS.  We are preparing for the concert Saturday night. They are ably led by my good friend Scott Shepherd (he's the fella over by the piano).

Now I've got to tell you that was a real (reel) treat!

He has a wonderful group of young people who can really play!

They had been going over the material for just a short time when I came in with my banjo. I said howdie, got the Pharaoh out, tuned her up.

Scott said "Wings, shall we?"

And off we went. And they played it wonderfully, it stuck a lump in my throat and moistened my eye.

Here's who these wonderful folks are:

Iris Shepherd & Kester Nucum: Violin, Jordan Shepherd & Harrison Cook: Viola, Tori Sparks & Hayden Cook: Cello​

BTW the photography is by BHO member Jon Eaton,

THANKS JON!

Here the old man gives a few pointers as to how a passage should be played...

Sam came to and some how snuck out of any of the group shots.

Sooooo...

More tomorrow!!!

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 02/19/2015 20:51:52

DEmery - Posted - 02/20/2015:  03:21:19

a.abcnews.com/images/Business/...9_992.jpg" class="decoded" src="http://a.abcnews.com/images/Business/141105_dvo_spec_bignumber1_16x9_992.jpg" />

Dan Knowles - Posted - 02/20/2015:  10:51:02

David,

MY, MY!!!