Dan Pennington - Posted - 01/13/2013:  09:40:36

I plan to be a vendor/exhibitor at the Minnesota Bluegrass & Old Time Music Association Winter Weekend in Minneapolis in March.  I want to have 15 or 20 block rims, a couple of long neck 5 strings, a couple of standard 5 strings, a couple of A scale banjos, and maybe a couple of loose necks to sell.  Here are my recent efforts.

I recently sold a couple of A scale banjos locally.  So, to replace the one I played regularly and to make a couple more to sell, here are the beginnings of some A scale/travel necks.  With matching dowel sticks.

Much more gluing and sawdust making to come.

Brooklynbanjoboy - Posted - 01/13/2013:  09:58:39

Thanks for showing this work effort Dan.

What are the wood types you're using?

Lew

Dan Pennington - Posted - 01/13/2013:  12:26:47

For the rim layers I used mahogany, walnut, padauk, maple, and cherry.  I've got some cocobolo that will be used for tone ring layers and bottom caps.  I plan on making some open back rims in 11 and 12 inches, some 11 inch rims with integral wood bracket shoes ledges, and some woody bluegrass rims - something for everybody.

For the necks I used mahogany, walnut and maple.  With maple, mahogany, and padauk for the center stripes.

aeroweenie - Posted - 01/13/2013:  17:45:24

Wow, that's a lot of work!  Best of luck at the MBOTMA.

bbanjoboy - Posted - 01/19/2013:  20:41:09

Never heard of MBOTMA.. How big is it? As big as SPBGMA. I'd like to go to if it would be big enough to justify a good time weekend... Not much else happening in march>>>

OldTimeGal - Posted - 01/19/2013:  21:05:44

Dan, I'll be attending, my first MBOTMA event, I'll stop by and say hello!

Dan Pennington - Posted - 01/20/2013:  13:23:05

I just found out today that I'm in as a vendor at the MBOTMA winter weekend.  The vendor page on their website has a list of the vendors and I'm on it - Penndan Banjos.  HOORAY!!

And moving right along with rim making and A scale necks.  I've got four of them with the peghead overlay on and shaped, truss rods installed, and fingerboards ready to be fretted and glued on.

frailin - Posted - 01/20/2013:  15:40:41

MBOTMA (the Minnesota Bluegrass and Old-time Music Association) sponsors 4 festivals a year.  This one - Winter Bluegass Weekend - is #2 in size (3 - 3.5k attend).  

We literally take over the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Plymouth, MN.  Music is EVERYWHERE!!  In addition to outstanding local and national bands, there's a hall of conference rooms (10 or 12, I believe) that you can walk a coupla times an evening, ax in hand, and drop in on any jamming group you wish to join.  

There's also some terrific square dancing opportunities, group lessons, vendors with amazing wares (see above), and seminars (called "spotlight on..." or "showcases").  

Find more info here.  minnesotabluegrass.org/index.p...entID=557

Here's a pic of the lobby on check-in day.  Hey! Who's that playin' the open-back banjer?

One more GREAT reason to attend:  The Eelpout Stringers (eelpoutstringers.com)  are also playing Saturday night, main stage.  If you come, stop in and say "hi!"  Yee-ha! 

Edited by - frailin on 01/20/2013 15:41:46

Dan Pennington - Posted - 02/02/2013:  10:52:15

Progress!!

Here's half of the rims I plan to have on my exhibitor/vendor table.

I've been making lots of walnut, maple, cherry, and padauk sawdust.

A couple of 12 inch open back rims and a few bluegrass woody rims and I'll be ready.

Dan Pennington - Posted - 02/09/2013:  07:35:14

The pile is growing.  15 open back rims of various flavors.

I think that does it for open backs.  Now, for a few 12 inchers and a half dozen bluegrass rims and I'll be ready.

aeroweenie - Posted - 02/09/2013:  11:09:50

The rims look great.  I see walnut, maple, what else?  What is the reddish brown wood you've used for the rims with integral flanges?  What is the dark wood you used for the tone ring on the straw colored rim on the right?

Dan Pennington - Posted - 02/09/2013:  11:36:00

The orange-ish wood is padauk.  It will get darker brown with age.  

The tone ring layer on the straw colored rim is granadillo.  The body is birch with a few coats of TruOil.

The dark brown rim in the fourth layer is walnut that has been finished with TruOil.  The two finished rims are drop in replacements for the steel rims in Deering Bostons.

Dan Pennington - Posted - 02/09/2013:  13:22:54

There is also some cherry, too.

Last week, I bought a load of rough sawn cherry, walnut, and maple from a guy in Wisconsin.  Found him on Craigs List.  Good prices per board foot and he delivered it to my driveway in Minneapolis.  Best wood I've ever gotten, including from Rockler and a good lumber yard in Minneapolis.

Here are the first rims from the new wood.

taiger - Posted - 02/09/2013:  13:38:32

Beautiful pots Dan

I was curious if youve ever made a pot out of all padauk?  If so howd it sound.  If not how come?

Thanks

Tai