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Gourd Banjo Owners and Builders

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This group is for anyone who owns or builds Gourd Banjos

142 Members, Created 3/6/2011 -

Administrators: Austin Stovall (owner)

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From csbdr on 10/22/2012 9:54:49 AM

hello all! I', thinking about building a gourd banjo and wondering if you can suggest any building resources online? I need to start reading up on a couple things (like how to slice a gourd straight across...) Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks! Chirs

5 Comments
	Gordy Ohliger says: 10/22/2012 10:23:31 AM While we're on the subject; can anyone help me too? What kind of wood shall I use for the neck? I'm concerned that it not be neck heavy and fall to the left like this one a guy made for me.( I'm gonna make one also.)
	C Nyal de Kaye says: 10/22/2012 1:56:10 PM If you look through the posts in this section you will find some helpful thoughts and ideas. I think that there is a link on the very first post by John Herrington that gives a lot of good information. His comments about how to install the skin head was particularly helpful, I thought. I am in Australia and used Tasmanian Blackwood for the neck, but your choices may well be different I expect. I cut the gourd with a Stanley knife. I drew the line as follows. I got a block of wood (say 2" x 2" x 6") that was cut perfectly square and attached a pencil at the height I wanted to cut the gourd. Placing the gourd on a table I brought the pencil into contact with it and rotated the gourd 360 degrees. This marked a level line on the gourd and I slowly went around it over and over again with the Stanley knife until it was cut through. This took a while but that was the only tool I had to do it, so that's how I did it. It left a bit of a sharp and uneven edge. I then placed four sheets of sandpaper on the table and joined them together to make one big sheet that was much bigger than the gourd. I rubbed the gourd back and forth, round and round, until the uneven cut became perfectly smooth, level and even all over. I've done it that way several times and whilst it may be a bit slow, it worked. All up it took about an hour to complete the cut and the smoothing of the cut edge as described above. Keep us informed on your progress and ask more questions as they arise. I am no expert but I have made two now and am halfway through a third one. My problem is that I grew the gourds and now have perhaps ten or twelve more that are suitable, so it looks like I am to be busy for quite a while yet. This is addictive!
	fruit_bat says: 10/22/2012 9:18:04 PM Check out banjofactory.com great site with kits and completed ones too.
	brojhn says: 10/28/2012 9:06:17 PM A faster way to sand the top of the gourd evenly is to lay it top down on a rough sidewalk and rub it back and forth until even. It is a lot faster than sanding.
	rabena12 says: 12/18/2012 7:44:34 AM I drill a small hole above the pencil line, then use a small Japanese key hole saw (cuts on the pull stroke) angled slightly downward. Then I level the edge with 80 grit paper glued to a flat surface. I learned from making hoop drums to round the inside edge to avoid the skin from buzzing. (unless you want the buzz!)
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