All strung up!

[Anthony G Spangler]

And it sounds awful!  Heheh, not really.  As promised, the Nylgut strings are still stretching, so it doesn't just go out of tune, it goes out of tune while I am tuning it!  It actually has quite a loud clear sound, I think, but I'll let others be the judge of that when it settles in.

 "Character", I believe, is the word the Victorians used for "screw ups", and this has character in spades, things I measured twice, cut once, and then hid, and things I just didn't understand until the thing started going together, but all of those things will be instructive going forward.  I look forward to suggestions and critique from anyone who can point me forward, as I'm sure there are still things I don't see.

Thanks to everyone here who answered my many newbie questions along the way!

I still have five skins left, what to do, what to do...

Tony

[Anthony G Spangler]

Fun is good!

Strumelia said:

Anthony, think about just starting with the first few moves of the right hand.  Then think about playing around with using those moves to play Juba.  I found that Juba was a real FUN way to practice the right hand moves.  It's like playing a real fun tune, disguised as practice.   :)  Keep it fun, and don't worry about how fast or slow you progress. I have found that, like love, progress usually sneaks up on you when you stop worrying and looking for it. 

[Bart McNeil]

Of course there are mistakes, but if you don't draw attention to them, few if any folks will notice them. You covered your mistakes nicely.... A sign of professionalism....

Very nice!!!

I think the beauty of these is that as a woodworker you can take some liberties with with design and construction without much fear of being un-authentic... as so many in the 19th C were made with a lot fewer tools than you have in your shop. and of course most or all of their hardware was home made as well.

[Anthony G Spangler]

Thanks for the kind words, Bart!  Yes, the question of how things actually got made in period is one of the big draws, I think.  I'm still surprised how much I can do with just a hand axe!

Tony

Bart McNeil said:

Of course there are mistakes, but if you don't draw attention to them, few if any folks will notice them. You covered your mistakes nicely.... A sign of professionalism....

Very nice!!!

I think the beauty of these is that as a woodworker you can take some liberties with with design and construction without much fear of being un-authentic... as so many in the 19th C were made with a lot fewer tools than you have in your shop. and of course most or all of their hardware was home made as well.