HOW IT'S MADE - HARP

[J T]

Watched this earlier in the evening. Celtic type harp apparently, about 4-5 foot tall, I think, wasn't paying much attention to the size, was engrossed in watching the buy make it. He's a lot better than either Norm OR Roy, he only took a few minutes to make it, not a half an hour. LOL

I knew the basics of marking a harp, but all the plywood used in it really surprised me. Not that I mind, plywood has long fascinaed me, just seing it used like that in making such a really nice harp was a surprise. By the way, for all you guys that put som much time in picking out the perfect finish, the finish kinda surprised me too. Varnish. That's it, nothing exotic at all. They didn't say what brand or anything, but I would imagine it's a quality brand. But apparently that's all that was used - and lovely looking it was too. So looks like some of you guys need to lighten up on your finish wes.

Very intersting show. I'd highly recommend watching if you have the opportunity. A week ago they show how wooden recorders are made. Not kiddy toys, but big buck high quality ones. Neat.

JOAT Custom philosophizing done. No job too small; must be indoor work, with no heavy lifting.

[Carlin]

[e-mail] (J T) wrote in news:25505-46009C6D-1342@storefull-

3336.bay.webtv.net:

Hey, that's an exaggerated claim! It takes them 23 minutes... (hmm, maybe

21, I forgot to discount for the intro and finish segments...)

-- Kurt

[RicodJour]

H.I.M. shows three, sometimes four, things being made. The harp was probably 6-7 minutes. They may have edited the tape, but I'm not sure. ;)

R

[J T]

Thu, Mar 22, 2007, 3:04pm (EDT-3) [e-mail] (RicodJour) doth sayeth: H.I.M. shows three, sometimes four, things being made. The harp was probably 6-7 minutes. They may have edited the tape, but I'm not sure. ;)

Nah, they didn't edit the tape, they have an announcer, so the guy doesn't wast any time talking.

JOAT Custom philosophizing done. No job too small; must be indoor work, with no heavy lifting.

[Bill in Detroit]

Hey JT, being Irish (all year!) I'd be interested in seeing this ... got a link or other sort of pointer to it?

Bill

[J T]

Thu, Mar 22, 2007, 9:45pm [e-mail] (Bill=A0in=A0Detroit) doth declareth: Hey JT, being Irish (all year!) I'd be interested in seeing this ... got a link or other sort of pointer to it?

best i can say is, it's on the Discovery Channel. Being Irish myself, all year long with the exceptiton of St Patrick's Day, I'm considering Irish war pipes.

JOAT Custom philosophizing done. No job too small; must be indoor work, with no heavy lifting.

[Joe AutoDrill]

I was REALLY looking forward to the harp episode because I recently quoted a product to a harp maker... All those holes they drill for the pins and tightening dohickys (?!?) are done automatically or by hand depending on the shop.

I recently quoted a multiple spindle drilling head to do all the holes at once, on that nice contour... I hope I get the job so I can ask for a sample harp.

It was amazing to see just how everything was assembled too. They use a wood glue that they claim is dry in 1/2 hour?!? I need to find myself some of that the next time I'm doing a repair job so I don't have to clamp, sleep and then unclamp.

Anyhow... Great show. I can't get enough of it. It has replaced Mythbusters as my evening viewing favorite.

Regards, Joe Agro, Jr. [phone]

01.908.542.0244 Automatic / Pneumatic Drills: Spindle Drills:

[Bill in Detroit]

The pipes send 'em there, the harp makes 'em glad they came. ;-)

I was at a jazz concert last summer and there was a lady plucking away at a great harp (and a smaller one, too, by turns) while a fella worked away on a penny whistle and the rest of the band all chimed in on something or the other. Great fun.

Bill

[Father Haskell]

Materials can be overrated. Ovation makes guitars with fiberglass bodies which can potentially sound very nice. I've made flutes from copper and PVC. The PVC usually sounds better.

Likely spirit varnish, same stuff they use on violins, which _can_ be cooked up from exotic ingredients like amber or copal.

Tapered pegs, with square posts so a wrench can grab them. I've seen six-spindle turrets specifically for drilling guitar headstocks.

Doesn't hide glue dry as soon as it's cool? It remains choice for luthiery because it doesn't creep under string tension. Has a few other tricks; wide soundboards can be joined without clamps by simply rubbing two narrower glued boards together until the glue solidifies.

[J T]

Fri, Mar 23, 2007, 8:14pm (EDT+4) [e-mail] (Joe=A0AutoDrill) doth sayeth: Anyhow... Great show. I can't get enough of it. It has replaced Mythbusters as my evening viewing favorite.

Yep, very interesting show. I have rarely watched Mythbusters for awhile now, not because How It's Made has replaced it, but because Mythbusters just seems a bit silly n most cases. Durty Jobs now is great entertainment.

JOAT Custom philosophizing done. No job too small; must be indoor work, with no heavy lifting.

[J T]

Fri, Mar 23, 2007, 7:00pm [e-mail] (Bill=A0in=A0Detroit) doth sayeth: I was at a jazz concert last summer and there was a lady plucking away at a great harp (and a smaller one, too, by turns)

I've watched Celtic Woman a number of times. One of the singers is a concert harpist I believe is the term, and normally plays at least once per performance, on a big harp. Great singing, and they include a very attractive lady who plays rrish fiddle, and who I understand was the Irish champion several times.

JOAT Custom philosophizing done. No job too small; must be indoor work, with no heavy lifting.

[J T]

Fri, Mar 23, 2007, 4:40pm (EDT-3) [e-mail] (Father=A0Haskell) doth sayeth Materials can be overrated. Ovation makes guitars with fiberglass bodies which can potentially sound very nice.

I don't know about that. I'd a lot rather make a wooden boat than a figreglass boat. I'd a lot rather own a wood guitar too. Fibreglass is just 'stuff', but wood is wood.

JOAT Custom philosophizing done. No job too small; must be indoor work, with no heavy lifting.

[Father Haskell]

It doesn't matter if all people hear is a recording.

[Joe AutoDrill]

I'll send photos of just such a multiple spindle drilling head I made about

2 years ago if anyone wants to see one close up... Sorta... :)

Shoot me an e-mail or I'll post it up somewhere for all to view.

Regards, Joe Agro, Jr. [phone]

01.908.542.0244 Automatic / Pneumatic Drills: Spindle Drills:

[Joe AutoDrill]

Actually, made a PDF and put it up on yousendit... Will be there for a few days. Seven from today according to them...

it's not accessible, e-mail me directly for the PDF or JPEGs...

Regards, Joe Agro, Jr. [phone]

01.908.542.0244 Automatic / Pneumatic Drills: Spindle Drills:

[Joe AutoDrill]

And NOW they tell me the link is different. My bet is BOTH will work...

Agro, Jr. [phone]

01.908.542.0244 Automatic / Pneumatic Drills: Spindle Drills:

[Mike Hartigan]

You'd be amazed at the incredible music that has been coming out of=20 Ovation's 'plastic' guitars over the past 40 years or so. (I don't=20 think it's fiberglass, but it sure ain't wood.) Actually, the tops -=20 generally considered to be the most important acoustic component -=20 are still made from wood. Just the backs and sides that are plastic. =20 It's bowl shaped, so it's one piece.

[J T]

Wed, Mar 28, 2007, 6:37am (EDT-1) [e-mail] (Mike=A0Hartigan) doth sayeth: You'd be amazed at the incredible music that has been coming out of Ovation's 'plastic' guitars over the past 40 years or so. (I don't think it's fiberglass, but it sure ain't wood.) Actually, the tops - generally considered to be the most important acoustic component - are still made from wood. Just the backs and sides that are plastic. It's bowl shaped, so it's one piece. And there's an aluminum violin in th HenryFord Greenfield museum that's supposed to have a very good sign.

Here's a partial quote of what I said' "I'd a lot rather make a wooden boat than a figreglass boat. I'd a lot rather own a wood guitar too."

You guys seem to be missing the point. "I" do not want to make a guitar, or a boat, out of anything but wood. If someone else wants to make either from anything other than wood, that is teir choice. As far as listening to music, I don't care what the instrument is made from - it would seem that some of you have apparently never heard of, or heard, a gut-bucket bass, or other homemade instruments. The quality of the music depends on the musician, whatever the instrument is made from. I may have to put in my powertools music CD when I drive to town today.

JOAT Custom philosophizing done. No job too small; must be indoor work, with no heavy lifting.

[ls1mike]

Indeed! While a true master can finesse the Pieta from a lowly lump of rock, or a symphony from a long neck Schlitz bottle, mere mortals need the crutch of good acoustic tone. To that end, the 'plastic' body of an Ovation is not lacking, IMO.

[Swingman]

Bingo! ... From firsthand experience/observation, Itzhak Perlman can make an early 20th century Montgomery Ward "student violin" sound like an 18th century Cremona instrument.

Or, as guitarist Tony Rice aptly puts it when remarking upon a similar discussion: "The tone is ultimately in the hands (of the player)".