The progress reports
Each week we update this page with new photos of instruments in progress. The updates will usually be sometime on Monday, which is the end of our work week.
We hope that you enjoy seeing the progress on your instrument and those of others who have them on order.
Week ending March 10, 2003
It's spring, and the Thundercloud plum is flowering. We pruned some branches and Cali brought them inside for some spring color.
VG36: making an alignment jig for the new keybox size and new tailpiece design
VG36: using the jig to align the keybox with the centerline
VG36: milling the keybox tenons for the mortices in the peghead
VG36: gluing the end block into the keybox
VG37: the drone strings are on
VG39: boring and countersinking the peghead for the tuning machines
VG39: the peghead and chanter bridge are glued on, and Cali is fitting and gluing the top keys
VG40: Cali working on the binding
VG40: sanding the ends of the binding plaques flush
VG40: gluing in the keybox end block
Justin's VG: Finishing, finishing, finishing...still. This is a wonderful, tough finish, but it takes a while to get it to build sufficiently to protect the instrument.
Justin has also been making some tools: a small custom screwdriver and two bearing adjustment tools, one for each bearing.
(no photo)
The Pajot: the wheel is banded and ready to shape
(no photo)
The Colson: the wheel angle has presented a bit of a problem: the original builder or an earlier restorer did not set the shaft angle correctly, so extensive calculation will be needed to determine the solution. Imagine a series of equations defining lines that all converge on one point in space...
Lute-guitar: the soundboard with the remnants of the rose and bridge removed
The rain has been encouraging the ferns in the back yard trees to grow vigorously.
The same rains and mild temperatures have also encouraged the blackberries, the nettles (a patch of young ones at left) and the stickery vine berries that I don't know what they are but really hate anyway. Most of the plants in the foreground have been cleared since the photo - instead of walking or biking, I've been getting up a little earlier and doing yardworkfor exercise. Good thing we have a hot tub.
RTDWHG: Are we seeing double? Those look like oversized cranks.
RTDWHG: Now it's never going to hold water! We're laser-cutting some access panels in the back.
RTDWHG: looks like the work of the Marquis de Sade...all those clamps...or perhaps a somewhat cubist jack-o-lantern?
RTDWHG: perhaps a model for a shark mask: look at all those teeth...
RTDWHG: the access panels are all fastened into place
RTDWHG: OK, let's get this straight: 2 cranks, 2 shafts, 2 wheels: it could only be....
... a double-wheeled hurdy-gurdy!!
See other weeks for more pictures.
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Alden and Cali Hackmann
Olympic Musical Instruments
Beati illi qui in circulum circumeunt, fient enim magnae rotae.
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