Here’s a great project submitted by David, let’s check it out:
My iPod Touch update made it easy to get video podcasts and I stumbled across your site. I was quite impressed with your clarity and ease of delivery. Anyway, the pinnacle of my woodworking experience thus far is a hammer dulcimer I made from a kit sold here in Stillwater, MN. It has a Baltic birch frame with a red cedar soundboard. It was literally a labor of love for a friend. I bought the basic kit that included the plans and hardware, but purchased the wood myself. Following the plans and prints was very easy, but the bridges were the most complex pieces of wood I ever made. I borrowed a completed stand from the store to take measurements to build my own, and designed and built the case myself. I used an electronic tuning fork to tune the dulcimer and it played like a dream. Musicmaker’s also sells complete kits as well as the finished instruments.
Pretty Neat! What wood is is? Did you make the box and stand too?
Thanks for your comments. The base of the dulcimer is 1/4 Baltic Birch plywood, the sides are built-up layers of 3/4 Baltic Birch, the inner supports and bridges are solid maple and the sound board is 3/8 edge glued quarter-sawn red cedar. The stand is made of solid maple and the box is 1/2 Baltic Birch for the sides and 1/4 for the top and bottom. I lined the box with blue felt and built partitions to hold the stand, the dulcimer and spare hardware. I probably put 50 hours into it over the course of a summer.
Lovely! Music and woodworking. My two favorite hobbies.
Thanks for the compliment. I made this for a friend who had cancer and she said it was the nicest present she ever got.
Very nice dulcimer. Would this be an instrument that a luthier would make? I know they make guitars and violins, but I don’t know if they make dulcimers as well. Anyway, Great job and keep up the good work!
This was one of many kits that MusicMakers in Stillwater sells. It was the most complex woodworking project I ever tackled, but the directions were easy to follow. Anyone with moderate woodworking skills could make this dulcimer, especially as there aren’t any complex joints to make. Thanks for the compliment.
I saw your post and pictures of the hammered dulcimer that you built. Looks great. I purchased the kit from Music Makers too but I’m currently in need of plans and dimensions for the stand. Are you able to share the measurements and plans for the hammer dulcimer stand that you built?
Thanks,
Jeff
Thanks for the info on where to get the parts. My son, who is a drummer, wants to try the dulcimer and it’s GOT to be cheaper to build one.
Very nice. I am repeatedly impressed by the quality of the work done by the craftsman on this site.
Yo whats up thats cool how long did it take to build that
Nice project!
I have always found it amazing how instruments under tension like yours (and pianos) stay nice and flat over their life! The detail is nice and i hope the finish is durable as i sure it will be played a lot.
techie
I always wondered what those things were called. My daughter was given a simpler version years ago from a relative and enjoyed it very much.
Very nice piece of work. And to think I only shaved my head for a friend with cancer.
Wonderful job on the hammer dulcimer! Building a kit was definitely the way to go. I built one for my wife a few years ago. I built it from scratch. I did find information and simple plans on the internet but most of what I did was from just looking at other hammer dulcimers. It was a difficult project. But they are fun to make.
I’ve always noticed one of the cool things about making instruments is that you get a double kick out of the project. 1st if it looks good and second when it sounds good.
Nice job!
Nice job. A musical instrument is a very satisfying woodworking project. It not only looks beautiful, but it sings.
DD
I need to search around to hear what these sound like, but they look pretty cool. Like I said I will do some research but is it hard to play?? I have 2 kids 8 and 6 that might like this sort of thing, have to see. And you being in Stillwater is pretty cool as well, I live just south of Redwood Falls-so in our large woodworking community we are neighbors!! Great job,
Nate
I am constantly amazed at musical instruments. For some reason, I tend to think that the people who make them have spent their entire lives as an apprentice to someone, before they can turn out such amazing things like this.
I ran across someone at a RenFaire a decade back who made some of these, in two sizes, as well as harps and the Appalachian version that the site has available. I don’t remember the woods he used, but I know it had a color very similar to Honey Oak. He did not have stands, however. His case was angled on one end to support the dulcimer as the stand.
On yours, I think the stand just completes the project. Very nicely done. (Now. Can you play it?) ;)
what a wonderful piece of work. Something about wood + art + function + music…
Beautiful hammer dulcimer. The case is a nice touch too. I made a mountain dulcimer with plans from Music Makers. They have a great assortment of instrument plans.
I am building my first Mountain Dulcimer from a kit. Any suggestions> bassplayer246@verizon.net
Sam
Wonderful work!