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Mountain dulcimer with celtic theme

Project by JonJ posted 281 days ago 656 views 5 times favorited 41 comments Add to Favorites
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JonJ

60 posts in 325 days


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Mountain dulcimer with celtic theme Mountain dulcimer with celtic theme Mountain dulcimer with celtic theme Click the pictures to enlarge them

I built this for a co-worker of my wife who wanted to give it as a gift to her husband. She wanted a celtic inscription inside, so I went with an overall celtic knot theme. The overlay on the soundboard may deaden the sound a bit, but It’s not so bad I wouldn’t do it again.

I bought some walnut from our local mill, and it went every which way when I resawed it. I wound up using some that was stashed in the loft of our old barn. It was probably 50 yrs old at least, and sawed by my grandpa who I never knew…he passed 5 years before I was born.

The top is made from birch…I’ll probably stick with some type of conifer from now on.

The case was made from oak, with a velour over foam insert cut to match the dulcimer. The outside of the case was masked and sprayed with dye for the knot accents.

The handle is little brass hinges riveted to a stuffed and stitched leather strap- I have to make some more things with handles…It worked too good to not do it again!

These pictures are not the greatest…I never did get a good overall shot, but maybe they’ll give some idea.
My wife got a new camera for Christmas- maybe my future projects will have better pix!

-- Jon


41 comments so far

View Thos. Angle's profile

Thos. Angle

3236 posts in 447 days


posted 281 days ago

Personally, I think this may be one of the most impressive dulcimers I’ve seen. We don’t see as many in the west as you do in the east but I still love the sound.

-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon

View MsDebbieP's profile

MsDebbieP

11926 posts in 645 days


posted 281 days ago

oooh my goodness.
The knots are amazing. And I agree about the handle – you definitely have to continue using them. It is beautiful in itself.

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

View lazyfiremaninTN's profile

lazyfiremaninTN

418 posts in 438 days


posted 281 days ago

Absolutely Fantastic…...I’m in utter awww

-- Adrian ..... The 11th Commandment...."Thou Shalt Not Buy A Wobble Dado"

View whit's profile

whit

26 posts in 462 days


posted 281 days ago

Very nice work, Jon.

-- Even if to be nothing more than a bad example, everything serves a purpose.

View TreeBones's profile

TreeBones

1409 posts in 508 days


posted 281 days ago

Very impreseve, a real treasure.

-- Ron, Twain Harte, Ca. Portable on site Sawmill Service http://westcoastlands.net/Sawmill.html http://westcoastlands.net/SawBucks2/phpBB3

View CharlieM1958's profile

CharlieM1958

4192 posts in 703 days


posted 281 days ago

Totally amazing! Without a doubt, it is the finest dulcimer I’ve ever seen.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

View Greg3G's profile

Greg3G

641 posts in 570 days


posted 281 days ago

Stunning work. I’m at a loss for words.

-- Greg - Charles Town, WV

View TomFran's profile

TomFran

2360 posts in 479 days


posted 281 days ago

Beautiful woodwork!

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

View Dadoo's profile

Dadoo

1536 posts in 475 days


posted 281 days ago

Wow Jon! You’ve done it again bro! Very nice project here.

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

View rikkor's profile

rikkor

7670 posts in 359 days


posted 281 days ago

These are undoubtedly the finest dulcimers I have ever seen.

-- Maplewood, MN

View Dick, & Barb Cain's profile

Dick, & Barb Cain

5067 posts in 784 days


posted 281 days ago

Astounding craftsmanship,, & one of the most beautiful dulcimers I’ve ever seen.

I love the Celtic knot theme.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

View miles125's profile

miles125

920 posts in 490 days


posted 281 days ago

I didn’t know a dulcimer could be so beautiful. Thats just wonderful.

-- miles125, Alabama.."Architecture is frozen music""

View Buckskin's profile

Buckskin

483 posts in 473 days


posted 281 days ago

Excellent work, my hats off to you!

View Damocles's profile

Damocles

129 posts in 313 days


posted 281 days ago

Outstanding! Very good work!

-- Living on the square...

View lazyfiremaninTN's profile

lazyfiremaninTN

418 posts in 438 days


posted 281 days ago

Hmmmm…..Greg at a loss for words??? I doubt that

-- Adrian ..... The 11th Commandment...."Thou Shalt Not Buy A Wobble Dado"

View jockmike2's profile

jockmike2

4136 posts in 731 days


posted 281 days ago

Very, very beautiful. mike

-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com

View Betsy's profile

Betsy

1779 posts in 381 days


posted 281 days ago

I used to watch an old man in our neighborhood, Mr. Hines, make dulcimers. It was amazing work and the sound is incredible. Mr. Hines would be impressed with your work. And that, my friend, is a high compliment. Mr. Hines was had to please.

-- Betsy - GO BUCKS!

View Chip's profile

Chip

1058 posts in 577 days


posted 281 days ago

Stunning work Jon. Simply beautiful. How’s it sound?

-- Better to say nothing and be thought the fool... then to speak and erase all doubt.

View JonJ's profile

JonJ

60 posts in 325 days


posted 280 days ago

Thanks for all the compliments guys!

Sometimes it seems like in the day to day realm, noone is interested in what I’m doing. I mean, if you are in a conversation, and “herd” them into the subject of woodworking- sure, they’ll talk about it… but as you talk, are they actually thinking about what they are going to have for dinner, or what they are going to do over the weekend? Maybe they are thinking, “Boy, I wish he’d clam up and quit talking about building stuff!”

Here, I feel like I’m with friends who I could spend all day talking to about woodworking- and as my wife can attest…I probably spend more time than she would like, looking at LJ’s. She doesn’t even have to ask anymore why I’m going upstairs to log on as soon as I get home from work :)

Chip: on how it sounds- It has a nice, mellow tone- which seems to be the norm with the teardrop shape. It isn’t as loud as some I’ve made, but if I still owned it, it wouldn’t bother me, since I usually play just to relax. I’ve got bagpipes for loud :)

As an interesting side note- the traditional hourglass design that most dulcimers use produces a very crisp, sort of tinny “surround sound”. The 2 seperate chambers of that style body capture different wavelengths and release them through soundholes at either end of the instrument, actually creating 2 distinct waveforms that sound like they are in stereo. I had been around dulcimers for probably 15 years before this was pointed out, but when I compared the two styles together, you could definatley hear the diffrence! There is always something new to learn out there…

-- Jon

View MsDebbieP's profile

MsDebbieP

11926 posts in 645 days


posted 280 days ago

fascinating.

do we get a video? or a sound clip?

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

View JonJ's profile

JonJ

60 posts in 325 days


posted 280 days ago

do we get a video? or a sound clip?

Of the celtic dulcimer, or the difference between body styles? If it’s of the celtic dulcimer, I’ll see if I can borrow it from the new owner sometime and record it.

BTW, how do we post video here, link to photobucket?

-- Jon

View dennis mitchell's profile

dennis mitchell

2943 posts in 799 days


posted 280 days ago

Beautiful…just a stunning instrument. I managed to kill the sound in the one I built by using a cherry sound board…maybe I’ll get it posted and see if you can give me some advice on getting a better racket to come out of it. Yours is just awesome!

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

View JonJ's profile

JonJ

60 posts in 325 days


posted 280 days ago

Thanks Dennis!

I’m not sure what can be done for the cherry soundboard…Theres not much that can be done to make one louder, unless you want to get drastic and remove part of the neck where the bridge is, and run a bridge directly from the strings to the soundboard. I know several makers who do this to make a loud instrument to be heard in a jam session, but they have a banjo sort of twang to them. Also, it puts a lot of stress on things, as the neck is normally what carries most of the string load.

I guess if you could get the neck off of it, you could hollow it out some? I don’t know if it would be much louder, but the first dulcimer I ever built was in high school shop, and it had a hollow neck. It has cherry back and sides, but a cedar top. It is loud…ugly, but loud :)

Go ahead and post a photo of yours so we can see it, I bet it looks nice!

-- Jon

View MsDebbieP's profile

MsDebbieP

11926 posts in 645 days


posted 280 days ago

here’s The Wood Whisperer’s tutorial on posting a video.

and as for sound clips – I’ll take both. :)

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

View JonJ's profile

JonJ

60 posts in 325 days


posted 280 days ago

here’s The Wood Whisperer’s tutorial on posting a video.

thanks MsDebbie! I’ll check it out

and as for sound clips – I’ll take both. :)
I’ll see what I can come up with. Might be a while…I tend to get just a few too many irons in the fire, if you know what I mean :)

-- Jon

View Karson's profile

Karson

12902 posts in 885 days


posted 280 days ago

Great design. A very nice project.

Just beautiful

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

View Douglas Bordner's profile

Douglas Bordner

2554 posts in 549 days


posted 280 days ago

Totally a work of art. You have satisfied Euterpe the Muse of music and which ever Muse there is that inspires artistry in the working of wood. And BTW your photography compositions are pretty fine as well.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

View bigpops0259's profile

bigpops0259

122 posts in 634 days


posted 279 days ago

WOW! Very Impressive.

-- Marty Ohio

View roy's profile

roy

65 posts in 279 days


posted 277 days ago

love it very beautiful amazing work

-- tn hillbilly

View Zuki's profile

Zuki

855 posts in 562 days


posted 276 days ago

The more time I spend on this site, the more I see amazing work.

-- The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

8486 posts in 473 days


posted 273 days ago

Don’t know how I missed this one.
Great job!

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

View mot's profile

mot

4837 posts in 521 days


posted 273 days ago

Just a beautiful piece of work. Slipped past me.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

View Bob #2's profile

Bob #2

1948 posts in 506 days


posted 272 days ago

I like it too!
Great work on the carvings. How long does one usually take start to finish?

Regards
Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

View JonJ's profile

JonJ

60 posts in 325 days


posted 272 days ago

Thanks guys…
Bob, I think this one took about 2 weeks of evenings, with the majority of that being the carvings. lotta little holes to cut :)

-- Jon

View Dan Pleska's profile

Dan Pleska

73 posts in 446 days


posted 262 days ago

Beautiful dulcimer Jon! Sorry I missed it the first time around. I love the carving. I posted my dulcimer some time ago. Although I made mine from cherry, I’m told it sounds quite nice. I don’t play. It was a present for my wife and she’s just learning. It was my first attempt at making a dulcimer, or any stringed instrument for that matter. First though, I’m going to have to make a case for hers. Once she saw yours, a case moved to the top of the “honey do” list. I think I’ll make more. Next time with more carving. They are quite fun. Thanks for sharing.

-- Dan, West Virginia, http://www.danpleskaCreations.com

View plaidflannelman's profile

plaidflannelman

4 posts in 241 days


posted 238 days ago

That is incredible. Beautiful indeed. Thank you for sharing it.

-- "If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy." - Red Green

View HallTree's profile

HallTree

563 posts in 252 days


posted 238 days ago

I am a new member and a few days ago I showed off the dulcimer that I made that I thought looked nice, but yours is truly a work of art. Very nice workmanship.

-- Ron in Osseo, Minnesota

View Sergeant_Chad's profile

Sergeant_Chad

13 posts in 238 days


posted 236 days ago

This is so beautiful!! Quite impressive scrollwork!!

-- “If God dwells inside us like some people say, I sure hope He likes enchiladas, because that's what He's getting” - Jack Handey

View davidtheboxmaker's profile

davidtheboxmaker

325 posts in 290 days


posted 236 days ago

Fantastic piece of work. The Celtic carvings are really well done.

View trifern's profile

trifern

4051 posts in 252 days


posted 117 days ago

AWESOME!

-- Depend on the rabbit's foot if you will, but remember it didn't work for the rabbit.

View CelticDreamer's profile

CelticDreamer

27 posts in 139 days


posted 117 days ago

This is an absolutely beautiful piece, Jon! As my handle infers, I’m a big fan of Celtic history and art and you have shared with us the perfect balance of both. Thanks so much!

-- last night I played a blank tape at full volume - the mime next door went nuts!

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