This
page is from the chapter on the Celtic harp, but seems to be needed
here.
To
make the neck and pillar of the Celtic harp, the following timber
is required:
No.
required |
Description |
Long |
Wide |
Thick |
Material |
1 |
Plank
for neck |
700 |
210 |
18 |
Mahogany,
oak or sapele |
1 |
Plank
for neck |
1400 |
210 |
12 |
1 |
Plank
for pillar |
1100 |
170 |
18 |
2 |
Planks
for pillar |
1100 |
170 |
12 |
The
reader will notice that the neck and pillar are made of laminated
timber which prevents them from warping under stress.
Fig..
2.1 - click for larger views
|
The
part of the neck which is jointed to the top of the body needs building
up, and a shoulder is carved as shown in Fig. 2.1. This is best done
with a rasp and gouge.
Make
a tracing of the neck and pillar on transparent drawing paper, Fig.
2.1. Transfer the tracing to your timber by means of carbon paper.
then cut 10 shape, preferably with a bandsaw. The joint between pillar
and neck can either be a dovetail joint, or it can be secured with
two 12mm dia dowels. If the dovetail joint has been chosen it is necessary
to account for the length of the tenon before cutting the timber to
shape, this tenon being 15mm long.
When
all the timber is cut out, glue the three pieces together and clamp
overnight then remove excess glue and glasspaper.
The
base of the pillar is secured to the body by means of a carriage bolt
and the hole for this should be drilled as near as possible to the
base frame so that the nut can be tightened from inside.
It
is an advantage not to join up the pillar and neck permanently at
this stage. If the joints were made true, the harp can be assembled
and even strung temporarily in order to mark the holes for the tuning
blades. In any case, the only joint that needs glueing later is the
one between the neck and pillar. The other joints (the neck to the
top and the pillar to the base) are better left dry, that is to say
without any glue: these two joints are not square. Pillar and neck
are slightly out of upright, two degrees to the left (see end of chapter
3). A harp made this way can easily be dismantled for repairs or adjustments,
whereas if it were glued it would be impossible.
Do
not forget the little saddle between shoulder and body which provides
an easy means for registration of the two parts.
