Banjo Project

This section contains information on the construction of the first Voyageur Banjo.

Section Description
The Beginning Here's what some of the parts looked like prior to the start of the project.
Initial Neck Shaping Initial shaping of the neck, handstop, and heel.
Inlaying the Peghead Inlaying my inlay design into the peghead.
Inlaying the Fingerboard Inlaying my inlay design into the fingerboard.
Fretting and Binding Installing the frets and binding the neck.
Pre-Assembly test To align and mark the holes for the lag screws
Binding the Resonator Installing the binding on the resonator.
Applying the dyes Applying the dyes to color the rim, resonator, and neck.
Applying the finish Applying lacquer to the rim, resonator, and neck.
Assembly Final assembly
   
   
Inlay Process A simple step-by-step description of how I cut and inlay pearl and abalone.
Tools Here are some tools that I am using for the project.
References A list of luthier reference books and other information

 

Why Voyageur?  The name Voyageur comes from a combination of sources.  I am of French-Canadian descent, love to canoe and kayak, and have always been interested in cartography.  So this combination of inputs, and the prompting of a friend, resulted in the name and ultimately the inlay designs. (Here's a picture of my grandfather with his DOBRO. He played guitar, fiddle, and bit of mandolin.)

 

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