Who on Earth had a momentary lapse of judgement and disliked this video? I can only hope that it was a mistake. Thanks a ton for sharing this video Noah. You've got a lot of fans from many walks of life. I myself listen to your CD while I carve my own instruments -- thanks for your help along the way.
Noah, your talent both as a luthier and musician (and marksman :)) never ceases to impress me. Truly outstanding! One day I would like to order one of your banjos...
Been slowly getting into building my own mountain banjo. You’ve been a big inspiration. Can you share the name of the tool you are using to work on the neck at 1:15? Thanks!
Measurements can be whatever you’d like. My general measurements that I’ve settled on as follows: • Neck (for a 25” scale length, generally starting with a 27”x2 1/4”x 2” neck blank): 18” nut to end of fingerboard, 2 1/2” long for the neck/tab extension (the end of which will be cut to mate to the middle ring). I tend to angle the neck by creating a 1-degree angle at the base of the tab extension and heel. 1 3/8” nut width, 7/8” thick. Neck tapers to 1” right at the heel transition. 1 7/8”-2” wide at the end of the fingerboard. Peghead is generally 4.5”-5” long, 9/16”-5/8” thick, and set at a 15-degree angle. ~ 2 1/4” wide depending on design. I add fingerboards and peghead overlays to most, so I subtract the difference of the neck thickness at the nut and heel transition, and the peghead thickness to make the overall dimensions as those above. Sometimes I’ve made some with a raised fingerboard, but prefer the flush look having it the same level as the top ring. • Body: 9” diameter for top and back rings, 3/8”-1/2” thick. Middle ring is 8 1/2” diameter creating a 1/4” lip, 3/4” thick, and ranges 3/4”-1” tall depending on the other ring thickness, as I tend to make most 1 3/4” overall thickness top-back. 6” head. Head ring is made by gluing the top and middle ring cutouts, cutting it out to 6” diameter, and 1/4”-5/16” thick. The tops of metal coffee rings can be used for a head ring as well, or stovepipe, etc. Tab length on the top and back rings is 2” by 1 7/8”-2”. Dimensions can be larger or smaller than what I’ve listed, though what I’ve used tends to be in the middle. If you can get a copy of Foxfire 3, there are some general dimensions listed for Stanley Hicks and a couple others. Hope this helps. Thanks!
Amazing work Noah! I love this video. I've built a few open back banjos with a round pot, and know how to get the 1-3 degree angle on those by shaping the heel on a drum at the correct angle. How do you get your 1 degree back angle on the neck for a mountain banjo? Most I assume are just straight necked but I noticed you did a 1 degree on at least one of your banjos. It's not clear how you can do this given that type of neck assembly.
Essentially, the angle is made at the juncture of the tabs and the heel of the neck. The heel extension, positioned between the top and bottom tabs, is parallel with them with the down angle made at the end of the tabs, much like how the angle is set on an open back banjo against the rim. I’ve settled on 2 degrees as being the best angle with a 5/8” bridge - nylon strings are thicker than steel and need more room to vibrate, especially when being stopped on a fretless fingerboard.
I like to start with a vertical-laminate three-piece blank (usually each piece being 3/4”+) for a total width of at least 2 1/4” (so as to not have to glue ears on for the peghead unless using a wider shape). I’ve also done two piece necks with 1”+ pieces like the one in this video, or the same with a 3/16”-1/4” contrasting centerstrip. I like to split the board in three pieces (if wide enough) to create a book-match look on the outsides, either for the top if not using a separate fingerboard or for the back of the neck if it does have a separate fingerboard. I do the same for a two-piece as well to book-match it. For the 3-piece necks, I make sure the grain is running vertical. For the length, I like to use 27”. For the depth (height), I try for at least 2”. Thanks!
Yes, I use the bandsaw (a 9” Skil table model) to cut out pretty much every wooden component that makes up a mountain banjo. I make the neck blanks by laminating 2-3 pieces, and then run the blank through my planer, which forms the fingerboard, and then I draw the side profile of the neck and cut it out. After that, I’ll then trim up the cut surfaces on my belt sander to even the profiles up, and then cut out the front profile and peghead. I didn’t include me cutting the neck out as I had already cut it out before I started making this video.
Hi Noah! Do your banjos have an angled neck? How do you get the fretboard to be flush with the top plate where the neck is screwed into the round part?
With this method of tacking and gluing the head directly to the wooden head ring, the heads on the tacks keep it from coming through all the way, plus the string tension on the bridge keeps it in place.
Hey Noah. Does it matter if the skin is tacked to the top of the banjo or can it be tacked to the rim of a small drum frame that I'm using as the inside pot?
I’ve been making them with the head tacked directly to the inner head ring. I find it a bit easier as it can then be dropped in as opposed to the older method (which a couple of my earlier ones were made) of tacking the head into the inside of the middle ring and then having the head ring push against when the back ring is put back on as there’s more guesstimating for how much slack is needed.
I do make the head rings. I use what is cut out from the top and middle rings, glued together, and cut out, leaving the ring whole by drilling multiple holes around the circumference and then clean up the inside with a sanding drum. I’ve tacked the heads directly to the ring, but have considered going back to tacking the head to the inside (either the middle ring or the underside of the top ring), as the head tends to pull the ring slightly and it bows on the bottom, which has to be flattened again. On some of my earlier builds, I used tops and bottoms off metal coffee cans. I’ve seen others also use stove pipe (the traditional ring material as most consider), and PVC couplings. Also, hand drums with plastic heads dropped in.