Strine Posted May 12, 2007 Share Posted May 12, 2007 Twice now I've been threatened with all manner of nasty reprisals for not posting in "several weeks". No I haven't, I've just been twice reminded I'm not actively engaged in this site at the moment. So why aren't I posting? Well, you see, I've been carrying two monkeys on my back, the first for quite some time and the second for about twelve months. For close to three years I've been working on some way to make circles out of 4" x 3/8" x 5' of hardwood and then cover the circle with a suitably prepared animal skin. My shed looks more like a pipe factory with all the failures hanging in the rafters. Each attempt has it's own story to tell as to what went wrong. Some even border on being acceptable but seeing as how the finished article is for me, it has to be perfect. Nevertheless I think I'm getting close. The other is the manufacture of a musical instrument (see avatar) which I embarked upon last year. It comprises well over 2000 parts made of either wood, steel, brass, leather, linen or bone. Some of the parts allow less than a few thou tolerance, while other parts allow the luxury of...gee...1/4 of a mm. Anybody got a good method of skiving leather to about 0.004 or 0.005 of an inch? Lately all my computer time has been involved in research or design of either of the above two monkeys at least in an attempt to get rid of one. There is only enough time left to simply pop into IFI and have a quick gander. Unless the poster is in grave danger lest I personally set him right or a post is strikingly interesting, I can't afford the time. In any case I think I'm upto about 418 posts which should tide me over for a while yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted May 12, 2007 Share Posted May 12, 2007 to make circles out of 4" x 3/8" x 5' of hardwoodyou doing this the easy way or the hard way? (think of easy and hard in blacksmithing terms) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted May 12, 2007 Share Posted May 12, 2007 It would seem that Strine has been lured away from the craft of blacksmithingSome of the parts allow less than a few thou tolerance, while other parts allow the luxury of...gee...1/4 of a mm.Metal is rather stable in dimension, but even metal will expand when heated (rail road steel gets longer from a cold night to after the sun hits it of a morning). I know that wood expands with both heat and humidity, but can you imagine the pages and pages of math calculations if you are using say 5 different woods in a project each expanding at different rates? Can you take the prized instrument from your controlled home air conditioned environment and play an outdoor concert without expansion or variations in tonal quality. Say the jam session later is lengthened by a couple of beers. (Let us not consider the tonal quality of extra beer may impart, we are talking just the wood here.) Is the expansion of the wood and tonal quality of the instrument affected as both the temperature and the dew can fall as the night wears on? What about the side of the instrument toward the fire being exposed to radiant heat? WOODWORKERS, NOW IS YOUR CHANCE !! If you can help solve Strine's problem, he will then have time to return to IForgeIron and beating on metal. Think how great it would be when the bloke at a concert compliments him on the sound of the instrument. Strine could say he found the answer to his problem on a blacksmithing site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale Russell Posted May 12, 2007 Share Posted May 12, 2007 G'Day Strine , mate , splittin' leather , easy . First how wide is the material to be split ? There's 2 machines that'll do the job , a slitter & the others a skiver , both are used in the footwear ind . If Hollandia was still on the cnr down the road from you & i was still workin' there i'd bung it through for youse meself , but that ain't gonna work . Look around for a leather supplier / footwear manufacturer , give em a call , tell em youse prob , they maybe able ta help youse out or point youse in the rite direction Hope this info i'll save youse a little grief mate Barin' that bloke , i've still some contact's in footwear ind , if youse don't ave any luck the other way i maybe able ta talk ta 1 of me mate's about gettin' it done for youse Dale Russell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobStrawn Posted May 12, 2007 Share Posted May 12, 2007 WOODWORKERS, NOW IS YOUR CHANCE !! If you can help solve Strine's problem, he will then have time to return to IForgeIron and beating on metal. Think how great it would be when the bloke at a concert compliments him on the sound of the instrument. Strine could say he found the answer to his problem on a blacksmithing site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Posted May 16, 2007 Share Posted May 16, 2007 A concertina has over 200 parts?! :o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strine Posted May 16, 2007 Author Share Posted May 16, 2007 Reeds-60 Reed shoes -60 Reed clamps -60 Reed clamp screws -120 (purchased ready made) Reed plates -2 Valve boards -2 Valve pads -60 consisting 4 distincts bits to be made = 240 Valve levers + air levers -62 Valve springs -62 Valve lever posts -62 Buttons -32 consisting 3 distinct bits = 96 Button sleeves +32 Bellows boards -96 bellows hinges (internal) -48 Bellows hinges (external) -42 x 2 =84 Gussets -63 Bellows papers -96 So far thats 1355 approx and there's still the ends, the straps, and all the ancilliary hardware such as screws and thread inserts etc oh and of course a nice box to carry it in! 2000!!! Maybe that might be too many but it's certainly a concervative estimate on how many parts there SEEMS to be:rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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