![\"\"](\"http:\/\/leopardshark.com\/music\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/P1030400.jpg\" "\\"P1030400\\"")
<\/a>Triple-checking calculations and measurements<\/p><\/div>\n
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<\/a>Last checks before cutting the bars<\/p><\/div>\n
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<\/a>Preparing to cut with the chop saw<\/p><\/div>\n
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<\/a>Table saw from mars…<\/p><\/div>\n
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Paul and I have a healthy respect for the table saw. Each time, before I turn it on, I say “Clear!” and Paul responds “yes”.\u00a0 Its spinning blade is frightening.\u00a0 I push the boards through, and Paul uses a small stick to keep the pieces flat and then pull them the last bit.<\/p>\n
Some pictures from our improved key-shaping process used earlier this week:<\/p>\n
<\/a>Tracing the shape for the arch<\/p><\/div>\n
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<\/a>Marking the arch we will cut slightly smaller than the previous key<\/p><\/div>\n
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<\/a>Using the router to cut the arch<\/p><\/div>\n
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<\/a>Shaping the arch with the belt sander<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Shaping the bar (stop action via the flash)<\/p><\/div>\n
This project is enormous.\u00a0 I don’t think Paul or I fully appreciated the scale of our undertaking.\u00a0 We have shape-tuned (to within 1 whole note) 12 keys.\u00a0 Each takes 30 minutes.\u00a0 That leaves about 25 hours of shaping plus 2 more hours of cutting the remaining 11 keys. It will probably take another 30 minutes per bar to do final sanding, oiling, and drilling of the hole, and another 30 minutes per bar to final tune each — or roughly 90 more hours.\u00a0 Even with 5 hrs on each weekend and 2 hours during the week, it will take us 3 more months.\u00a0 Complicating this, are 2 business trips to Japan and 1 trip to China in the next few months.\u00a0 Yikes. If we really work hard, maybe we can have something ready to play by the end of May….<\/p>\n
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Today we ripped 25 keys in a little more than 3 hours in the garage.\u00a0 Whew! It is hard to imagine how someone would build a marimba with hand tools.\u00a0 We have all but 11 keys of the 61 key … Continue reading