Finally Rooster finished after a near dent disaster!

Well trying to move the bridge into the correct space caused a week of stress and head scratching thinking. The rear of the tin caved in as I removed too much from the tail piece to get the bridge in the right spot.

I had to rebuild the base and tweak a new tail piece. I think it sounds the best ever so a job well done.

Sorting out The Rooster

I've stripped the strings and pegs of the Rooster and righting some wrongs. I've added some inlay to increase the neck width as on the 4th string by the 2nd fret it was slightly too narrow ( making anything on the 4th string tricky).

Ive put D tuners on my banjo so I've got two nice tuners to put on the Rooster and I bought another two so I have 4 good tuning pegs to put on.

I'm very pleased with the outcome and the sound it makes, both acoustically and electrically!! Video to follow.

Keeping Jake busy when he was off school.

Jake's school closed on Friday, so to keep him busy he came into school with me. I challenged him to make a rustic stool from some old Holly timber I had left. Check it out:

Lucy's Ukuele box - Solid Ash

I am making for Lucy a solid Ash case for her ukulele. I have lined it with lovely aqua coloured fur.

foam cut to fit allowing space for the lining.

Lining all in place and the wood cut.

What a snug fit.

Ash glued together for the lid and the base.

The lid being glued in place.

 

 

The workshop in the snow.

Snowy photos to follow...

Lorcán in the workshop.

Wood burner on and Lorcán working in a wooden plane.

Lorcán working the health and safety to the max!

My sister Sonia's 40th birthday present.

Today is a lovely snowy day. So the wood burner on and off I go down the garden to make my sister Sonia a birthday present for her 40th.

I am using a piece of wood that I got with the boys on our last camping trip - Wild Eyed Billy Trip 6, The Horsebox.

The Wild Eyed Billy Trips have happened since 2006. Jake, Lorcán and I always go camping. It has to be a fantastic experience that is not the norm! Hence the horsebox, poncho Polish army tents - that leak, Yurts that I set fire to...the story is all being documented in our Wild Eyed Billy Book - that's another blog.

Using some splinted pegs for the joining
of the wood at the corners.

A lovely piece of wood!

All cut and clamped whilst gluing.

I am using this natural bend as part of
the photo frame.

This is a photo of Sonia, me and Lorraine on Sonia's 8th birthday.
I am the one clutching the dolly - very funny!

The  corners have half lap joint
and I have used splints of the
 wood for dowel rods.

Finished with the addition of some vintage chain.

Some tree trunk carving on our
Wild Eyed Billy Trip - The Horsebox.

The poncho tent in the garden. The
boys camped out in it.

The Horsebox in the woods.