Author Archives: jimblack

jay_stoddart_banjo_8803b

Jay Stoddart’s Banjo

Jay was one of my pupils at Royal High School.  This instrument was his ‘course project’ for the Practical Craft Skills (PCS) course.  He completed it in February 2013.

The project was prior verified for use on the PCS course in 2012 but unfortunately, as thing stand, SQA will not allow it to be used for the the new Practical Woodworking course: a very odd decision and an opportunity missed.  Teenagers are passionate about their music and many would opt to build a guitar (or at least a banjo that plays like a guitar) – rather than the three projects currently available – given the opportunity.

The square rim / pot was evolved to satisfy Practical Craft Skills course requirements to incorporate housing joints in the model.

The neck of Jay’s banjo is built from laminated layers of pine, with a purple heart fingerboard.  The peg head veneers are purple heart and ash. The turned resonator spacers and the tail piece are also purple heart.  Unlike most of the banjos featured on this site, Jay’s doesn’t have a brass tone ring.  Instead, the calf skin is stretched over the pine rim / pot.

High resolution photos of Jay’s banjo are available at Royal High CDT’s Flickr account:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/cdtlog/sets/72157632117559887/

Andrew Graham's Banjitar

Andrew Graham’s Banjitar

A banjitar is a six string banjo, tuned like a guitar.  If you can play a guitar, you can play banjitar.  Taylor Swift plays a banjitar (though not a square one).

Andrew was one of my pupils at Royal High School.  This instrument was his ‘course project’ for the Practical Craft Skills (PCS) course.  He completed it at the end of April 2013.

The project was prior verified for use on the PCS course in 2012 but unfortunately, as thing stand, SQA will not allow it to be used for the the new Practical Woodworking course: a very odd decision and an opportunity missed.  Teenagers are passionate about their music and many would opt to build a guitar (or at least a banjo that plays like a guitar) – rather than the three projects currently available – given the opportunity.

The square rim / pot was evolved to satisfy Practical Craft Skills course requirements to incorporate housing joints in the model.

High resolution photos of Andrew’s banjitar are available at Royal High CDT’s Flickr account:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cdtlog/sets/72157631884681518/

Evie Hunter's Banjitar

Evie Hunter’s Banjitar

A banjitar is a six string banjo, tuned like a guitar.  If you can play a guitar, you can play banjitar.  Taylor Swift plays a banjitar (though not a square one).

Evie was one of my pupils at Royal High School.  This instrument was her ‘course project’ for the Practical Craft Skills (PCS) course.  She completed it at the end of April 2013 and it plays really well: see the embedded video recording below where Royal High School pupil Ross Cockburn puts it through its paces.

The project was prior verified for use on the PCS course in 2012 but unfortunately, as thing stand, SQA will not allow it to be used for the the new Practical Woodworking course: a very odd decision and an opportunity missed.  Teenagers are passionate about their music and many would opt to build a guitar (or at least a banjo that plays like a guitar) – rather than the three projects currently available – given the opportunity.

The square rim / pot was evolved to satisfy Practical Craft Skills course requirements to incorporate housing joints in the model.

High resolution photos of Evie’s banjitar are available at Royal High’s Flickr site:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cdtlog/sets/72157633389913827/

Mark Notman's Banjo

Marc Notman’s Banjo

Marc was one of my pupils at Royal High.  While in sixth year he worked on this banjo as part of the ’16 Plus’ initiative. Between November 2011 and March 2012, he spent an hour working on it, one afternoon a week.  He got about half way through the build before leaving school.  More than a year later, when he hadn’t popped in to the department to finish it, I completed it. That was in April 2013.  I now have the banjo at home and it’s one of my favourites to play.

The neck is a tropical hardwood with an oak finger board with poplar dots.  The peg head also has an oak veneer and has routed slots.

The rim is block built, from twenty-four segments glued together and turned at the wood lathe.  It is almost entirely oak.  A brass tone ring, rolled and soldered at school, sits below the stretched calf skin.  The skin is held in place with furniture tacks: a tack head arrangement.

Aluminium brackets, cast at school, combine with hardwood wedges to hold the neck to the rim.

High resolution versions of the photos are available at our Flickr account:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cdtlog/sets/72157633419995973/