The ongoing epic tale of the making of a new gourd banjo design continues...
The image above is the banjo "spine" after the first hour or so of the table saw and radial arm saw, a few days ago. Today I removed material from the thick center section with the radial arm saw and a chisel and spent a few hours with my belt sander armed with 40(!) grit. I was taught to do this sort of thing with rasps and files, so the belt sander is a guilty pleasure. I know it's wrong, but I've decided that I'm not a real luthier, I'm a musician--I just want to get this instrument finished and in my hands! This machine is also the perfect tool for evening up the handsaw cut on the gourd, too. So, it seems that I am not above power-carving with the belt sander.
