DIY Network

Old-Time Banjo, Part 5: The Tone Ring From "Handmade Music" episode DHMM-208

	The old-time banjo's sound is augmented by a tone ring and resonator.

In this second installment of DIY's three-episode Handmade Music series focusing on the banjo, a custom old-time banjo continues its evolution. Craftsman Dave Ball uses building techniques that, compared to the precise and rigid methods used to build many stringed instruments, might generally be described as "freehand."

In this second episode, Dave shifts focus from the neck to the banjo rim. In building the rim Dave first acquires a raw blank from George Wunderlich, a luthier who specializes in bending maple stock with steam and pressure. After receiving the rough rim, Dave shapes it with a lathe. A tone ring is created next. Using a hard resonate tropical wood called padauk, Dave creates a "ring" that attaches to the rim like a cap on the upper end. Next, a resonator is crafted and joined with the rim, and here the difference in old-time and bluegrass banjos becomes apparent. The show comes to a close with Dave preparing the rim's dowel stick. The dowel stick is a key component in joining the rim and neck. That sets the stage for the final part of the banjo series when the rim and neck are united, and the banjo is completed.

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	Luthier Dave Ball plays a handmade old-time banjo.
	Dave Ball creates the banjo's tone-ring from nine pieces of African padauk wood.

The old-time banjo is the style of instrument used primarily in traditional old-time string bands. Instrument-maker and musician Dave Ball has played and made this style for years.

In the previous episode we were introduced to this instrument and the basics of how it is constructed. Then Dave demonstrated the techniques for creating a banjo neck from curly maple stock. Dave's work included rough cutting and precision-cuts, and his craftsmanship could be described as a mix of woodwork and geometry.

Dave also fashioned an ebony fingerboard that attached to the maple neck. The end result of this project, like all of Dave's creations, will be a one-of-a-kind banjo, but one whose inspiration has an historical basis. Though he doesn't make exact replicas, his designs follow some basic styles and are inspired by the banjos from the instrument's past era, particularly some of those of the classic banjo makers of Boston. He leaves room, however, for design modifications based on the wishes of his customer -- and his own creative instincts.

Figure A

Old-Time Banjo: Tone Ring

Thus far in the process, Dave has prepared a rim from a rough blank. A lathe was used to get an exact dimension. He's ready now to take the rim one step further, starting with the tone ring (figure A).

A tone ring is a sound-enhancer that sits atop the rim of a banjo beneath the head. The most common tone rings lean heavily on science to forge rings of metal. Dave, however, keeps things organic.

This tone ring's evolution begins at the table saw where Dave rips a half-inch length of a strong African hardwood known as padauk. "The acoustical qualities of the padauk," Dave says, "give the banjo a certain tone that I happen to like."

Next he makes forty degree miter cuts on each end of nine four-inch pieces (figure B).

When the pieces are joined together with epoxy glue, a nine-sided cylinder is formed. Once the glue dries, Dave checks the tone by rapping sharply on the ring with his knuckle (figure C). He hopes to hear a sustained resonate response when the wood ring is tapped.

Figure B

Figure C

If it passes the test Dave sends the tone ring through a thickness sander until it's about a half inch thick. Next he joins the tone ring to the top of the rim with epoxy (figures D and E).

Figure D

Figure E

Figure F

When using epoxy glue, as compared to ordinary yellow woodworker's glue, extra care has to be taken to create a tight joint but to avoid glue squeeze-out.

With the two pieces now joined together, Dave turns the nine-sided shape into a ring. First he cuts away big chunks of wood using a jig saw (figure F).

Then finer work ensues on a lathe (figures G and H). He makes several small passes refining the dimensions. A banjo hoop is used to measure progress.

Figure G

Figure H

	Figure I
	Figure J
	Figure K
	Figure L

When Dave gets close to the desired thickness, he works the rim and the tone ring with sandpaper (figure I). The ultimate effect is a continuous glassy surface spanning the two pieces of wood, with the two elements joined together as one unified piece. The next step for the rim is to drill the holes that will later accept the hardware. Dave uses a jig that allows him to drill the holes so that they are perfectly perpendicular to the surface using a drill press.

Before drilling, he measures and marks the holes (figure J) that will match up with a tension hoop that actually holds the head down.

In addition to the shoe-bolt-holes, Dave needs one large hole drilled for the neck to attach to the rim. He places that large hole directly at the seam of the rim (figure K) to help conceal the seam and lamination. And he's got a good tip for its placement.

With the marks laid out, Dave drills through each one at the drill press (figure L).

Materials and tools used in this project:

Maple stock
Padauk stock
Ebony stock
Kerfed lining
Table saw
Band saw
Lathe
Drum sander
Drill press
Hand-held router
Pantograph router
Hand saw
Epoxy glue
Woodworker's glue
Clamps
Clothespins
Sandpaper and sanding blocks

Safety Alert: Always wear safety goggles or safety glasses when
working with wood, power-tools, saws, drills, routers, etc.

In the segment that follows, work begins on the banjo's internal resonator.

RESOURCES :

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(Publications of the American Folklore Society New Series)
Author: Cecelia Conway
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Publisher: University of Tennessee Press (1995)
To order this book from Amazon.com, click here.

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(Music in American Life)
Author: Karen Linn
Publisher: University of Illinois Press; Illini Books ed edition (August 1994)
ISBN: 025206433X
To order this book from Amazon.com, click here.

America's Instrument: The Banjo in the Ninteenth Century
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To order this book from Amazon.com, click here.

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Author: Patrick Costello
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To order this book from Amazon.com, click here.

Jubilee Community Arts is a regional, community cultural center dedicated to preserving and presenting the traditional arts of the Southern Appalachians. The organization's stated mission is "to promote, preserve and present the performing arts of the Southern region and to nurture the cultural milieu responsible for the birth and evolution of these and related art forms." The organization owns and operates the Laurel Theater, a 19th century converted church located in the Fort Sanders community of Knoxville. The building now houses an acoustically and visually excellent concert hall and archives of concert and field recordings.
Web site: www.jubileearts.org

Clawhammer Style Banjo
Author: Ken Perlman
Publisher: Centerstream Publications (1989)
ISBN: 0931759331
To order this book from Amazon.com, click here.

How to Play the 5-String Banjo
Author: Pete Seeger
Publisher: Music Sales Corporation (3rd edition, June, 1969)
ISBN: 0825600243
To order this book from Amazon.com, click here.