Steel Guitar Builder

Hi everyone,
I have started to build my next 'steel', here are a couple of pics of the new changer unit.

Best regards to all

Ron Mc

Nice!

Looking good Ron, is this your own design

Hi Geoff,

Yes this is my own idea, I have learned a few things from building the first steel and thought I would incorporate the ideas in this one.

How is your progress? are you getting accustomed to that router yet.

Best Regards Ron Mc.

Hi Ron,

I'm just about finished getting my workshop ready, a few things left to set up & then I can get started. I built a router table with a cheapo router a friend gave me, I eventually bought the Erbaur router when it was reduced to £100, unfortunately I had to re-jig the table to suit, which was quite a bit of work but all sorted now.

Got a few things to sort out with the saw, then I can go for it. I have the plan all drawn up.

I have a scrap piece of mahogony which I'm going to use to experiment with the top board design, which is the most complicated piece and hopefully eliminate any mistakes on my part before starting for real on the Walnut. If the mahogony board also works out OK, I can get another piece and duplicate the bottom board at a later date, which would mean I could produce two identical guitars in different woods.

Anyway, the short answer is, I'm getting there but there's a bit more to it than I first thought and I want to make a good job of it, so I'm taking my time. Your changer design looks really solid BTW

Ron,

That is seriously nice work. Way to go!

Will C

Ron, this style of changer finger has me a little puzzled. Where the fabricated lower finger joins the brass upper piece, there's a pivot pin, which transmits the movement of the lower part into the upper part to raise or lower. To raise is clear: the rod pulls, the bottom end of the lower finger is against an abutment, so it pivots around that point, taking the top of the lower finger, and the bottom of the brass piece, with it.

So far so good.

What puzzles me is the "lower" action. When you pull the bottom end of the lower finger away from the abutment, the top goes the other way, assisted by the string tension. But where is the point that it pivots around? Is it the restraining action of one of the "raise" rods and its follower part way up the lower finger? And if so, which one? Or is there another abutment within the body, behind the lower half of the finger?

If there isn't another abutment, it just seems to me that the leverage ratio for the "lower" action would depend on where the "raise" follower engages with the lower half of the finger, that's all. Seems unpredictable, if you see what I mean.

I've only ever really looked at the "conventional" scissor-type finger, not the "Gluck" type, which yours seems to be derived from. Gluck's has fixed leverage ratios with those pivoting blocks, yours has variable ratios depending on where those individual "followers" engage the lower half of the finger.

And if that hasn't banjaxed the lot of you, I'm impressed!

Will

Hi Will,

Here is a quick 'lash up' which should explain the principle. It requires 2 fixed stop's

Best Regards Ron Mc

Thanks Ron, I was thinking there must be an upper fixed stop somewhere, all is clear now. Nice work. Looks like the brass pins for the rod to bear against need to be installed from the side - I'm guessing they go in before the changer is assembled? This is pretty workmanship.

A little further with the 'Changer' unit