Jim Ash And Our Side Benders

One of the most important folks at Folkcraft is my Dad (and Richard's), Jim. Since he has "retired" he has done a lot of work in our shop. He makes almost all of the dulcimer heads and bends almost all of the sides.

Making some dulcimer heads

We have eight different side benders in our shop that range from over 40 years old to just a couple of years old. The basic concept of how they work is similar - we heat a metal form to about 250 degrees, moisten the sides, put them in the bender and compress them. After a few minutes, we have bent sides that hold their shape.

We are still using the original FolkRoots side benders that were built by Howard Rugg in California in the 1970s. These side benders (we have an hourglass and a teardrop bender) use the heating elements from waffle irons that Howard bought at a Salvation Army store in Santa Cruz, California.

Original FolkRoots, 40+ year old side benders, born in California

The Folkcraft side benders were built by David Marks in Winsted, Connecticut. They are more modern and incorporate flexible silicone heating pads and pneumatics, but they work basically the same way as the older FolkRoots benders.

Original Folkcraft side benders, born in Connecticut

Our most recent side benders were built here in Indiana by my Dad and me. They follow the same principles as the other benders, but include better pneumatics and computer controlled heating.

Folkcraft ukulele side benders, born in Indiana