Folkcraft Shop Blog
Ukuleles On Sale, New Books, More!
So much good news this week, so I'll jump right in... I found a small batch of ukuleles (and a dulcilele) that Steve made back in 2011. They are now...
Ukuleles On Sale, New Books, More!
So much good news this week, so I'll jump right in... I found a small batch of ukuleles (and a dulcilele) that Steve made back in 2011. They are now...
Triple stripe dulcimers ready for shipping!
Well, it has happened. Something new for 2020. We began building a set of four dulcimers early last month - Aaron worked on some new fretboards, with inlay stripes down...
Triple stripe dulcimers ready for shipping!
Well, it has happened. Something new for 2020. We began building a set of four dulcimers early last month - Aaron worked on some new fretboards, with inlay stripes down...
Triple stripe dulcimers nearly done!
Wow - we're getting close on these triple-stripe dulcimers. All four of them will be completed by next week's newsletter. They're made of curly cherry (which is gorgeous all by...
Triple stripe dulcimers nearly done!
Wow - we're getting close on these triple-stripe dulcimers. All four of them will be completed by next week's newsletter. They're made of curly cherry (which is gorgeous all by...
New dulcimer photos!
You may remember we used to make bowed psalteries? We discontinued making them back in 2016. But... A few weeks ago, Aaron and Bonnie got the last four cleaned up...
New dulcimer photos!
You may remember we used to make bowed psalteries? We discontinued making them back in 2016. But... A few weeks ago, Aaron and Bonnie got the last four cleaned up...
Happy new year, new things in the shop!
Happy new year, and "wow!" we have a lot going on in the shop right now. Check out this photo: You may have to look closely, or squint a little....
Happy new year, new things in the shop!
Happy new year, and "wow!" we have a lot going on in the shop right now. Check out this photo: You may have to look closely, or squint a little....
So much happening this month!
There's so much going on right now that it was HARD to get a newsletter written this week. But it's been three weeks since our last "weekly" newsletter, so I...
So much happening this month!
There's so much going on right now that it was HARD to get a newsletter written this week. But it's been three weeks since our last "weekly" newsletter, so I...
Lots Of Updates - Please Read
First off, thank you for subscribing to our "weekly" (that's the goal, anyway) newsletter. You've been getting these from my brother, Steve, for the past year or so. Most of...
Lots Of Updates - Please Read
First off, thank you for subscribing to our "weekly" (that's the goal, anyway) newsletter. You've been getting these from my brother, Steve, for the past year or so. Most of...
Building Double-Backed Dulcimers
Had several instruments with double backs this week, so I snapped a few pictures. The first thing we do is build the instrument with just one back. If it is...
Building Double-Backed Dulcimers
Had several instruments with double backs this week, so I snapped a few pictures. The first thing we do is build the instrument with just one back. If it is...
Packing Up Our Traveling Festival Display
With Richard heading off to a festival today, one of the jobs that had to get done was prepping our travelling display. We have 10 rolling units that are each...
Packing Up Our Traveling Festival Display
With Richard heading off to a festival today, one of the jobs that had to get done was prepping our travelling display. We have 10 rolling units that are each...
Cool Tools: Shaper
A shaper is a tool that is used to "shape" wood with a rotational cutter. It is very similar to a router table, but typically has more cutting power and...
Cool Tools: Shaper
A shaper is a tool that is used to "shape" wood with a rotational cutter. It is very similar to a router table, but typically has more cutting power and...
Staying Safe In The Wood Shop
(wood shop safety) In a discussion on Facebook this week, some comments on shop safety came up, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to show some of...
Staying Safe In The Wood Shop
(wood shop safety) In a discussion on Facebook this week, some comments on shop safety came up, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to show some of...
Cool Tools: Thickness Sander
When building either a dulcimer or ukulele, it is very important to be able to consistently control the thickness of the soundboard, and to get nice, smooth surfaces. The tool...
Cool Tools: Thickness Sander
When building either a dulcimer or ukulele, it is very important to be able to consistently control the thickness of the soundboard, and to get nice, smooth surfaces. The tool...
Wormy Butternut Soundboards Available
We don't get enough wormy wood to offer it as a regular option on our instruments, so we usually save it until someone asks us for some. We are lucky...
Wormy Butternut Soundboards Available
We don't get enough wormy wood to offer it as a regular option on our instruments, so we usually save it until someone asks us for some. We are lucky...
Dulcimers, LAP-JOs & Ukuleles In The Works
Nothing out of the ordinary going on in the shop this week, just a lot of instrument building. Several batches of dulcimers, LAP-JOs and ukuleles in various stages of construction,...
Dulcimers, LAP-JOs & Ukuleles In The Works
Nothing out of the ordinary going on in the shop this week, just a lot of instrument building. Several batches of dulcimers, LAP-JOs and ukuleles in various stages of construction,...
Cool Tools: Pin Router
We have a lot of nifty tools in our shop, and I'm going to start showing some of them off. The tool for this week is our pin router. A...
Cool Tools: Pin Router
We have a lot of nifty tools in our shop, and I'm going to start showing some of them off. The tool for this week is our pin router. A...
How We Get That Smooth Lacquer Finish
Folkcraft is known for the quality instruments that we put out, and one of the first signs of quality that people see when they look at one of our instruments...
How We Get That Smooth Lacquer Finish
Folkcraft is known for the quality instruments that we put out, and one of the first signs of quality that people see when they look at one of our instruments...
In-House Cases & American-Made Strings
I just walked through the shop and snapped a variety of photos of things that are in progress - or just look cool! Our seamstress, Nikki, has been hard at...
In-House Cases & American-Made Strings
I just walked through the shop and snapped a variety of photos of things that are in progress - or just look cool! Our seamstress, Nikki, has been hard at...
Spring Cleaning
We lost a pretty good chunk of roof earlier this year in a wind storm that our roofer just repaired earlier this week. We'll find out for sure if the...
Spring Cleaning
We lost a pretty good chunk of roof earlier this year in a wind storm that our roofer just repaired earlier this week. We'll find out for sure if the...
A Photo Walk Down The Shop Floor
For this weeks "What's Going On In The Shop", I'm trying something different. I just walked down the length of our shop and took pictures of some of the things...
A Photo Walk Down The Shop Floor
For this weeks "What's Going On In The Shop", I'm trying something different. I just walked down the length of our shop and took pictures of some of the things...
Artist Spotlight - Mike Anderson
Mike Anderson Just next week, Mike will be here at Folkcraft for our Second Saturday Clinic series, so this is a great time to introduce folks to this special entertainer....
Artist Spotlight - Mike Anderson
Mike Anderson Just next week, Mike will be here at Folkcraft for our Second Saturday Clinic series, so this is a great time to introduce folks to this special entertainer....
Spotlight On Sound Holes
Spotlight On Sound Holes We regularly make custom tone holes for folks so they can customize their instrument to be truly their own. The process starts with the customer giving...
Spotlight On Sound Holes
Spotlight On Sound Holes We regularly make custom tone holes for folks so they can customize their instrument to be truly their own. The process starts with the customer giving...
Brand New Line Of Dulcimers: Banjo Hybrid LAP-JOs
Since the last newsletter I've done, our biggest new thing is the LAP-JO . A LAP-JO is a dulcimer/banjo hybrid that plays exactly like a dulcimer, but sounds exactly like...
Brand New Line Of Dulcimers: Banjo Hybrid LAP-JOs
Since the last newsletter I've done, our biggest new thing is the LAP-JO . A LAP-JO is a dulcimer/banjo hybrid that plays exactly like a dulcimer, but sounds exactly like...
Holiday Custom Orders & Dulcimer Kits
With the Christmas season upon us, we are hard at work trying to finish off the last of the custom instruments folks have ordered this year. We have double neck...
Holiday Custom Orders & Dulcimer Kits
With the Christmas season upon us, we are hard at work trying to finish off the last of the custom instruments folks have ordered this year. We have double neck...
Keeping The Shop Safe From Dust
In our shop, we do take safety seriously. We wear dustmasks, eye protection and ear protection. One other aspect of safety that most folks don't think about is dust. Too...
Keeping The Shop Safe From Dust
In our shop, we do take safety seriously. We wear dustmasks, eye protection and ear protection. One other aspect of safety that most folks don't think about is dust. Too...