Folkcraft Shop Blog
Handmade Questions
I was thinking about the word "handmade". What is the actual definition of "handmade"? The dictionary is very, very helpful, with "made by hand". The Federal Trade Commission has another...
Handmade Questions
I was thinking about the word "handmade". What is the actual definition of "handmade"? The dictionary is very, very helpful, with "made by hand". The Federal Trade Commission has another...
Cardboard Dulcimers
Cardboard dulcimers? Actually, that's a horrible name. Really. People always use the word "cardboard" incorrectly. Cardboard is a stiff, one-layer piece of material, like you would find on the back...
Cardboard Dulcimers
Cardboard dulcimers? Actually, that's a horrible name. Really. People always use the word "cardboard" incorrectly. Cardboard is a stiff, one-layer piece of material, like you would find on the back...
Resonator Dulcimer
It seems like we've made a lot of resonator dulcimers lately. We had a big surge after Bing Futch won the International Blues Challenge a few years ago. He played...
Resonator Dulcimer
It seems like we've made a lot of resonator dulcimers lately. We had a big surge after Bing Futch won the International Blues Challenge a few years ago. He played...
Festival Fun
I'm back in the shop this week, after an amazing Black Mountain Music Fest last week. Chuck Moseley sure knows how to put on a fantastic dulcimer festival. Lots of...
Festival Fun
I'm back in the shop this week, after an amazing Black Mountain Music Fest last week. Chuck Moseley sure knows how to put on a fantastic dulcimer festival. Lots of...
Return From Black Mountain, North Carolina
As you're reading this, it's very likely I'm in the middle of driving back to the shop - in Woodburn, Indiana - from the amazing Black Mountain Music Fest in...
Return From Black Mountain, North Carolina
As you're reading this, it's very likely I'm in the middle of driving back to the shop - in Woodburn, Indiana - from the amazing Black Mountain Music Fest in...
Standard To Bass, To Baritone
I hope you've had a good dulcimer-playing week! Today I'm going to talk about baritone dulcimers. We'll start with a few dulcimer definitions, then focus on the baritone dulcimer. We...
Standard To Bass, To Baritone
I hope you've had a good dulcimer-playing week! Today I'm going to talk about baritone dulcimers. We'll start with a few dulcimer definitions, then focus on the baritone dulcimer. We...
Richard Ash Clinic Tomorrow
): I hope you are all planning on coming out to my clinic tomorrow - noon - at the Folkcraft shop in Woodburn, Indiana. Actually, we send this newsletter to...
Richard Ash Clinic Tomorrow
): I hope you are all planning on coming out to my clinic tomorrow - noon - at the Folkcraft shop in Woodburn, Indiana. Actually, we send this newsletter to...
Getting Things Done In The Wood Shop
In The Folkcraft Shop - September 30, 2022 Hello, Everyone! Wow - what a week it has been! As I'm writing this, it is only Wednesday, September 28, 2022. Dulcimers...
Getting Things Done In The Wood Shop
In The Folkcraft Shop - September 30, 2022 Hello, Everyone! Wow - what a week it has been! As I'm writing this, it is only Wednesday, September 28, 2022. Dulcimers...
Mandy Tyner Clinic
I n The Folkcraft Shop - September 23, 2022 Good morning, everyone! Last weekend, on September 17, 2022, we hosted our next to the last Second Saturday Clinic of 2022....
Mandy Tyner Clinic
I n The Folkcraft Shop - September 23, 2022 Good morning, everyone! Last weekend, on September 17, 2022, we hosted our next to the last Second Saturday Clinic of 2022....
Videos By Mandy Tyner
I hope you've had a good week, and that you're ready for some dulcimer-practicing time. I always find weekends to be better for learning new skills, and for woodshedding technical...
Videos By Mandy Tyner
I hope you've had a good week, and that you're ready for some dulcimer-practicing time. I always find weekends to be better for learning new skills, and for woodshedding technical...
Jim Ash Feature
Jim Ash Feature Good morning, Y'all! I have to say how lucky I am. Really, really lucky. For the past 25 years, or so, I've been working with my dad....
Jim Ash Feature
Jim Ash Feature Good morning, Y'all! I have to say how lucky I am. Really, really lucky. For the past 25 years, or so, I've been working with my dad....
Music On The Porch Day
I hope your week has been good so far - it looks like lots of you participated in last weekend's "Music On The Porch" day. Awesome! Most of you know...
Music On The Porch Day
I hope your week has been good so far - it looks like lots of you participated in last weekend's "Music On The Porch" day. Awesome! Most of you know...
Beautiful Mahogany Planks
hope you're having a great Friday so far! It's a beautiful morning here in Woodburn, Indiana. 60 degrees, sunny, light breeze. When I got to work this morning, there was...
Beautiful Mahogany Planks
hope you're having a great Friday so far! It's a beautiful morning here in Woodburn, Indiana. 60 degrees, sunny, light breeze. When I got to work this morning, there was...
First 50 Songs Survey Results
hope you're having a great Friday so far! We had a slew of responses to last week's question: "Does the growing acceptance/prevalence of contemporary music dilute the mountain dulcimer's long...
First 50 Songs Survey Results
hope you're having a great Friday so far! We had a slew of responses to last week's question: "Does the growing acceptance/prevalence of contemporary music dilute the mountain dulcimer's long...
Survey About Contemporary Dulcimer Music
Y'all This week's "In the Shop" segment is brought to you from the Folkcraft showroom (shop!), not the wood shop. It might seem "commercial," but trust me, it isn't. A...
Survey About Contemporary Dulcimer Music
Y'all This week's "In the Shop" segment is brought to you from the Folkcraft showroom (shop!), not the wood shop. It might seem "commercial," but trust me, it isn't. A...
Meeting John And Karen Keane
This week's "In the Shop" section should really be titled "in the concert hall." Why? Because I'm going to be talking about an upcoming event (August 13, 2022) that takes...
Meeting John And Karen Keane
This week's "In the Shop" section should really be titled "in the concert hall." Why? Because I'm going to be talking about an upcoming event (August 13, 2022) that takes...
Victorian Romance Rosette
We do a lot of different sound holes on our dulcimers. One of the more popular choices is our Victorian Romance rosettes. These little pieces of wood are complicated to...
Victorian Romance Rosette
We do a lot of different sound holes on our dulcimers. One of the more popular choices is our Victorian Romance rosettes. These little pieces of wood are complicated to...
Adding Frets To A Dulcimer
that sounds really formal!): In the shop this week? Busy! Crazy busy. We're in the heart of festival season, so it is tough to keep things moving forward, as far...
Adding Frets To A Dulcimer
that sounds really formal!): In the shop this week? Busy! Crazy busy. We're in the heart of festival season, so it is tough to keep things moving forward, as far...
First Jam At Folkcraft Since The Virus
This past weekend we had the pleasure of hosting our first "in shop" event since the virus hit in early 2020. We had our first Second Saturday Clinic, with Bing...
First Jam At Folkcraft Since The Virus
This past weekend we had the pleasure of hosting our first "in shop" event since the virus hit in early 2020. We had our first Second Saturday Clinic, with Bing...
Fixing A Broken Dulcimer
While I was at Kentucky Music week, a lot of people brought me instruments for repair work. Plenty of Folkcraft® and FolkRoots® dulcimers, but lots of dulcimers from other makers,...
Fixing A Broken Dulcimer
While I was at Kentucky Music week, a lot of people brought me instruments for repair work. Plenty of Folkcraft® and FolkRoots® dulcimers, but lots of dulcimers from other makers,...
Lacquering Mountain Dulcimers
It finally seems like after three years (nearly) of not much going on, festival-wise - with the notable exception of last fall's Black Mountain Music Fest - that things are...
Lacquering Mountain Dulcimers
It finally seems like after three years (nearly) of not much going on, festival-wise - with the notable exception of last fall's Black Mountain Music Fest - that things are...
Kentucky Music Week
I'm writing this week's "In the Shop" feature from the Folkcraft display at Kentucky Music Week. KMW is one of the oldest, and biggest, dulcimer festivals anywhere. Typically hundreds of...
Kentucky Music Week
I'm writing this week's "In the Shop" feature from the Folkcraft display at Kentucky Music Week. KMW is one of the oldest, and biggest, dulcimer festivals anywhere. Typically hundreds of...
Ebony Versus Purpleheart Survey Results
Well, folks, the results of our Purpleheart vs. Ebony opinion poll are in! And our survey says: Purpleheart got five votes, while Ebony received three. Enjoy your fellow players comments...
Ebony Versus Purpleheart Survey Results
Well, folks, the results of our Purpleheart vs. Ebony opinion poll are in! And our survey says: Purpleheart got five votes, while Ebony received three. Enjoy your fellow players comments...
Ebony Versus Purpleheart Survey
Purpleheart. Will it become the replacement for ebony one of these days? Purpleheart (a.k.a. amarynth) is durable, inexpensive, and dense. It grows in large areas of both Central America and...
Ebony Versus Purpleheart Survey
Purpleheart. Will it become the replacement for ebony one of these days? Purpleheart (a.k.a. amarynth) is durable, inexpensive, and dense. It grows in large areas of both Central America and...