We're Making Dulcimer Cases Now!
January 8, 2015 - We're making dulcimer cases now!
Many of you know that Folkcraft is now making cases "in house". For many years we've outsourced case making - sometimes to an American company, but mostly to a company in the far east. As of last summer, all of our dulcimer cases are being made in Woodburn, Indiana by a Folkcraft Instruments staff member.
Our first industrial machine. It won't sew lightweight fabric, but it will sew HEAVY leather without blinking.
Over the next few months, we'll start building our ukulele cases here as well.
Consew brand sewing machine Good for lightweight to medium-weight materials.
Our oldest sewing machine, made in 1923. We use this one for heavy-duty jobs that require high precision.
Juki brand sewing machine. Super fast, super accurate.
Making instrument cases is new for us, so we've invested heavily in tools, fixtures, and staffing to get the case making off the ground. We've been buying tools for the wood shop for 47 years, and only 1 year for our sewing room.
Our embroidery machine. 16 colors, fast, and able to do nearly anything that the computer tells it to do.
Nikki making a case for Bing Futch's new resonator dulcimer. Should be delivered by the time you read this!
The most important tool (just like in the wood shop) is the person running the tool (Nikki, in our sewing room), but the operator needs good equipment to make a great product.
Richard Ash