Chapter
One

What
to expect - The basic building process, time and costs

Most prospective builders seem
intimidated with this process.
None of the steps are that difficult – If anything, the hardest
part for most folks seems to be those first two steps, buying (or scrounging)
some lumber, then turning off the TV, going down to their workspace and
beginning to make shavings.
Believe me, building the harp will be much more rewarding than anything
you end up watching on the tube.

The costs and efforts involved will
depend on the tools you have, how persnickety you are about the fit and finish
of the different parts.   I
will use two examples.

Plain
and Fancy.  The harp on the left is a
simple 22 string harp, similar to the quick and dirty example discussed
below.   The one the right is a
custom 36 string stave back in Curly maple with Bubinga piping between the
staves and T-section on the pillar.

The first example is based on my third
harp, a little 26 string instrument that I built for my daughter so that we
could begin harp lessons.
It was an experiment in quick and dirty harp building but turned out
surprisingly well.   The second
example is a custom 38 string stave back in a fancy wood with all the bells and
whistles

Harp #3 a 26 string “quick and
dirty”

Task

Materials/Additional  Tools needed

Time

(hrs)

Cost

Gather the materials,

½ sheet of luan Plywood, a
discarded maple bed frame

1

$6

Cut out the back, sides, top and base
for the sound box.  Nail/screw
them together

Sabre Saw, Circular Saw, Drill,
hammer,  nails, Glue, Drill

2

$3

Make the string ribs, Glue them to
the ply sound board

Circular Saw, Hand plane

2.5

Level the top of the sound box,
nail/glue the soundboard into place

(No new tools, just the hand plane)

1

Trim sound board to sides of box

Coping saw& Sandpaper or Router
with trim bit

1

Laminate the Neck Blank from two
layers of ¾” stock, Cut it to shape

5-6 Clamps

2.5

Drill holes for tuning pins, bridge
pins in the neck

Awl, Drill press, drill bits, tapered
reamer

2

$10  (reamer)

Cut out pillar

Sabre Saw

0.5

Join neck to pillar with two dowels and
side patch

Dowel Rod

1.5

$2

Build feet

Sabre Saw, plane

1.5

Finish sand parts

Sand paper

3

$3

Bolt Neck and Pillar to sound box,
screw feet to sound box

lag bolts, wrench

0.5

$2

Drill Holes for brass eyelets in Soundboard

Electric Drill

0.5

Apply three coats of finish

Pint of Deft, Disposable Brush, Fine
3M pad

1.5

$15

Mount Hardware

Taper Pins, Bridge pins, Eyelets,

1

$45

String the harp, Tune it

Strings

6

$50

So the harp will take 28 hours of labor
and cost $136 or so

Custom 38 string Stave Back

Task

Materials/

Tools

Hours

Cost

Planning
Gathering Materials

Lay
out a design, Print templates

CAD
program

10

Purchase
Hardwood for Neck, Pillar, Shell

2.0

$150

Purchase
Sitka Spruce
for Sound Board

0.5

$50

Order
Levers, Hardware

0.5

$542

Order
Strings

0.5

$90

Sound
box

Make
the Jig for cutting Staves

Scrap
Plywood, 1x2

Table
Saw

3.0

$15

Make
the Cradle for Holding Shell

Scrap
Plywood, 1x3

Band
Saw, Table Saw

4.0

$15

Fabricate
Staves

Table
Saw

3.0

Adjust
cradle, Tape & Glue staves into shell

Packing
Tape

2.0

F&I
Bulkheads/Mid-brace

Band
Saw, Stationary Sander

3.0

Fabricate
Runners, Install

1.5

Cut
Sound holes

Jig
saw, Drill and drum sanders

2.0

Trim
Bottom & Top

Chop
Saw, Router

1.0

Fabricate
Apron, Glue

Biscuit
Jointer,

2.0

Level
Face & route Channels

Belt
Sanders, Router

1.0

Soundboard

Build
Frame

Scrap
2x2

Table
Saw, Chop Saw

0.5

$5

Plane
SB planks

Table
Saw Thickness Planer

1.0

Glue

0.5

Fabricate
Ribs

Thickness
Planer Spokeshave

2.0

Clean,
Level & Taper the Soundboard

Power
planer, random orbital sander

0.8

Glue
ribs

1.5

Glue
Soundboard

Bar
Clamps

1.0

Trim
SB

Router

0.5

Fabricate
and  edge batten

30
#6 x 3/4" Screws

Table
Saw

2.0

Mount Inlay Strip

Router,
Inlay Bit

3.0

$30

Glue
veneer, scrape

Iron
on veneer

Iron,
Steel Scraper

2.0

$15

Task

Materials/

Tools

Time

Cost

Neck
& Pillar

Cut
Neck and Pillar,  Mark hole
Centers

Band
saw

2.0

Spline
& Reinforce Neck

2.0

Drill
holes for Tuning, Bridge Pins

Drill
Press

4.0

Smooth
Neck & Pillar

Edge
Sander, Drum Sanders

1.3

Grind
& Scrape Neck Recess

Grinder,
Carbide Abrasive Disk

3.0

F&I
Knee block (w/ dowels)

Band
saw, Dowel Centers, Dowel

2.0

$3

Fit
Pillar/Neck

Maple
for Guide Jig,

1.0

$6

Drill
& Glue

5/8
Dowels, Sock Jig

1.0

$6

Final
Assembly

Fit
Foot, Shoulder to SB

Router,
stationary sander

2.0

Grind/sand
Shoulder

Grinder,
Carbide Abrasive Disk, random orbital Sander, Scraper

2.0

Fabricate
and Install Feet

1.5

Finishing

Finish
sand& Scrape

Sand
Paper

3.0

$15

Finish
& rub down 3x

Violin
Varnish, Behkol, Pads

6.0

$45

Final
Buff

Deluxing
compound

Buffer

1.0

$18

Final
Assembly

Mount Hardware

1.0

Stringing

5.0

Bring
Up to tension (12 times)

6.0

Mount Levers

8.0

Or about 100 hours, using just over $1,000
in materials.   This estimate
is a for a first time builder that is not too timid and willing make a few
mistakes here and there.   As
with any building process, you are likely to find that the second or third
harps will take less time, and you will make fewer mistakes.  After building 20 harps I took the time
to develop jigs (for operations like cutting sound holes), and fabricating
parts (liners and string ribs) in batches.

These two
examples are not presented to show that you need a lot of expensive tools to
make a fancier or nicer sounding harp.   One of the first harp builders
that I met was a Paraguayan harper named Silvio Solis.   His shop consisted of two canvas
grocery bags full of hand tools and a sturdy table in a sun room.   Using some Spanish cedar form a
local mill (some of it re-sawn to ¼”) he completed instruments
that looked and played beautifully.
Of course, he learned the craft in Paraguay.   I imagine Silvio and the builders
he learned from would take advantage of power tools if they were readily
available.

Copyright ©
2007, Rick Kemper

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