Halloween 2006

Hmm.

What to post while we are waiting for the first report from Colorado?

I started an instrument last night bound for New South Wales, eventually. Day one:

Selected and ripped a nice piece of rosewood for the tops and sides. Ran the pieces for the top through the joiner and used a shooting board to dress the edges. Had the glue pot warming up while this is going on. Checked the thickness of the hide glue and satisfied with that, glued up and clamped both top blanks. Set them aside for the night.

This morning arrived at the shop, sharpened my cabinet scraper and scraped the tops down to about 3/16" and prepared them for cutting the fretwork. Rosewood sides and bellows framed stock is laid up and ready for measuring and glueing.

I will try to keep you posted on this instrument as it progressess over the next couple weeks. I don't work on just one thing at a time so don't get too impatient.

I may build an instrument for the East Coast Tour so that the wait will be a bit less. I have an instrument almost completed. but the bellows are not quite as nice looking as I had hoped.....a few little spots on the gussets and valleys. I don't think I want to sell it like that so it may be a potential tour concertina.

Or maybe I will build a new set of bellows for it (hmm, not too happy about that)

Notes on Friday afternoon

The tour concertina is winging its way west. I am looking forward to putting up some pictures of the concertina and the tourists.

Newsy bits until there is something to report from the Concertina Tour:

Of course the table saw is back in action, I picked up a belt at the local autoparts shop.

I mailed a long overdue miniature concertina off to its new home in Illinois The action is fitted into an instrument that is going to Hog Eye Music in Chicago. I hope to get that off by Wednesday. I have the woodwork finished on two 30 button Anglos and they are sitting on the shelf waiting for bellows and actions.

I have two older instrument to tune this coming week, I have a Hayden to reed and valve and send off to Japan.

best laid plans of mice and men

I got to the shop early today, ready to rip into a couple more concertina frames. But instead I snapped the v-belt on the table saw. Darn near ruined a concertina body as well, before the belt died it sure did shake up the table saw.

If you work with power tools.........please be very frightened of what they can do to you in a very short amount of time.

None of this has anything to do with the Concertina Tour though.

TOUR UPDATE

Next destination is Portland Oregon!

Off to Colorado

Concertina is off to Colorado 10/23


First stop is Colorado Springs. I will post the city/area here as the concertina moves about the country.

Should you see your hometown listed and would like to visit with the concertina as it passes by, you can email me and I will forward your note to the current tourist.

I am still accepting applications.

Concertina is done and ready for the road

Long day of reedwork, gold finishing etc. Happy news from New Jersey, my daughter placed first of 35 dancers in the preliminary championship Irish dance compeition.

very close to a big finish, and a big start

I believe the tour concertina will be completed today, depending on the traffic in the shop. I am tossing down my last cup of coffee at the house and will head to the shop in a short while.

The action is installed now and all that remains to complete are the reed installation and final tuning. There are a couple small details to attend to today, the bushings have to be installed; handrests installed; strap adjusters made; gold tooling to complete. Hmm, that sounds like a lot. Perhaps just one more cup of coffee will help. The girls are in New Jersey at a feis, that will help as well........nothing to do but work!

There are about 40 persons signed up for the tour so far.

Todays progress will have to do for tomorrow as well

I have the last coats of lacquer on the casework now. I think you all will be pleased, it is a very subtle sunburst now known throughout the shop as the "Bobburst". I am building the clone to this concertina at the same time, it is a little bit behind in construction.

I hear, late this afternoon, from my wife and daughter that I am to drive to Atlanta for a private Irish dance lesson for aforementioned daughter. This will take all day so I am here at the shop late tonite. We'll not make much progress tomorrow.

Jobs ahead on the tour concertina include building the action components; turning the buttons on the lathe; installing and balancing the action; installing the reeds; tuning and setting the reeds.

Wife and daughter will be out of town at a Feis (Irish dance competition) so I will be able to burn the midnite oil over the weekend.

Perhaps we can ship out to the first tourist early next week!

Bob

something to look at while you wait

A summary of the 2005 Concertina Tour is here:

http://hmi.homewood.net/2005tour/

Summary of the 2003 tour is here (really old news now)

http://hmi.homewood.net/tour/


A few articles about the shop; a great audio file from Swedish public radio; etc etc

http://hmil.homewood.net/media


Five Questions with Bob Tedrow

http://ptollemy.tripod.com/profiles/bobtedrow.html

Just a check to see if I can add a new post easily

Blog Test for Tedrow Concertina Tour 2007

OK,

Who says I am not in step with the times? Even though I spend the majority of my time with hammer and tongs, I did take (and pass) a course in FORTRAN in the 70's.

The Tedrow Concetina Tour 2007 is soon up and running. I am building the tour concertina right now. Bellows are completed and look very nice. The fretwork is complete and has a couple coats of sanding sealer applied. Truly, I had already built the tour concertina and it was ready to go........but a very nice lady from Tennessee dropped by the shop and bought it.

This, of course is why I am always behind.

This will be the third Tedrow Concertina Tour. The first was in 2003, then another in 2005. I am looking forward to the tour this year and do hope that it can be completed in a year. Just try to keep it rolling everyone.

I supose that you tourists will be able to add your comments to the blog and I hope that you do so. Please be aware that I skipped English Composition class to attend the Fortran class.

All the best,

Bob Tedrow
http://hmi.homewood.net