Build Your Own Hamdolin

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To make the frets themselves, I selected some six-penny finishing nails from my personal stash of hardware and cut them with a hacksaw (lopping both ends off each one, of course) to fit the fingerboard. Since the neck is relatively narrow at the top and widens gradually toward the bottom, I cut each nail to the exact width of its particular fret location. I also opened up the slots just a bit more with a fine file, so that the nails would be snugly cradled in them but remain raised about 1/16" above the fingerboard itself. Then I glued the frets in place with Super Glue. (I also tried using epoxy but discovered the stuff is somewhat messy to apply. If you do use epoxy, put some paste wax on the fingerboard—don't get it in the slots, though—to make it easier to chisel off any excess that slops over.)

Finally, after all the frets were in and I'd given the glue a chance to dry, I laid a straightedge across them to see if they were relatively level with one another. A few frets stuck up just a bit, so I filed the high spots down until they were all even, from the top of the fingerboard to the bottom, and from side to side.

TUNING PEGS

The temptation just to go buy some tuning pegs at a music store was mighty strong, but I stubbornly resisted and went it alone. After considerable thought and a little tinkering, I came up with a workable design and journeyed to the hardware store with my idea.

I returned with a bag full of nuts and bolts, and a receipt for the staggering amount of $2.40 . . . which, as it turned out, was the total price of my hamdolin (not including strings). When I opened the bag and spread the contents on the kitchen table, I had enough parts to construct eight pegs, each consisting of a 1/4" X 1-1/2" flathead bolt, a 1/4" hex nut, a 1/4" wing nut, and a small washer.

In my workshop, I drilled a 3/32" hole through each bolt, just below the head. (Be sure to keep plenty of oil on the area while you're drilling, or you'll burn out countless bits.) Then I laid out, marked, and bored eight 9/32" holes in the peg head to accommodate the bolts. I positioned each vertical row of four holes about 1/2" in from its respective side of the peg head, and spaced the cavities approximately 1-1/4" apart. (These measurements varied somewhat from one bolt to another, simply because the peg head itself isn't absolutely uniform.) One thing to keep in mind when shaping your hamdolin's peg head is to allow enough length to provide plenty of space between the pegs and thus enough room to turn the wing nuts. Remember, too, to make the peg head thick enough to be sturdy but thin enough to allow the bolts to extend through and well beyond the wood, leaving plenty of thread free for adjusting the strings.

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