Build your own banjo from an Eagle kit.
Assembling a musical instrument kit can make you feel like you've raised your banjo, guitar, drum or whatever instrument, from an infant. There are a variety of kits available, to give the craftsman-musician the opportunity to work with wood, tension, steel, screws and sound.
Instructions
Neck
1. Sand the wood rim. Tape the narrow area where the tone ring will touch the wood rim. If the wood rim has expanded with humidity and the tone ring won't fit, sand down the wood. Finish the wood rim. Add the tone ring, after it dries.
2. On the face of the neck, measure 3/16 inch up from the base, where the peghead angle meets the neck. Mark it with a pencil.
3. Align the bottom of the fretboard with the pencil mark. The fretboard will be broader than the neck, so center it, and clamp it. Trace the neck on to the back of the fretboard with a pencil. Cut off the excess fretboard with a small block plane.
4. Cut a fifth-string contour from the fifth fret to the nut with a coping or bandsaw. Trim the fretboard to the neck with a chisel. Make the fretboard flush to the curve of the neck heel.
Frets
5. Cut the fretwire to lengths that are 1/4 inch longer than the width of the fretboard. Hammer the wire lengths into the fretboard slots. Practice on the practice fretboard first, using wire scraps.
6. Lay a hardwood block on the frets and hammer gently. Tap and mold until the fret lays flat. Squeeze a tiny drop of Super Glue into each end of the fret slots.
7. Cut the ends of the wire, and file them with a smooth mill file.
Neck Reinforcement
8. Spread Titebond glue into the neck slot and gluing surface. Fully press the reinforcement bar in the lengthways slot. Lay the fretboard on top, on a thin coat of glue. Align the fretboard base with the first pencil mark.
9. Tightly secure the fretboard to the neck with rubber bands while the glue dries. Clamp the included overlay onto the peghead and mark the necessary dimensions, leaving a 1/16 inch overhang. Glue the overlay to the peghead with Titebond. Use clamps to keep it flat while the glue dries. Use a sharp knife to trim the overlay flush to the peghead.
10. Clamp the peghead again. Drill the four pegholes through the overlay with a 3/8 inch brad point drill bit.
11. Insert tuners onto the holes. The tuners are the keys used to tune the strings. The 3/8-inch holes will accept standard tuners found at music stores, including the Eagle Five Star 5014 peg.
Assembly
12. Mount the neck by sliding the neck bolts into the two holes in the rim. Fasten each bolt with an included washer and brass nut. Thread the rim rod through to the tailpiece hole, and fasten with a hex nut and large washer. Tighten L-shoe brackets on to the screws.
13. Situate the tone ring on the wood rim, and a banjo head onto the tone ring. Set the tension hoop in place. Center the wide hoop notch on the fretboard.
14. Install the bracket hooks in the tension hoop notches. Make sure they fit snugly. Tighten the bracket nuts a little at a time with a bracket wrench in a diametric pattern.
