Dave's 5-cent Koma

[Dave_Perkins]

I spent a few minutes at the workbench yesterday and came up with a rough out of “Dave’s 5 Cent Koma”. It sounds a little warmer than my bamboo koma.

Materials:

2 pieces 1/8” diameter dowel, each about 2.5” long;

1 piece 3/16” bamboo chopstick about 1.6”, tapered for aesthetics;

dab carpenter’s glue; fine sandpaper

Finished height 7/16” (8mm)

Cut two smaller dowels, glue and clamp. When glue dries, center chopstick dowel, glue and clamp. When glue dries, sand bottom of small dowels if desired to adjust height of koma. Measure grooves for strings with pencil, score with fine files.

Put under strings at your preferred place, and enjoy!

[Chris]

Necessity truly is the mother of invention!

[Dave_Perkins]

Thanks Chris — it also helps to save your chopsticks from Panda Express …

Obviously other materials could be used - I was thinking of popsicle sticks or some thin sheet material like delrin.

We should have a contest for making the cheapest fully functional koma, since it would have to sound Ok.

David Perkins