Hello and Materials

Building/Repair
#1

Hi, I’m new to the community, and I’ll warn you now I have a bad habit of lurking.

So I’m still about two or three months out from being able to start building my first shamisen. One(ish) tool a month is all my budget will let me purchase. However, I’ve been researching like mad what hardwoods are dense enough to make a shamisen out of. Being the occaisionally very girly girl that I am I really want to try working with Purpleheart (the thought of a rich purple coloured shamisen makes me a little giddy). It’s one of the cheaper hardwoods at my local lumberyard, and typically has a specific gravity of .85.

Has anyone ever worked with purpleheart before and have some advice? I’ve heard that the oils in it can burn if you use powertools too vigorously. However, I’m still very new to woodworking and I’m not sure what “too vigorously” means. Also does anyone have any idea how low the specific gravity of a wood can be before it’s too soft to make a decent shamisen out of?

Oh! and I just remembered another question. I’m not comfortable with the idea of making my own azuma sawari… Is there any way to purchase one to install on my shamisen when I get to that point of the construction?

Thanks, and here’s to hoping I don’t go into lurk mode too quickly. :slight_smile:

#2

Hi Briana, welcome aboard!

A shamisen crafted from purpleheart sounds awesome! I love the idea of personally customised instruments.
Sadly my own woodwork-fu is weak so I’m not certain about answers to your questions. I’m pretty sure that Kyle will be able to offer some suggestions though.

Lurk mode disengaged! :slight_smile:

#3

Welcome welcome Briana!

Actually, my friend made a shamisen from purpleheart. Tsugaru Shamisen | Traditional construction, built by Brian … | Flickr I’ve never heard it, but it sure looks nice. :stuck_out_tongue: I just checked the Janka Hardness ratings and saw that purpleheart (1860) is slightly harder than padauk (1725), which is what my current shamisen is made from (and sounds fine). So purpleheart would be perfectly acceptable. :slight_smile:

To avoid using the power tools too vigorously, just don’t force the tool too hard/quickly into the wood. Granted, you have to push the blade forward in order for it to cut, but as you’re cutting, notice how quickly/slowly it cuts the wood, and just don’t push it faster than the rate it’s cutting. There’s nothing wrong with going slowly. :slight_smile:

I can see if it’s possible to get Azuma Sawari to sell. I believe they are quite expensive though. One unit costs roughly $100 (might be more or less). If you want the buzzing sound, you can always make a temporary sawari with a machine screw. I used that for my first shamisen.

Kudos for switching off Lurk Mode. :slight_smile:

#4

Wow that is a beautiful shamisen. Thanks for the advice on the powertools. Somehow I’m reminded of the turtle and the hare…

I hadn’t thought of using a simple screw as a substitute, that’s pretty clever. And that way I can save a more expensive azuma sawari for later.

Thanks! :slight_smile:

#5

(^o^/) Yello!

#6

Briana, I just joined and know almost nothing about making Shamisen, but I have made an acoustic guitar from purpleheart. Purpleheart is a very tough wood and will blunt your cutting tools quickly. The oils get sticky with heat and will build up on the wood and on the tool. Because it’s sticky it will cause the tool to quickly get hot which is what causes the burning. Just go slow and sharpen often.

Purpleheart is very strong with the grain and weaker across the grain. I’m not sure if I said that correctly, but purpleheart splits and splinters easier than most woods and the splinter is as stiff as a sewing needle.

There are easier woods to work with than purpleheart, but I made the guitar for the same reasons you are choosing it. Inexpensive and boldly purple. I made the guitar for my son whose favorite color was purple. His favorite color is now red, but it is still his favorite color guitar.

Good luck.

#7

Thanks Raymond. The oil getting sticky with heat makes me think I should do as little powertool work as I can stand. Also I’m not sure I follow you, does it splinter more when you cut against the grain, or when you cut following the grain?

A purple guitar, that is fantastic. :slight_smile:

I wish I could skip the whole buying tools and wood part and go right to the making the shamisen part.

Thanks again for all the support guys. :slight_smile:

#8

I visited a friend and used his Bandsaw to resaw the back and sides. Ended up ruining the bandsaw blade. He still invites me back but asks that I not bring any purpleheart with me… (;-P)

It is difficult to use power tools without burning the wood and dulling the tool bit. Handtools is the way to go. Even then I found that sawing was okay, but planing or sanding to shape was very slow going.

The splintering part wasn’t related to cutting, but it is much easier to cause a crack with the grain than it is to cause a crack across the grain. Don’t try to take too big a bite when planing or you might take a chunk out. I would also not run your hand along a sharp corner as the splinters go deep in a hurry.

Not trying to scare you off of purpleheart, but I found these things out the hard way.

#9

:slight_smile: I’m not scared off. I appreciate the detail you’re going to explain what it was like to work with. Hopefully with all this info I won’t end up making any particularly large blunders.

As far as tools go, I think all I need to purchase are chisels, the wood, and a vice before I can actually start this business. If I take it slow getting the rough shape of the parts cut out that will give me time to save up for some of the other tools, but still give me the satisfaction of having started the project. If I can get access to my school’s wood-shop then I can get started as soon as I have the wood, but I’m not gonna hold my breath. Universities are weird, sometimes really helpful, other times bound by obscure and annoying rules.

#10

I’d add a sharpening stone to that list, although you can use wet or dry sandpaper glued to a glass plate. You will need to sharpen those chisels regularly.

#11

Kudos to what Raymond said. Razor sharp chisel makes a world of difference. :slight_smile:

One thing I highly reccomend is a Farrier rasp file (used for filing horse hooves). It’s veeeery coarse and eats wood away really fast. I got tired of constantly keeping my chisels razor sharp, and resolved to saving them for fine detail work, not wood removal.

Actually, my latest shamisen has mostly been shaped by the files. I used a saw to cut out large chunks of wood (with a screwdriver to pry out the chunks), and then files to get close to the mark and round it smoothly. Much more consistent results than previous shamisen, where I used chisels much more. Chisels for joint work and carving the underside of the dou and tenjin (where the file can’t easily go)

#12

Huh, awesome. I will look into this farrier rasp file, and some kind of sharpening stone and how to use it.

Now to research, and wait until the next paycheck to buy the next tool… Whichever one that will be. :slight_smile:

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