Assembly instructions

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Joseph Stone
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Nerdy Gurdy Assembly instructions This manual describes how to assemble a Nerdy Gurdy. Go to http://www.nerdygurdy.nl for more info about these instruments.

1 Nerdy Gurdy Assembly instructions This manual describes how to assemble a Nerdy Gurdy. Go to for more info about these instruments. Jaap Brand The Netherlands January 2018 General directions: The parts are glued together with regular wood glue (not included in the kit). Don t glue the bridge or any part that s adjustable. Make sure that all surfaces that touch are fully glued together. This prevents undesirable vibration when you re playing. When removing parts from the plate that are still attached, it s best to cut the attached points with a sharp knife, to avoid splintering. Before gluing, it is wise to assemble the parts without glue, so that you re sure how they fit together. You can assemble most of the instrument without glue, to get an idea of how the parts go together. It s best to read through the whole sequence, before starting. If you do something wrong, it is possible to release wood glue by heating it (e.g. with a pressing iron)

Parts needed wood sheet 3mm 4x sheet 6 mm 2x Loose parts Tuning pegs 5x threaded rod M8 6,5 cm 1x threaded rod M8 22 cm 1x nut 8mm 11x nut M3 4x bolt M2,5 x 10 48x bolt M3 x 10 4x bearing 8x22 3x

2 Parts needed wood sheet 3mm 4x sheet 6 mm 2x Loose parts Tuning pegs 5x threaded rod M8 6,5 cm 1x threaded rod M8 22 cm 1x nut 8mm 11x nut M3 4x bolt M2,5 x 10 48x bolt M3 x 10 4x bearing 8x22 3x screw 2,5 x 13 4x screws 3.5 x 17 6x spacer ring 8,4 mm 5x some felt 1x ground ring terminal 2x strings Viola D (melody string) 2x viola G / tennis racket string (trumpet string) 1x Cello C (bourdon) 1x printed parts knob (A) 1x tangent high (B) 28x tangent low (C) 20x shaft nut (D) 1x bearing ring (E) 2x strap pin (F) 2x front bearing support (G) 1x front bearing washer (G) 1x backplate glueing jig (H) 1x Semi-finished parts wheel 1x Note: you will need to tap thread into some parts, after printing

A number of gluing clamps Varnish (optional, but recommended) Sand paper Some

3 Standard electric guitar tuning pegs (5x) You will need the following materials to build your Nerdy Gurdy): Standard wood glue (retractable) knife A number of gluing clamps Varnish (optional, but recommended) Sand paper Some tools (screw drivers, 13 mm spanner, etc.) Some basic woodworking skill and patience :)

borders are symmetric and identical Make sure that the parts are nicely centered.

4 1) Glue the borders to the top and bottom of the Nerdy Gurdy Notes: Make sure that you glue the border to the correct side of the top plate: it s not symmetric (red circle) The two borders are symmetric and identical Make sure that the parts are nicely centered. You can use mating parts to check alignment (picture below) You can use some books to press the parts together

5 2) Assemble the head and front bearing support head Front bearing support

6 3) Mount the head, pillar and rear between the top plate and bottom plate. Notes: Make sure that the opening at the rear side is at the top of the Gurdy (red circle).

Front bearing The shaft is screwed into a bush at the

There is a hole in the bush to prevent it from

7 Front bearing The shaft is screwed into a bush at the front bearing, to avoid it from rattling. It s most easy to assemble this before you attach the sides to the instrument. There is a hole in the bush to prevent it from rotating, when you re assembling the shaft (red circle). Attach the bearing holder with 2 x [screw, 2.5 x 13]

3) Mount the sides, starting from the head

You don t need to glue the bridge: it may be

8 3) Mount the sides, starting from the head Notes: You can glue the parts in steps, if you don t have enough clamps (like me). I use the machine heads to clamp the head plates together. Complete the head, assemble the bridge Notes: You don t need to glue the bridge: it may be nice to be able to replace it. A spare part is included. Some spacers are included (red circles)

9 Assemble the tailpiece Make sure these parts are on the correct side, as shown Notes: Make sure that you insert the nuts, before you glue everything together. I use the top plate as a mold, to ensure the spacing of the bridge parts is correct.

10 Place the bolts, wedge parts and bridge segments There are two types of tuning peg. For the other positions both will fit ok. For the tail piece you need to use the correct version.

11 Glue the rear cover pieces together A tool is included to align the pieces for gluing Assemble the key box

12 Glue the lid pieces together Notes: The lid consists of 3 layers. You can decide whether you put the flat plate, or the plate with letters on top.

13 Glue the buzzing bridge support together

Assemble the supports for the drone bridge

Notes: The numbers are on the top of the keys.

14 Assemble the supports for the drone bridge Apply lacquer You may want to lacquer or paint your parts at this point in the assembly. Glue an extra layer on top of the short keys Notes: The numbers are on the top of the keys. That s the side on which you need to stick the extra layer.

15 Glue the key box to the body, and assemble keys and tangents Assemble the bourdon support and buzzing bridge support Don t glue these parts, just place them!

17 Assemble the shaft The printed ring is screwed to the back plate, to secure the bearing (2 x [screw, 2.5 x 13]). The knob is fixed with a locking nut (red circle). Alternatively, you can glue a regular nut into place.

18 163 mm 134 mm

Glue the wheel together and glue a strip around the wheel First you need to glue the two layers of wheel together.

This is the hardest part of building the Nerdy Gurdy, and it s important that you do this well.

The best way to achieve a smooth wheel is to glue a strip of wood around your wheel. The thickness should be about 1 mm.

first few wheels) Here s what you do: Obtain a piece of 1 mm thick veneer, and cut a strip along the grain direction.

19 Glue the wheel together and glue a strip around the wheel First you need to glue the two layers of wheel together. Next you need to glue a strip of veneer around the edge. This is the hardest part of building the Nerdy Gurdy, and it s important that you do this well. The roundness and smoothness of the wheel will determine the quality of the sound to a large measure. The best way to achieve a smooth wheel is to glue a strip of wood around your wheel. The thickness should be about 1 mm. This can be a bit hard to come by: if all else fails you can reduce a strip of 4 mm plywood with a router (that s what I did for my first few wheels) Here s what you do: Obtain a piece of 1 mm thick veneer, and cut a strip along the grain direction. The strip should be a few mm wider than your wheel. Soak the strip in hot water, and gradually bend it. I usually put the strip inside a pan, and then transfer it to a smaller pan when the tension starts to lessen. Cut a slanted edge to one side, wrap it around the wheel, and draw where to cut on the other side.

20 Apply wood glue to the wheel, and wrap the strip around the wheel. Firmly pull it tight with cable ties.

21 The best way to make sure that the wheel is straight on the shaft is to use a slow drying glue, and align the wheel inside the hurdy Gurdy. Spin the shaft a few times, and correct the alignment. Then allow the glue to dry.

Insert a pin into the bush, to prevent it from rotating: You may need to tweak the locations of the nuts on the shaft a bit, to get the shaft

22 Assemble the wheel The wheel slides into the slot on top, and you screw the shaft into the wheel. In the end, the shaft needs to be screwed into the bush with the front bearing. Insert a pin into the bush, to prevent it from rotating: You may need to tweak the locations of the nuts on the shaft a bit, to get the shaft properly aligned and straight. The shaft may not be perfectly straight, so you will need to true the wheel after you assemble it. Rotate it by hand and apply a scraping iron or horizontal chisel, until it is perfectly round. Afterwards, finish with fine sanding paper.

23 Mount the strap pins

24 Mount the strings

25 Notes: You need to tie a short string from the machine head at the rear, to the string. With this knob you can adjust the trumpet effect. You may need to tweak the location of the string a bit, to get a good buzzing effect.

26 Final notes I ve designed this instrument with the purpose of making a Hurdy Gurdy with an acceptable sound, for a very good price. I hope that it enables people to start playing the instrument who would not have had the means otherwise, or are hesitant to invest thousands of dollars straight away. The design is unconventional: it was designed from scratch with the above purpose in mind. Therefore the construction method is in many ways different from traditional instruments. It does however sound pretty good, and it is very playable. And because of the material and the method of construction, it is very stable New players will still need to learn how to properly apply rosin to the wheel, and cotton to the strings. But there are many tutorials online, if you don t have experienced players who can teach you. Enschede, January 2018 Ps. This manual and the Nerdy Gurdy itself are an ongoing project. Please let me know how they can be further improved.

Assembly instructions

Nerdy Gurdy Assembly instructions This manual describes how to assemble a Nerdy Gurdy kit. Go to http://www.nerdygurdy.nl for more info about these instruments. Jaap Brand The Netherlands January 2018