Is this the forum to talk about making my own bodhran?

CHCBrown · Post by **CHCBrown** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 5:27 am

I've been to the ceolas website too many times to count, and now I'm prepared to take the plunge and try it myself. Any words of wisdom from somebody who has trod this path before (other than "turn back now, before it's too late!)?

FJohnSharp · Post by **FJohnSharp** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 8:48 am

Hey, cool. Let us know how it goes. What will you use for skin?

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 9:42 am

Brian Lee built his own, I believe, and should have some good advice. You might try a search of the forums, because this has been discussed before - but it's mightly hard to find what you want, I'll admit.

Make it tuneable, 16" or 18" seem the most comfortable size for most people, though I have seen some nice 14" ones. Think about how deep you want the rim - the deeper it is, the heavier and bigger it'll be to carry around. I have a 16" tuneable with a 4" rim (I think), which gets a lot more use then a deeper one I have, because it's easier to carry (especially with other instruments in the loadout).

Sylvester · Post by **Sylvester** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 11:36 am

Hi CHC, just have a go! it's not so difficult, might learn a lot, it's challenging and you might even end up with a playable bodhran. 4 years ago I made two of them and I still play them regularly. Not tunable, but nobody's perfect!

There's not a lot of info on the web, but I remember finding useful some useful sites (sorry I can't remember where)

There were some basic issues when I made mine:

- Combing the wood
I made a long thing tin container and filled with water so as to soak the wood pieces (2-3 days) Then a friend of mine made a cilindrical metal ring with the exact diameter and heigth I was looking for. Then I took the piece of wood (already cut at the requiered length) and fixed to the ring pressing gently but firmly. Heating to the inner part of the metal ring will help you without a doubt. Grab the wood to the ring with some tools (sorry I don't know the name) to fix things to a working bench (as many as possible) with care not to mark the wood

- Cutting the edges and fixing the ends to each other
The ends of the wood have to be cut so as to make them coincide when combing the piece. I went for a wedged ends so that I glued to each other with white wood glue each other. Left like that until the wood was utterly dry. Then, lots of sand paper, protection, varnish, etc

- Attaching the skin
I used a thick goat skin that I found in a music shop. Soaked it and made hole all over the edges, then I put the sking over the rim and passed a stout rope through the holes as though sewing. I made this not in a row, but making diagonals so as to pull the ropes and putting more and more tension on the sking. If the rope-thread is not too thin, the skin won't break. When you've knotted the ropes with reasonable tension, let the skin dry. It will shrink amazingly. It may even unshape the rim (you may use some wooden sticks into the rim to avoid this.
When it's utterly dry, staple the sking to the wood, cut the remaining edges and ropes, use a ribbon, or a piece of clothe to cover the working area an put some nice nails if you like them.

My bodhran might not be the best, but it's trully mine. Some famous musicians have played it and though they didn't ordered

, they enjoyed the sound and playability. I finally spent as many bucks as a bought one, but so happy to have been able to make something with my own hands. I'll try to take some pics to post the results, ok?

Best regards and just do it!

CHCBrown · Post by **CHCBrown** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 10:17 pm

I'm going to try and follow the instructions on the ceolas website. I thought I might be able to procure a skin locally, as a lot of goat gets eaten in these parts. While a raw skin doesn't seem to be a problem, a cured skin has been hard to locate. I'm a big fan of doing it yourself, but I'm thinking my neighbors on my compound are not going to appreciate the product of soaking a skin in lime, scraping the hair, fat, and muscle off, then drying it on my roof (plus, our rainy season, such as it is, is almost upon us).!

Turns out I can get a cured skin by mail order for 20 bucks!

Sylvester, your rope idea is intriguing!

Target date for cosntruction is mid-January, as I have some travelling to do between now and then.

Thanks, all.

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 10:54 pm

$20 sounds like a pretty good deal if the main point is to make a bodhran. We'll be waiting to see a picture and hear about the results. Good luck!