Official Luthiers Forum!

Anyone have a good source for dulcimer wood? I have a nice top, looking for sides & back.

I would contact our wood sponsors at the top of the page and ask if they
have some back wood or some sides that you could join to make some tops
and backs. Sometimes their scrap pile is much better than what you can buy
from retailers that sell kits.

You might also try musikit.com. I'm
building a Diatonic Bowed Psaltery for my daughter and I bought the pins
and strings from them. They also have some cool laser cut rosettes that I bet
would be nice on a dulcimer. Good luck, and post pics when your done.
Tracy

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Tracy
http://www.luthiersuppliers.com

If any of the sponsors don't have what you need, try these guys

http://www.folkcraft.com/

See the building supplies link on the left side towards the bottom.

Do standard length side sets work, or do the plates need to be longer?

Given that the needed widths aren't so wide, I'd probably look first at the hardwood lumberyard if you have one in reach.

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

If you're tricky, and the design is right, you might be able to get the back and sides for a dulcimer out of a wide guitar side set. I generally buy hardwood at a normal lumber yard and resaw it.

Try Folkcraft Instruments at folkcraft.com. They have about anything you might want for dulcimers, I think.

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Chuck Kish

[QUOTE=jtkirby]Do standard length side sets work, or do the plates need to be longer?
No, I need longer everything. Local lumberyards around New Orleans are a disapointmnent unless you are gutting a house. Good idea though, maybe I'll try some lumber stores outside of town.
Given that the needed widths aren't so wide, I'd probably look first at the hardwood lumberyard if you have one in reach.[/QUOTE]