Popular Woodworking 2002-04 № 127, страница 27

minimizes pitch and resin buildup. Ultimately, this extends blade life.

And, of course, there's the Rollerblade wheels. He uses the urethane-coated bearings to make a spring-tensioned featherboard that pushes material firmly against his band saw's fence. The wheel material won't mar the wood or let it slip.

In a dulcimer, the sound holes, along with the shape and thickness of the sound board (the wide top board), impart the tonal qualities to the finished instrument. Often, May will take advantage of nature's own book-matched limb holes, knots or natural openings to form the sound holes. Or, he'll use the scroll saw to cut humming birds, floral or heart-shaped openings. His love of hand work is evident in the beveled edges carved on each sound hole design and the carved details on the tuning head.

Often, delicate-edged details require extra support. A unique blend of thick viscosity cyanoacrylate (super glue) mixed with rosewood dust makes a solid backing in seconds. A catalyst isn't required because a chemical in the dust accelerates the curing. Remember to wear a mask when working with rosewood — this specie can cause allergic reactions.

I've been in hundreds of woodshops in the last 20 years. No two are alike. May's shop is a long, rectangular building that he built on a budget and has added to as needed. His shop has grown and evolved over the years. My day with May gave me new ideas that will help make my work better and easier. PW

—Scott Phillips, contributing editor

May's clamping jig is a set of ⁵/i6" bolts that are held in a special pattern frame.There are multiple dulcimer profiles and each requires a matching "spring clamping jig." All bolts are spaced properly to place just the right amount of pressure at exactly the right spot. While one jig costs about $30 to make, it replaces about 40 spring clamps and makes a better product.

AMERICAN WOODSHOPS

Woodworkers love to see the shops of other woodworkers. And few people see as many notable shops as Scott Phillips, host of PBS' "The American Woodshop." Every issue, Phillips takes us inside the shops of some of the finest craftsmen (and women) in America.You can see more about Warren May's shop by tuning in to "The American Woodshop"on your local PBS station. Look for episode #1010, or visit Woodcraft Supply to purchase a videotape of the show.

WORKSHOP AND RETAIL STORE

To see outstanding dulcimers surrounded with elegant furniture, I went to the Warren A. May Woodworker store in Berea.Warren and his wife, Frankye, work closely together to offer a wide selection of wooden objects for every budget. It is fair to say they have something for everyone. I bought a $400 dulcimer (my wife really needed it for her birthday) that not only looks perfect but the notes that escape it just sing. Their store is on the same block as Berea's famous Boone Tavern and is where he and Frankye both made and sold dulcimers and furniture in their early years.Today, they have the store set up for sales and the country wood shop perfected for woodworking.

The store always has a selection of Kentucky-style furniture.Warren May describes it as honest, well-made, solid hardwood furniture with folk-inspired hand work in the finishing touches. Hand tool work is part of the tradition of fine Kentucky-made furniture. Over the last 200 years, Kentucky has developed a unique style of honest furniture design— simple, solid walnut, cherry and maple designs accented with hand beading, diamond keyhole accents, line inlay of contrasting woods and shaped aprons. Some folks might misjudge this style as Shaker simplicity with decorative highlights. I believe the Kentucky style started before Shaker times and in turn, may have influenced the "western" Shakers' furniture.

His popular Kentucky sideboard uses inlaid maple diamond keyhole escutcheons. Beaded drawer fronts hide the perfect hand-made dovetails inside. Frankye May made a sign nearby that says: "Please do not remove the drawers, trust me they are made correctly." Many drawers have been dropped over the years when folks got a little too excited about the perfect details. All of the pieces are finished to a beautiful sheen.

The Mays have been in their store for 27 years and at the country woodshop for 15 years. Earlier,Warren May taught industrial arts to high school students.Today, he continues to teach, but now it's how to play the dulcimer. His energy and skills are contagious. He believes anyone can play a well-made instrument, and I have to agree. Dulcimers are easy to learn to play and he can teach anyone the basics in just one sitting.They're almost as easy to play as humming into a kazoo—and that is part of their magic.