Popular Woodworking 2003-04 № 133, страница 35

Oscillating Spindle Sander (B.O.S.S.), that takes hours off his work load.

Rees is a strong believer in not wasting lumber, both for ecological and business reasons. To do his part he works with mostly re-sawn lumber and thin hardwood panels. He prefers to do his resawing on the table saw, though. He uses a standard, no-nonsense combination blade and has carefully planned his designs to use wood widths for his panel glue-ups that can easily be resawn on the table saw. He also doesn't waste wood that others might consider unappealing. Sapwoods and defects are incorporated into his designs.

The sound box's backs finish out at V4" thick.To avoid lots of waste, the four-piece backs are resawn, then planed to ⁵/i6", then edge glued.The special clamps (from Woodworkers Warehouse) allow Bryant Rees to make a thin-slab glue-up with reasonable ease.

While traditional harps were made using spruce, Rees found with some trial and error that domestic hardwoods (cherry, walnut and even poplar for the sound boards) also provide excellent tone. Strength also is an important part of the design and construction. When strung, a medium-sized harp can have 1,250 pounds of pressure exerted on the 5mm-thick soundboard. After time, the soundboard will "belly" away from the soundbox because of the string pressure, so some resilience is necessary as well.

The finish on Rees's harps is kept simple. He uses a clear lacquer finish over the unstained woods, letting the natural colors and grain patterns speak for themselves.

Rees and his family have turned their passion for music and woodworking into a thriving business. That business brings joy not only to those who purchase his harps, but also to those who hear them played. If you'd like to view more of Rees's work and learn more about harps, visit the company's web site at traditionalharps.com. PW

— David Thiel

The heart, and most critical part of each harp, is the sound box. Making sure the soundboard will support the potential 1,250 pounds of pressure exerted on it by the strings demands careful attention. Painted luan templates for the many shapes used hang in easy reach on the side wall.They're painted so that everyone knows they're important and shouldn't be thrown away.

Harps on Main has its workshop in the rear of the first floor, with showroom and classroom space up front, and concert and office space on the second floor.

The machining area is home to tools that could be found in most home shops. An old Craftsman contractor saw does the majority of the parts sizing, with a variety of jigs to make setups simple and accurate.

Other machinery includes a number of economy tools from Harbor Freight, a Performax sander that sees lots of work, a standard 14" Jet band saw, three Grizzly sanders and Rees's favorite tool, a Delta Bench

36 Popular Woodworking April 2003