Just waiting on an axle I'm having CNC'd really.

Finally got some time to work on this more. It's missing some keys at the moment (removed so I could remove the key box) and need properly tuning, but it's coming along! The redesigned body and bridge seem to be much better.

There's still some areas that need finessing but broadly I think we're getting somewhere :)

I guess the next step is to add a drone string, but thought I'd share the progress.

EDIT: due to repeatedly getting hassled by certain users. I'm not going to be posting this project here in the future. It's all really kinda sucked the joy out of the project for me. If you're looking for updates, or the STL files or anything, send me a DM.

Progress! Admittedly slow progress but still. The sound isn't too bad! But as you can hear, the wheel still isn't properly round enough. Not quite sure what to do about that. If I had a lathe it would be simpler, buuuuut I don't. Maybe we can rig up something with an electric drill? People built these in the 9th century, I'm sure I can figure it out 😅

Either way, this build has highlighted a whole bunch of smaller changes that need to be made. But that's the point of prototyping.

The keys, tangents, and everything are in place and seem to work! It can make decent sound but I'm reeeeeally working on trial and error for how to dial in the strings (getting the cotton right, the rosin right, hight from the wheel, etc). Would be good to have a working gurdy on-hand to reference, or someone who knows more about debugging these things to ask, buuuut we're kinda on our own (I tried asking for advice over on r/hurdygurdy but they're weirdly hostile over there). If anyone here wants to help me debug the sound do let me know! XD

I’ve been interested in maybe building a gutsy for a while now. Any advice on where to source wood and materials. Any common road blocks that I should be aware of if I attempt this? I have some woodworking experience, but I find the project daunting.

Woo! Hit a milestone in the 3D printed hurdy gurdy project! The key mechanism works! Which means, with all the other bits tested, this is viable! There's still a non-zero chance the string tension will cause the whole thing to rip itself apart, but if that happens it'll be educational! :D

Hey folks, I’ve seen the nerdy gurdy and others like it, and I decided to challenge myself to design and print one in 30 days. I was done with the design on day 17 and I’ve just been printing since then. Here’s day 27s worth of effort on and off. Now I need to reprint some small stuff and sand and fuse other parts, but I think it’s at least gurdy shaped. We’ll find out about the sound soon!

I was kinda planning on abandoning the project, but I got so much encrouage ment from people, i've stuck with it. Just going to ignore the negavtive responses; Hater's gonna hate, right?

That said, i've not had much chance to look at this for a while, until the recent long weekend.

I left the protoype with 3 strings under tension, for a while, in various states of warming and cooling, to see how it would behave. It didn't implode!

The head might benefit from a slight redesign, as it did need tightening at one point. But that was easy to do and the plastic isn't showing any notable warping so far.

I spent some time focusing on the setup and tuning of one sting, cos I don't really kwnow what the hell i'm doing soo fousing on one thing at a time seemed good, now we know how the body will behave under presure.

Still not sure i've got the cotton quite right, but it seems good enough for now.

it's not perfect, but i've defintiely heard worse sounds from much better gurdys than this!

Structurally and mechanically, I think this is sound!

I might try making the wheel slightly bigger or the bridge sliightly lower by default, to make it easier to control the height of the string from the wheel. aaaand I need to include the attachemnt points for a strap. and design a proper crank handle (i'm still using a piece of an old test print and a random screw)

Hi all, I might have done a thing...

I had been at this for a while, first on one downloaded off thingiverse that I struggled to get the relationships working before the fairly thin headstock snapped off then with a melodie box type where I made the keys way too thin and the whole thing was difficult to work on. On attempt 3 I started with a larger frame and body in a slightly more conventional (if simplified) shape and made the entire thing bolt together rather than glue so parts could be tested and replaced. I still need to adjust the crank slightly to stop the knob trying to loosen off and work on getting the Chien working properly which might require some rework of the top plate geometry. Keys also click quite audibly when they release so I may need to put a bit of felt or similar where they bump against the key box to dampen it. My intent was to use all printed parts except for M3 nuts and 15mm long bolts I had bags of already. The design requires a print bed of at least 350mm and this one was printed in standard PLA at a mix of 0.3 and 0.2 layer heights with a 0.4 nozzle on my Elegoo Neptune 3 Max. Print settings were not perfect so holes had to be drilled out to size and the keys filed down to fit but overall happy with the basic design. Currently just using some cheap nylon core silver wound classic guitar strings which probably arent the best but seem to work okay (it makes noise in any case) and it uses printed bearings too! Basic info- 360mm scale length, 2 octave, 150mm wheel dia, 1 drone, 2 melody, 1 trompette (currently not set up correctly) Now, to learn how to actually play it...