 Photo by Will Gullette |
| Built: | 1988, San Francisco, California. | |
| Modified: | 2016 and 2018, San Francisco, California. All improvements designed to simplify operator tasks and reduce machine maintenance. | |
| Dimensions: | Length: 114¼ in. Height to the top of timing gear: 49½ in. Height to the top of work table: 33.0 in. Width: 36¼ in. | |
| Materials: | Douglas fir, birch, poplar, Kydex, Formica, E-A-R Isodamp thermoplastic, aluminum, and brass. Cold-rolled steel, case hardened ground steel, and stainless steel. |
I designed and built the String Winder to make wound strings for the Bass Canon. However, the versatility and accuracy of this machine also enable me to make custom wound strings of various lengths and diameters for other musical instruments such as harps, guitars, and pianos. The detailed graphic shows the setup for making a custom wound string for the Bass Canon; this string has a steel core wire, a nylon fiber bedding, and an outer bronze wrap wire. (See also Instrument Construction Archive > Canons Tools and Parts, pp. 6–7.)