How to Make a Harp Out of Wood

Making a wooden harp is a complicated process.

The strength and type of wood used when making a harp affects the sound and life of the harp. Harps are typically made of wood, though some are now made of carbon fiber. Because of the hundreds of pounds of tension put on the harp body by the strings, a harp needs to be designed to take this kind of load.

Things You'll Need

• Hard wood
• Birch plywood
• Circular Saw
• Glue
• Screws
• Nails
• Hand plane
• Router
• Clamps
• Awl
• Drill press
• Drill bits
• Tapered reamer
• Dowel rods
• Lag bolts
• Wrench
• Electric drill
• Sand paper
• Strap
• Tapered tuning pins
• Bridge pins
• Harp strings

Instructions

Plan the Harp

1. Design the string band: the spacing, length, gauge and angle of the strings. There are programs available for this purpose. Make a template (pattern) for where the strings will come through the soundboard.

2. Determine what kind of wood you want to use for the body, neck, pillar and soundboard of the harp. Hardwoods are best for the body, neck and pillar. The soundboard can be made out of strong plywood or hardwood.

3. Calculate how much wood you will need. Determine the length and depth you want the sound box to have, as well as the length and width of the soundboard. Think about the curve and shape you want to have for the neck and pillar. Draw all of this out on a piece of graph paper and note your measurements. Use these measurements to determine how many square feet of each type of wood you will need.

4. Purchase your materials. Hardwoods and plywood are available at lumberyards and woodworking stores. Tuning pins and bridge pins are available online and from music stores that specialize in harps.

Make the Neck and Pillar

1. Cut the neck and pillar of the harp out of hardwood.

2. Mark two sets of 29 holes on the neck for the tuning and bridge pins according to your string band. The tuning pegs will fit into the holes on top; the bridge pins will fit into the holes on the bottom.

3. Using a drill press, drill the holes for both sets of pins. Match your drill bits to the size of the tuning and bridge pins.

4. Join the neck and the pillar together using either dowel rods or a mortise-and-tenon joint

Build the Sound Box

1. Using the measurements you made earlier, cut the sides, bottom and back of the sound box out of hardwood, using a circular saw.

2. Cut holes in the back of the sound box to give the harp resonance.

3. Assemble the sound box using nails or screws.

4. Cut the plywood for the soundboard. Make sure the grain of the wood runs horizontally across the soundboard. This adds extra strength to accommodate for string tension.

5. Cut the string ribs; You will make two ribs, one for the inside and one for the outside of the soundboard. The length for both ribs should be the same as the soundboard. Taper the string ribs from the bottom to the top in width and height. The top of the outside string rib should be about 1/4 inch tall and 1/2 inch wide. The bottom of the outside string rib should be 3/4 inch tall and 1 3/4 inches wide. The inside rib should have the same height measurements, but be 3/4 inches wide at the top. The string ribs reinforce the soundboard for the tension of the harp strings.

6. Glue the string ribs to each side of the soundboard.

7. Level the top of the sound box with a plane.

8. Nail or glue the soundboar to the sound box.

9. Trim the soundboard to the edges of the sound box.

Assemble the Harp Body

1. Join the neck to the top of the sound box using dowel rods or splines.

2. Join the pillar to the bottom of the soundboard with a lag bolt.

3. Cut and finish feet for the harp. Harp feet come in many shapes, lengths and sizes, and are designed by the harp maker.

4. Attach the harp feet with screws.

5. Run a strap all the way around the harp from bottom to top and pull the strap tight to act as a clamp while the glue dries on the neck/sound-box joint.

6. Measure the shortest string; add 1/8 inch and measure down from the top bridge pin to the string rib. Mark this point. Measure 5/8 inch up from the pillar on the bottom of the string rib. Mark this point. Use the template you created earlier to mark the placement of the strings between these two points.

7. Drill a hole at each mark through the string ribs.

8. Insert and glue eyelets into the holes

9. Sand, scrape and finish the harp with a finish or lacquer. Allow the finish to dry.

Stringing and Tuning the Harp

1. Insert the bridge pins and tuning pins.

2. String the harp. Tie knots around a small piece of dowel rod or a thicker piece of harp string for the lighter gauges of harp string to prevent strings from pulling through the holes as they are brought up to tension. The heavier gauge strings should come with their own stops. Thread the strings through the holes on the soundboard. Heavy-gauge strings at the bottom, light-gauge strings at the top. Bring each string up to its corresponding tuning pin. Pull the string through the hole in the pin, and then thread it through again.

3. Tighten the strings with the harp key, turning the key clockwise. As you tighten the strings, line them up to run over the notch in the bridge pin.

Tips & Warnings

• Decoration can be added to the sound board.

• Using feet that are similar to table legs will give your harp height and make it easier to play while standing.

• Use an electronic tuner to tune the harp to true pitch once the harp has reached full tension (the strings don't go drastically out of tune in an hour.)

• While your harp strings are being brought up to tension, the harp body will pop and crack.

• Watch out for separation of the soundboard from the sound box.

References

• Building the Lever Harp
• Building a Celtic Harp
• Robinson's Harps and Vermont Strings, Plans
• Musicmakers, Harps by Musicmakers