The document summarizes Taylor Faulring's work log for building a 5 string bluegrass banjo over multiple dates. Some of the key activities included: widening tuning peg holes on the neck, sanding and staining the neck and resonator, installing brackets and tension hoop to construct the banjo pot, and applying a second coat of stain to the neck and resonator. Comments provided suggestions such as being careful when drilling or sanding to avoid damage, and ensuring even application of stain.

1. Product Work Log
Name Taylor Faulring Date: 121103
Product : 5 String Bluegrass Banjo
Date/Time: Activity: Banjo Resonator wood filling Comment/Suggestions
12-12-02 and Banjo rim/tone ring cleaning :
6:32:00
8:30:19 Commentary: This started out with • Use wood filler
having to plug the holes where the a little less
118 Minutes original resonator wall lug mounts messy and
would have gone with wood filler that plug the hole
would later be sanded down to be as easy as you
flush with the resonator wall. After can.
doing this I started cleaning the banjo’s • Should have
aluminum rim/ tone ring by cutting of used a dremel
some of the metal burr’s that were left too for the
over after the rim holes were drilled. banjo rim’s
Along with the burr’s I had to clean off metal burr’s
the residue of the cutting tools. I left over.
started off with a brillo pad and then
later used warm water and soap to
keep it clean and ready to build.

2. Product Work Log
Name Taylor Faulring Date: 12-23-02
Product: 5 String Bluegrass Banjo
Date/Time: Activity: Working on Banjo neck and Comment/Suggestions
12-23-02 getting it prepared :
5:31:49-
7:08:19 Commentary: I started this day by taking • Be very careful
97 minutes the neck and checking the banjo tuning peg with the
holes to see if the geared tuners would fit replacing of the
correctly. To my despair they were too 5th string nut as
small so I got a drill and a 3/8” drill bit and you may scrape
widened the banjo’s tuning peg holes. After the fret board a
this I sanded the neck just a little bit to little bit which I
start the final shaping so that it would be did.
ready to get the wood stain put onto it a • Be careful
little later. I then moved on to take the 5th whenever using
string nut out which holds the 5th string in a drill bit as you
place at the start of the tuning machine to may make a
plug the hole and replace it with a bone nut hole larger than
which would improve the tone and look of you need, I did
the banjo. This started with drilling out the not do this to
old plastic nut and then using a razor blade my banjo but it
to cut out the rest of the plastic, then I can happen
used permanent glue and filler to get the very easily.
banjo’s hole plugged. • Needed a 1/8”
drill bit for 5th
string nut.

3. Product Work Log
Name Taylor Faulring Date: 122502
Product: 5 String Bluegrass Banjo
Date/Time: Activity: Building the Banjo pot and Comment/Suggestions
12-25-02 construction :
7:19:53-
9:00:00 Commentary: The first step to the • Make sure
construction of the banjo’s pot is laying there is not
99 minutes out all the banjo’s components. The pot enough stress
consist of L-brackets, brackets shoes, on any of the
brackets nuts, the rim, the tailpiece, the components on
banjo head which I used a Remo the pot, for it
renaissance low crown head, armrest, could cause
tension hoop, flange plates, and the breaking of
resonator mounting hardware. I first parts.
had to install the rim brackets and then • Check all
ran the head on the rim, which is held components
down by the tension hoop which has before the
notches that the banjo hook and nuts build, I had a
run into to tighten the head on the rim. single co-
The hooks then run into the flange ordinator rod
plate which mounts onto the rim that did not fit
brackets and is able to hold the banjo the banjo’s
pot together to mount to the resonator. neck bolts.
Lastly, you take the T-bracket’s and
install the 1st and 2nd one across from
each other on the rim, and the 3rd
where the tailpiece is aligned.

4. Product Work Log
Name Taylor Faulring Date: 120503
Product: 5 String Bluegrass Banjo
Date/Time: Activity: Neck and Resonator Sanding, Comment/Suggestions
120503 then putting the first staining on the :
4:00:00- wood.
7:00:00 • Plastic binding
Commentary: To start this step in the on the banjo’s
180 Minutes building of the banjo you take a nut and
medium coarse sandpaper and run it resonator
on the neck and resonator to get the purfling does
imperfections out of the wood and not hold wood
make sure it is even all the way around stain real well.
the neck, along with this step you must • Follow the
follow your sanding methods with the grain of the
actual grain of the wood to make sure wood more
you are not getting uneven on the closely.
wood of the banjo. Once this process is • Use cloth
over I had to get the can of wood stain without lint on
that was oil based so that the wood them.
would absorb the stain very easily and
go deep, and you need to mix it up
very good and then once the stain is
ready to go you grab a lint free cloth
and dip it into the stain can and apply
it onto the wood again following the
grain of the wood. I did this for both
the neck and resonator until all the
wood was covered with the first coat of
stain as even as I could apply. After I
applied the stain I let it sit and dry for
about two days straight so that the
wood would really soak in the stain.

5. Product Work Log
Name Taylor Faulring Date: 120703
Product: 5 String Bluegrass Banjo
Date/Time: Activity: 2nd Staining and Sanding Comment/Suggestions
1207003 :
Commentary: After waiting for about
5:30:29- two days I checked over the wood and • Make sure the
8:34:05 stain from the two days previous to wood is
make sure that the neck and resonator stained evenly
184 minutes had been done correctly the first time. and correctly.
At this time I took some very fine • Don’t ever use
sandpaper and scraped the wood stain on plastic
where it was need so that the neck parts or bone
would be ready for the second staining parts on the
and all imperfections would be cast banjo.
out. As last time I ran the stain over the
banjo’s neck and resonator like last
time following the grain and not over
adding stain to get certain parts
splotched up. On the second time
around on the resonator only needed
stain on the back and sides as the first
stain on the inside of the resonator was
sufficient enough for the final product.
The only thing stained inside the
resonator was the top of the walls
inside the resonator as the first time I
had to skip this.

6. Product Work Log
Name Taylor Faulring Date: 121003
Product: 5 String Bluegrass Banjo
Date/Time: Activity: Connecting the banjo’s pot to Comment/Suggestions
121003 the resonator and using the mounting :
1:20:02- hardware
3:50:04 • Make sure the
Commentary: This process was a very two flange
150 minutes tricky part on the bringing of the many plates on both
components of this banjo together. This sides of the
step involved precision measuring and banjo’s pot are
alignment to make sure that the even to the rim
hardware that held the pot and so that no
resonator together was a real pain. alignments are
First, I aligned the pot on the resonator off to make
and then took a pencil and fit it down sure all things
in between the flange’s holes and are even.
marked at two spots on the banjo’s • Check the
resonator so that the alignment would resonator wall
be correct on both sides. Then I before starting
measured 3/8” above the bottom of the to drill into it
resonator and then I took the drill with so that you will
a 1/8” drill bit and started the hole for not warp any
the wall mount of the resonator wood.
mounting hardware. Once the two
holes were drilled and started the rest
had to be turned by hand until both
mounts were even with the wall of the
resonator and then I aligned these with
the pot’s t brackets and once I finished
all of the measurements the pot fit
snugly atop the resonator.

7. Product Work Log
Name Taylor Faulring Date: 121103
Product: 5 String Bluegrass Banjo
Date/Time: Activity: Placing the Geared Tuning Comment/Suggestions
121103 Pegs onto the banjo’s peg head :
2:15:07-
3:18:37 Commentary: This task involved • Make sure the
making sure the holes in the peg head right drill bit is
63 minutes were ready to let the tuners get on the end of
positioned correctly into place. Along the drill so the
with getting the four planetary tuners tuners do not
attached I had to hammer in the 5th have too much
string geared tuner into the wood so leeway.
that it would not move from its place
once the tensioning of the string is
placed on it. Once this task was done I
was able to align the tuners up to be
ready for stringing the banjo.

8. Product Work Log
Name Taylor Faulring Date: 121104
Product: 5 String Bluegrass Banjo
Date/Time: Activity: Drilling neck bolts for the co- Comment/Suggestions
ordinator rods/ Cutting heel of the :
121103 neck
11:06:53- • A more precise
12:38:08 Commentary: This step is for the bolts measure of
that hold and connect the neck of the how tall the
92 minutes banjo to the rim of the banjo as to make neck’s heel and
the neck not bow and keep the neck at the rims
a necessary angle for the right height of tension hoop
the strings on the neck. To start Me and fit.
my facilitator took the lag bolts and
slowly wound the screw into the holes
at the heel of the neck. Once the first
bolt was in we had to align the second
bolt to the first as well as check the fit
on the resonator of the banjo. Once the
bolts were in place I was able to mate
the neck and rim of the banjo. It took
about 3-4 tries to cut the neck’s heel
down with a sharpened file and
through trial and error match the two
together. Once the neck fit I joined the
neck with the single co-ordinator rod
to the rim.

9. Product Work Log
Name Taylor Faulring Date:
Product: 5 String Bluegrass Banjo
Date/Time: Activity: Connecting the Neck to the Comment/Suggestions
121403 pot construction and final assembly of :
10:45:06- the banjo.
11:05:18 •
Commentary: This started with the rim
20 minutes and neck already joined and the neck
was set at the right angle. Then once
the neck was joined you attach the
resonator to the pot and the banjo is
complete.

10. Product Work Log
Name Taylor Faulring Date:
Product: 5 String Bluegrass Banjo
Date/Time: Activity: Setting up the Banjo for Comment/Suggestions
maximum sound :
121603
12:22:06- Commentary: This part was most •
12:58:78 enjoyable as I was finished with the
project part of the banjo, but now it
36 Minute was the time to where I could change
and mess around with the banjo to get
the maximum sound I wanted and
liked to hear out of a banjo. I chose the
head that had the best resonance, the
bridge I had built by myself and
shaped myself, and also choose the
strings that I wanted put on my banjo.
First, I strung the banjo by running the
strings from the tailpiece to the tuners.
Second, I cranked the head down with
the tension hoop and tension hooks
until the head was to the tightness I
liked. Lastly, I installed the bridge
under the stings on the head and tuned
up the string and then set the bridge to
where it needed to sit for the correct
tone. Then I set the tailpiece which was
the last thing for this project.

12. •