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Building the harpbox (V1)

An hitch to build something, a "real" need, let it stir, give it a few weeks: a box for harmonicas

How/why it started

After playing harmonica for nearly a year, they'd started to outgrow the small place I had for them on my desk. It's incredible how quickly they multiply. So I started working on a box idea that would both work as a protection and a display, where the harmonicas would be easy to grab and to identify (it's usually a good idea to take a key that match the song to play, people get upset if you don't). After making plans on OpenSCAD, I used a laser cutter to make a quick cardboard prototype. The makerspace at LuleΓ₯ is a really handy place for that kind of project.

The laser cuter in action for the prototype.

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The harmonicas mostly fitted, but there were some caveats

"the slant isn't slanted enough, the slots are a bit too tight, but the idea is OK" (but in French)

Time for the wooden version

Now that I was rather satisfied with the cardboard version, let's make it nice and pretty with some wood planks left over at the maker space. The lid of the box needed a few adjustments, so I started by building the body of the box. Many hours of laser cutting later, it was time to sandpaper the cuts, put some varnish, and start to glue up the box together.

Laser cutting on wood takes so much longer than on cardboard obviously. Nonetheless, it takes a lot of patience to wait and realise something is f**ked-up...

Laser cutter is nice to engrave some drawings.

It fits! Well, not all of them: since then, I've got an old style Golden Melody that doesn't fit in that box. Also, the Seydel 1847 didn't fit in all places on that model, but again, I had only one of them back then.

Building the lid eventually worked out, I needed to 3d print some parts for my lock system. I also reused a punctured bike tire to serve as "temporary" latch. So temporary that it's in fact still on that box (and still only on one side...).

Turns out that bending wood to required more pressure than bending cardboard... Who knew?

Checking that the harmonicas truly fit under the lid.

The 3d printed part that was supposed to get later on a piece of string to lock the box shut. But eventually, the old bike tire was working just fine and stayed.

It still fits!

Gotta reuse stuff!

πŸŽ‰ Tada! πŸŽ‰

πŸŽ‰ Tada! (but from another angle) πŸŽ‰

πŸŽ‰ Tada! With my then collection of harmonicas. Looking back one year and a half later, I might have an addiction problem... πŸŽ‰

Queue the "2001 Space Odyssey theme song"

And that faithful box has accompanied me ever since. Even if I have now (July 2024) made a V2 version, the V1 is still in the boat with me and still quite handy when I don't want to take my full harmonica equipment.