Building a kantele

The kantele is the Finnish national instrument, and has a rich history in Finnish and Karelian cultures. It's very simple to make, but produces an interesting and nostalgic tone. The musical capabilities are limited because there are only as many notes as there are strings: in this case 5. But nevertheless, it's an accessible instrument for all ages and certainly more enjoyable to listen to than a recorder.
I had no idea what I was doing (still don't), and there are very few resources for making one, but it turned out nicely anyway. Maybe I should make an 11 string...

[@cherrycordial4180]

Sounds amazing. Great job with the limited info you had!

[@V4N60R]

Really nice!

[@SpookyMcGhee]

I may or may not be using this video as a guide to build my first kantele, nice job mate

[@splittingelm7375]

Glad to hear it! It was a fun project, good luck to you on yours.

[@robabnawaz]

I watched it with great interest, u really built a masterpiece. respect.

[@hanterdrone3868]

Well done, the look and sound are beautiful.

[@ronaldwilkins6056]

Very cool!

[@Asmuk]

Nice work and craftsmanship. I loved the figure and pattern in the woods. If you intend to build an 11-stringed, some optimal lengths to the strings are ca. 65-70 cm to the lowest one (tunned as G or A), and the highest, ca. 32-34 cm (tunned as d). It is usual in Latvian kokles, and recently a Finnish study on an improved-sounding kantele design just recommended similar measurements as well. The tension gets high, as the loudness; you will need some extra strength to hold the ponsi. Two dowels together with the glue will do it. Would be better in long term to position the bar a bit more distant from the corner, so you have more wood to hold the tension. The strings diameter would go from 0.6mm to 0.35mm depending on the desired lengths and tensions. Also thinner walls may help to improve the overall sonority of the instrument. As for the wood, alder, spruce and birch are more traditional (spruce and alder sound better, but a good piece of birch would make a gorgeous ponsi). The finishing may alter the sound as well. Wax is more traditional to the north and better to the sound, as oil may dampen it a bit. Danish oil dampen it for sure.

[@splittingelm7375]

Thanks for the details! I'm absolutely building another one with more strings, so those will be handy.

[@northwind9505]

Wow what a great build! You have inspired me! I wonder if red oak would be good for this type of instrument? I was wondering if the angle the board were the pins go is critical? They all seem to be very similar in design. "Not knowing music", is it because the sound is from high to low? If I was to change the angle to allow for more pins would I screw up my project and sound?

[@splittingelm7375]

If I understand your question correctly, the angle of how the pins are aligned is so that all strings have enough tension to get a similar volume of sound and to feel consistent when you play it. There is probably a mathematically perfect angle (for a given string gage), but I guessed at it for mine. I'd go a little steeper next time. If all the strings were the same length and same gage, the low notes would be much lower tension than the high notes. I bet you could do it with oak just fine.

[@northwind9505]

Thank you. That helps. Yours sounds great and looks great. Will you ever make another?

[@splittingelm7375]

@@northwind9505 initially I intended to make an 11 string right after, but I've since got into other things, so it's hard to say if I ever will.

[@dhillukka]

When 10 sub sauna

[@guberNailer]

Nice. But can you play smoke on water?

[@splittingelm7375]

Is that a meme? I must be getting old.

[@ronaldwilkins6056]

@@splittingelm7375 Deep Purple song.