Now that I have this plotted, I am ready to calculate how much Maple I need to get. It's not just a matter of board feet, but the wood I get must also be wide enough to cut this shape out of it in one piece. It would be possible to use 2 narrower pieces and edge glue them together, but that's more work, and a bit of a hassle. Bear in mind that you'll need to cut 2 of these out of 4/4 stock, and laminate them together. Surfaced 4/4 stock is actually 3/4" thick, so we'll have a neck that is 1 & 1/2" thick. We laminate 2 pieces for strength. We'll also do the same for the pillar. On my drawing here, I have determined that I need to get a piece of wood that is at least 8" wide. I'll need 2 of these neck pieces, and each one will be about 2 feet long, so there is 4 feet. I know the pillar is going to be less than 3' long, and I can cut both pieces from an 8" wide board, so there's 3 more feet, for a total of 7 feet. The soundbox is treated a bit differently. I like to use stock that is from 1/4" to 3/8" thick for the sides of the soundbox. This makes it necessary to buy thicker stock, re-saw it, and surface plane it. For this I'll purchase 5/4 or 6/4 stock. If none is available, I'll go ahead and get 8/4 stock because I always have a need for thin stock in my shop. If all you can locate is 4/4 stock, you merely need to adjust your board footage so that you'll have enough stock to make the box. This soundbox will be made with 6 pieces, not counting the soundboard. 2 back pieces, 2 corner pieces, and 2 sides. It would be possible to make the back a single piece, but I like to "book match" the grain on the back and sides. Because these pieces are all long tapers, you can save material costs if you don't worry about book matching the grain. You can flip the tapers end for end and cut your pieces out side by side, minimizing waste.

    We're also going to need extra stock for the base of the soundbox, thickeners for the neck where it fits the top of the soundbox, a top plate for the soundbox that the neck will mate with, the feet of the harp, and some internal bracing pieces, so just to be on the safe side, I'll buy extra material. Be sure to look for kiln dried hardwood, or hardwood that has cured properly. So I need a minimum of 7 feet of 4/4 lumber at least 8" wide for the neck and pillar. I'll also use 4/4 lumber for the neck thickeners and internal braces, so I'll pick up another piece at least 6 feet long, and the width is not critical. For the soundbox sides I'll need 6/4 or 8/4 stock, preferably about 6" wide or more. This will have to be a bare minimum of 4 feet long for the soundbox, but I'll want to make the feet and the base out of thicker stock as well, so I'll try to get at least 6 to 8 feet.

    That's about it for the preliminary calculations and drawing. Next we'll get some wood and actually start cutting some pieces. From here on, we're going to have actual photos of the harp in progress. Thanks for your patience through all of this technical stuff.