Shopsmith Forums

OK I hope by now you have all googled this and know what I'm talking about so has any one here actually built one?

I found some plans for one in an "older" book (1968) and was thinking of building it. (I also googled it so you need not send me off to the ends of the earth, I've been there.) How ever if you have built one or more I'd like to have some feed back on the project.

Ed

My wife has designed them. I have built them. My dogs hate them.

With all good wishes,

No, but i want too now...thanks a lot.

drew

Nick wrote:My wife has designed them. I have built them. My dogs hate them.

With all good wishes,

You or the wife have any pictures we could see?

Ed

After a couple of days - my curiosity has overflowed! I'll bite! Ed, what is a window harp!

The proper name I guess is aeolian harp. They are an ancient idea and mentioned in the bible times dealing with King David hanging his harp over his bed in the night breezes.

I have a 1965 book that has plans and it says there they are all but a forgotten thing. However when you search the web that does't seem to be the case, well at least as of now. Not sure what has caused the renewal of interest but it here.

In it's most basic form it is a harp the fits in your window. The air blowing by makes "music". The length is somewhere in the range of what windows you want to fit it in. It uses strings like a guitar and has tuning pegs and bridges so you can "tune" it. They can be something very basic to something quite rich in design.

I'm started ooking at this as maybe project, a thing to do and play with and see how I like the output... no dog or cats anymore so they are spared the results. Of course were I live it would be to cold to use in winter and to hot in summer so it has limit play time.

The other thing is that a lot of these look too nice to actually use. With dust, small bugs, air polutiants and if forgotten, rains come by they seem a bit on the fancy side. I have a feeling they may be more display items then window harps.

I have convinced myself now that I will be ordering parts and collecting supplies over winter for a spring project of a simple country design... I might even build two, gotten use to stereo. This is the basic design:
www.art-robb.co.uk/aeol.html

Some of this reminds me of my middle son who would adjust the windows so the wind would "sing" in his bedroom. And if given the oppertunitity every window in the house would be tuned. I think he was about 7 or 8 at the time and turns out it was his musical talent showing up.

If you want to see the fancy ones just google "wind harp".

Ed

Ed - Thank you for you kind and complete answer!
The wind blows quite often on the desert, but it also brings lots of dust and sand. Gotta think about this! Remembering when I lived in N. Ill. I can appreciate your weather now. (Went to High School in La Grange)