About Me

Background

For over 23 years, I’ve been a full-time instrument maker, dedicated to bringing rare and obscure traditional instruments back into the public eye through my website and YouTube channel. My work includes kanteles, Anglo-Saxon lyres, stick dulcimers, Icelandic langspils, Welsh crwths, épinettes des Vosges, jouhikkos, and many others—each one a unique piece of history reimagined through craftsmanship.

Music and wood have always moved me deeply. I’m fascinated by strange sounds, resonances, and the quiet magic of carving something that sings.

Since launching my first website in 1999, I’ve made it a point to share my designs and methods openly with other makers. Though not the most financially sensible route, I believe that creativity thrives through generosity. Much of my work happens behind the scenes—crafting instruments for musicians, re-enactors, and quietly encouraging other creators on their own paths. As an introvert, this suits me perfectly.

I live and work in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, UK, with my wife Vicky and our dog Dougal.

Creating a written version of my instrument-making series is a natural extension of my long-standing aim: to inspire others to build and play music. I truly believe that if you dedicate yourself to something and break it into small, regular steps, you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve. Your younger self would be proud.

My journey into making began with drawing and imagination, which shaped much of my childhood. At six, my grandfather gave me a penknife, and I spent hours whittling shavings—learning the feel, smell, and character of wood long before I built anything “useful.” As a teenager, Heron-Allen’s Violin-Making book lit the spark. By 15, I’d built an electric guitar and an electric ukulele prototype. For a time, I pursued music, playing in bands and learning Highland bagpipes.

Eventually, I returned to art and completed a degree in Fine Art Sculpture at age 24. There, I began merging sculpture and sound—building a Gothic harp, an Appalachian dulcimer, and several bowed psalteries during my breaks in the university woodshop. That early website in 1999 offered free plans for instruments like the épinette des Vosges and practice bagpipes, which makers around the world have since built and enjoyed.

Through developing designs—like shorter scales and improved laminated rims—my instruments have grown more refined: better balanced, surprisingly resonant, and a joy to hold and play.