Gas Can Guitar or call it the...

...CANTAR!

Hey everybody, this was a super fun project to make! It is a 4 string guitar made from an old gas can that I used to use for R/C airplane glow fuel.

This is not my original idea, there have been many other guitars made from an old empty can. In fact, I saw my first canjo on Youtube from this guy Richard Peek. He was playing an oil can banjo that he had made and I thought that it was amazing!

Since seeing his canjo and his playing, I have always wanted to make one for myself but, I don’t know how to play and I really don’t want to take the time to learn. Lazy I guess. So the idea just sat there taking up precious space in one of my two brain cells that are left.

Well, I will tell you that I have a brother-in-law that, around any gift giving occasion, will usually give me a thoughtful gift. Me on the other hand, when it’s my turn to return the thought, pass off the responsibility of getting him a gift to my wife. I don’t know what to get him. I am easy to buy for. Just get me a gift card to Rockler or a tool and I am good. ha ha

Anyway, he has had a birthday recently and we weren’t able to get together to celebrate it yet so I had some time. He plays guitar and I thought that now would be the perfect time to make him one out of my old gas can. If it sounds bad, at least it would be a really unique gift, hopefully something that he has never even seen before.

Well what you see in the pictures is what I came up with and I hope that he likes it. The letters on the head are his initials. The neck is made from a piece of madrone. The frets are finish nails that I blue with gun blue. I bought the geared tuners from a local music store. Of course the “theme” of the guitar is of miscellaneous screws and nails, kind of a hillbilly look. I like the fork that was used to attach the strings to, an idea that I got from rpeek.

Here are some links to a couple of videos that I made for the build of this guitar.  I hope that you will get something from them.

Keith's Wooden Apple

Here is an apple that was inspired by the Wooden Apple video! 

This picture is from Keith in Switzerland!

Thanks Keith for sharing this with us, the apple is fantastic!

Here is his description taken from part of an e-mail that he sent with a photo of the apple.

"the apple is a piece of spalted lime and the stalk is acacia,both of these are hard work to turn,the acacia being the worst.I was getting so carried away with  finishing it that I didn’t go through the grits when I sanded and now I can see the sanding scatches,oh well I’ll make a better job of the next ones I make.I can see a few people getting wooden fruit for presents this year(going to try a pear next."

A Wooden Apple

This was a requested project from the lovely Mrs. Peterson even before I got my lathe.  It was an idea that she found in a book, or magazine or something.  The apple is used as a reminder to always say sweet words to one another, not words that are hurtful or condescending. 

We use it at the dinner table.  If someone is using words that are not positive, the apple is placed in front of that individual and is an indicator that their words are not helping to build up, but to break down.  The person is then able to excuse themselves and come back when they are ready to apologize and use kind words again.

We haven't had to place the apple in front of anyone yet (not that we haven't ever said unkind words to one another, just not since we have had the apple for that purpose) and just having it at the table is a good reminder to watch our conversation.

Here is a video of turning a second apple on the lathe.  I first one I did on a spur of the moment one night and I like it so much that I thought a video might be inspiring to others to go make one for themselves.