Custom Drilling Machine

I guess I have a bit of a reputation for building weird banjo manufacturing machinery - well, so be it. I design and have them built out of necessity. We've all heard the expression "Necessity is the mother of invention".

Some of you may know that I lost my left arm and leg in a near fatal motorcylce accident a few years ago. Almost a year after my accident I got back into building banjos. I've had lots of help along the way and have made banjos a big part of my life. One of my goals is to build and assemble as much of the instrument as possible and that is the reason behind the machinery. This machine is able to clamp, index and drill the holes in a Tubaphone style tone ring tube. It can also clamp, index and drill and counterbore screw holes in a Vega style bracket band. I can operate this machine to perform some complex machining processes with just one hand while standing on one leg.