Striiing Winders- a love story
I would argue that Frank Ford (RIP) is as much to blame for my interest in tinkering with instruments as my own inner nature-- such is the intrigue and value of Franks incredible repair website frets.com. If not for pure inspiration his website certainly steered my energy into useful channels. I could go on and on about it. I am sad that I never got to meet him, I only know him through his web presence.
Something Frank was known for was a particular meticulousness and ingenuity when it comes to tools of the trade, especially well designed, ad hoc solutions to fix the kind of problems America’s best repairman gets handed. He made a lot of his own stuff and I have a natural predilection for this, so in his work I saw a bit of how I would like to be.
When I made my first two string winders sometime in the mid 00's, and before I even knew of Frank Ford, I just wanted a winder that fit mandolin tuners better than the standard guitar winders. My early attempts served me well until I admitted there were tweaks that could improve them-- like more clearance for F style tuners, tighter tolerances and nicer materials. One thing I neglected in my first overhaul in 2024 was actually the best part of my favorite early winder-- a small accidental angle between the handle and crank arm that made turning it feel incredibly comfortable. When I decided to produce these for sale I did not include this angle and the first 30 iii striiing winders were all 90° and entirely useful, but lacked a certain panache.
So for the overhaul coming into 2025 I decided to intentionally build that small angle on the crank arm. If you follow the world of over-designed string winders you no doubt have learned about Frank's Cranks (https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/making-franks-cranks.68047/), a coveted brainchild of Frank Ford, and marveled at the level of minutia and the focused storytelling that Frank has in creating them. All references to Frank's cranks may as well be talking about the holy grail, or the shroud of Turin... holy things I tell you! The first time I saw one my heart started racing, I kid you not! Click on that link and try to not be swooning by the end of the thread.
Long story short: Frank used a 7° angle where the handle meets the lever arm. Because of my deep respect and appreciation for Frank, I decided I will use a 5° angle to capture the ergonomic benefit, but also to stop short and pay homage to the man who, as far as I am concerned, could never be replicated or replaced. I won't even call mine cranks. They are Striiing Winders and they will change your string-changing life.
