Why do we do what we do? Today's photos are of a staircase Gruppo did for a philanthropic outfit called The McKnight Foundation. The top shot is the rough fabrication stage in the metal shop. Basically, in case anyone wants to build one of these at home, you get the exact dimensions from the job site of where the thing is going to end up, then you build it in the shop where all your tools are handy, disassemble it and take it to the job site and put it together there for (hopefully) the last time. Pretty simple really. Oh; be sure to measure twice.

I still do projects with the lead Gruppo fabricator (of the project in these photographs). He has his own shop and he and I do projects that I continue to take on. I do that because I can support myself while the guitar shop gets up and running. When one of my projects is happening I am a busy guy. I hit the metal shop in the morning and the evening and sell guitars all day long. My weekends are spent in metal toe boots slinging heavy stuff around while trying my best not to tear or saw off any fingers. The way I figure it, I need intact hands if I am going to have any credibility as a guitar purveyor, not to mention as a banjoist. So far, so good. I have hurt myself but so far I have managed to remain able to play the five string with whatever injury I incurred. I am grateful for all that I have and where I have been but I pray for a less exciting and more stable life sometime in the near future.