Broken Heart Woodworks: Hand Made Woodworks

Welcome to Broken Heart Woodworks website.

My name is Matt and I build stuff (banjos and other musical instruments and longboards). The site was designed to show off what I'm doing and what I've made. I don't do any production work which means that everything here is a one-of-a-kind. It also means I do a lot of work the hardway, by hand. So please take a look at the site!

NEWS UPDATE: February 2009 - I am still in Malawi with diarhea and a bad case of heart burn, but I've started building some instruments. A friend and I tried to build a guitar in five days with a Leatherman and a limited supply of local tools and wood. As a musical instrument, it was almost a complete flop but we had loads of fun and it was a good experience. I have started the ujeni. This is going to be my Malawi masterpiece. Part banjo, part ukulele for easy transport and durability. I am also working on the Malawi Music Project. An excrecise of creativity and love. See you down the road!

Matt

NEWS UPDATE: OCTOBER 2008 - I warned you that it might be a while and it has been. I have settled in to village life in Kapoka, Malawi in Chitipa district where I am working with farmers and their bees, trees, and fish. I thought I would have loads of free time to build instruments, relax, play, and read, but I am surprisingly busy. But, it is hard to identify what I do. I build relationships with people and travel takes a good chunk of my time. It's also very surprising how much time is spent building cooking fires, fetching water, and maintaining.
I have started working on a couple projects. Two ukuleles are in the work and I found some wood for a banjo. I am using local tools and it makes me appreciative of power tools and working in American shops. I also am very impressed by the craftsmanship of Malawian woodworkers. What they can do with an mbiso made from the leaf spring of a lory is amazing. Don't want to make this too long. I'll try and be a little more frequent in my writings. Titukomana sona.

Matt

NEWS UPDATE: MARCH 2008 - It looks like this will be it for a while. I've been accepted into the Peace Corps and am going to try and make a difference in Malawi, Africa where I will be working with communities and natural resources. I will also be on the look out for musicians and instrument builders for any inspiration that they can provide. I was planning on taking a banjo but no matter how I tried, I could not fit it into the Peace Corps' luggage size requirements. So, I have decided to take a ukulele. This means that you can probably expect to see a new addition to the Broken Heart instruments in the near future.

We are also trying to set up a blog so keep a look out for that. It's success will greatly depend on my access to the world wide web (it could be very limited!).

See you all down the road some time.

-Matt