About the Floating bridge
A floating bridge isn't glued down. String tension holds it on the drum head or top, as on banjos, mandolins and some guitars and ukuleles. This script generates a three-legged bridge to your measurements. You don't need to know OpenSCAD: fill in the values, render and export an STL.
Print it lying on its side with fine layers and the smallest nozzle you have, so the string notches have crisp corners that stop the strings slipping. The designer's tip is to print it about 1 mm taller than needed, then file the notches down until the action is right at full tension. On a banjo the strings push the head down as you tune up, so you may need to try a few heights. Look up a banjo action setup guide if this is new to you.
What you'll need
Printed parts
- The bridge, generated for your instrument
Bought parts
- Nothing
Tools
- Desktop OpenSCAD
- Small files for the notches
Build overview
Print settings
- Orientation: On its side
- Layer height: 0.1 mm
- Nozzle: The smallest you have
- Height: Print about 1 mm taller, then file to fit