Just got new Simonoff book

[folms]

I just got the new Simonoff book,and I think I,m the happiest guy alive right now, I can finally get to whittlin. I got the top & back joined,and 2 neck blocks are planed straight. I'd like to make templates for everything right now, but don't know which plan to use? I have both simonoff books & the MacRostie drawing (#591 Artist model).I've been lurkin around here now for 2 months reading every post,and waiting for this day. I,ve read that the old simonoff plans are wrong (neck,etc.). I just dont want to goof up on my bee-u-t-ful wood. Could someone please advize me on which plan to go by,and maybe what to look out for on the plans that you suggest?
Thanks a bunch, folms
Waiting your reply, shakin like a leaf http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Chris Baird]

The new plan from siminoff is supposed to be very accurate however, I don't think anyone has built a mando from them yet. If the new plans are an accurate loar it may be better for a begginer to go with the don macrostie plans as they are simplified. It may not do a begginer well to try to plan in all the quirks of a loar.

[Yonkle]

I just finished #3 from Siminoff plans, sounds much better than the Stew Macs. The new plans are at Loar Spec's so he says. I am happy with my 3rd mandolin.

[folms]

Hey,Chris
I can appreciate that, I've already found a discrepancy (imho), on page 28 (cutting out the neck).It says to, Quote,mark out one piece of 5/8 stock by whatever longest length you have, and cut out this piece for the peghead ears . Now you have a piece of stock about 2" wide by5/8 thick by about 8" long. Split this piece down the center to make the peghead ears. If you follow the blueprint to cut out the neck, and mill your neck block to the size of the drawing, the 1 inch pieces that you have (and is stated in the book), will not be wide enough to make the full width of the peghead. I didn't mill my neck to size of the drawing,but lef it approx. 2&3/8" wide, figuring to have more wood to play with, but I did cut out the peghead ears to the size stated on page 28. My ? now is will it matter if glue joint on the peghead is out farther than the drawing, making the scroll reinforcement button farther out of where it shows on the drawing? Will this weaken the scroll area like this? Do I have to mill my already cutout neck to the sizes on the drawing, and cut new peghead ears? Any suggestions appreciated.
Thanks a bunch, folms http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Rob Powell]

Folms,

I just got the book too so I'm curious what else you may find.

I don't know squat about the Loar specs but if you have 2+" for the neck block and 1" each for the ears, that's roughly 4+" (less the saw blade thickness for the rip.) I just scaled Siminoff's neck drawing (with the ears shown and the outline of the scroll) and it's just a tad over 4" but there's some wiggle in it on the left side.

Sounds like you should be dead on the money if not a bit over....am I missing something?

[Brookside]

You have to maintain a sense of humor with Siminoff material. Some of us waited quite a while to recieve our copy after we had already paid. No biggie.

I just ordered his set of A5 plans. Today I recieved an envelope in the mail from him. Hmmm, what's this?

It's page 71 of his new book. It says, "please tape this over the existing page 71." http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

My ever glass-is-half-full girlfriends' take on it? Well he could have not sent it at all.

[Rob Powell]

Hey Brookside,

Wanna post the difference on the two page 71's?

I was gonna do a dovetail and now I'm skeered http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[folms]

I,ve been ponderin these plans an im thinkin im gonna do a redwingtail on mine, Ive been at this for 14 hours now forgive me. It might be okay, mine I meen, I,ll just put in a bigger scroll strengthener, it might be sronger with the glue joint alittle farther away from the tuner holes, maybe not? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif I gotta get some sleep............

[Brookside]

beergeek,

He just added a few paragraphs to explain that you can cut the dovetail in the headblock before the headblock is glued to the rim. I'm not so sure I'd want to do that....

[Michael Lewis]

If you have both Siminoff books use the new one. The plans he sells for $35. are very good. A friend has left his set with me to look over, and so far they look very good. The body outline is very close to Don McRostie's plan (both are from Loars). I find that there is much detail shown on McRostie's plan, so I have been using that for reference. Siminoff's approach to plans is to have a seperate page or sheet for just about everything. Look them both over and decide which you prefer to use. For a first timer I think the Siminoff approach might be better because he labors over many aspects of construction. Read it well and UNDERSTAND IT before you get going. It will definitely help you to see the video that Don McRostie made for Stew/Mac.

[folms]

the best advice Ive read lately is centerline, centerline, centerline,and this rule could apply, maybe you could get the neck in dead center with your body easier with the head block seperate from the body Or it might be easier to cut the dovetail too, Smaller piece to work with,mite be more accurate. ya figger http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif

[Jim Hilburn]

Does the new book show how to do a dovetail?

[Rob Powell]

Well, if Michael Lewis thinks they're pretty good, I won't complain!

Monteleone wrote the forward and is pretty complimentary towards Mr. Siminoff and that bodes well too!

My basic plan is to follow the book and build several of each step until I'm comfortable with the result. So basically, I'm going to wind up with enough parts for 3 or 4 ugly nasty sounding mandos and maybe get one good one out of it.

Actually, that's not entirely accurate...I'm going to modify the headstock, body and f-hole shapes slightly both to make them a bit easier to build and to make them aesthetically different from an f-5.

I am going to follow the graduations for any sitka tops and maple backs but I was actually considering the possibility of using rosewood for the back on at least one attempt.

Mr. Lewis has done this with incredibly beautiful results.

Michael, if I might ask, how would you describe the tone when using the rosewood back? Do you carve the back plate thicker on the rosewood since it's morer reflective than maple?

Thanks to all for the wealth of knowledge on this board. We have some of the finest instrument makers as well as some of the nicest people!

--Rob

[folms]

Yeah,Beerjerk Thats kinda my plan too, I got 4 tops,3 backs,2necks, a big block of honduras mahogany,and a great big basswood plank that I bought on ebay for 8 bucks. Iddm't even look at the when I bid on it and it ended up to be 6' long, 8" wide, and 4" thick. there's enough basswood to make 50 mandolins. The only thing was is that it cost me 20 some bucks to ship it from Pa. I wasn't even looking at where it come from, I just new I needed some basswood. I dont have any of the hardware yet,any suggestions on tuners/tailpieces/truss rods/fretboards? I might just order a pre slotted one,my eyes are gettin pretty bad,it might be the best way to go for me. I'd like to get a rosewood back too, but they sure are proud of that stuff,think I'll save that one for when I grow up maybe.My boy says to get grovers, He's the real musician in the family, only thing is his forte is heavy metal. Good talkin to ya, back to my whittelin.

[Brookside]

Does the new book show how to do a dovetail?
Barely. I wouldn't suggest anyone should rely exclusively on his very brief overview of dovetail joints. It tells about as much about them as the first book does. The best reference I've ever seen on the topic was right here at the cafe, some weeks back.