Mandolins in progress

[testore]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]124404[/ATTACH

Love this part

[Joey Anchors]

Very cool picture and spruce top!

[oldwave maker]

Gary- I'll show you my knife if you'll show me yours!
Stolen soundholes from Lawrence, customer wants (C) sharp mando:

[testore]

Very nice Bill. Here's a different knife, but it's sharp!

[Mandoborg]

Hey Bill, what are your thoughts/ experiances on having such a sharp point on those sound-holes. I tried it once, and this is what happened with light pressure while flexing the top. Luckily it never made it onto the instrument. I made another top with 1/8 rounded corners and didn't have a problem. I always thought a point just focused all that tension straight in line with the grain making a perfect recipe for a crack, if that makes any sense....Maybe a little brace on the inside across the grain at that point would have helped....

[Marty Jacobson]

Tops are pretty fragile whenever you have sound holes near the edge until they're glued up to the rib garland. I've had the same thing happen with an elliptical soundhole about the same distance from the edge. Now I refrain from all but the most gentle cross-grain flexing after sound holes are cut.

[testore]

This is just too much fun.

[Dan Douris]

Latest build pics and audio.

[Magnus Geijer]

The "life happens" batch. Four years into these four mandos by now. Getting close, though.

[Steve Sorensen]

Starting to get the proper varnish shine.



Steve

[Pete Jenner]

Is that my room?

[Steve Sorensen]

Yes, Pete it WAS your room. As with my daughter's room . . . absence leads to mandolin invasion!

Steve

[Pete Jenner]

I can't go away for five minutes...

[Steve Sorensen]

French polishing in the morning,



French polishing in the afternoon.



Steve

[oldwave maker]

Mandoborg- I cut those soundholes after joining the top to the rim, I'd never use that f hole shape on my personal mando, but the customer is always right.
Other fresh stuff almost ready for the balsamic vinegar/olive oil finish, including the C# of that roasted maple

[Frank Russell]

Wow Bill. Whoever is getting that f-hole A must be a really handsome, cool guy. Frank

[Tom Haywood]

In the white.

[Marty Jacobson]

Tom, looks cool. What's the story with this one... Is that Baltic birch?

[Tom Haywood]

Indeed, Marty, it is Baltic birch and I'm impressed with the sound. May be the loudest instrument I've built, and the sustain on the D course measures around 18 seconds. The tone is sweet, especially with Bach and classical pieces, and it has pretty good bass with J74 strings on it. Actually chops well. Don't know if any of this relates to the bracing modifications I designed for it. A nine foot radius in the top and back projects really well. By far the easiest playing instrument I've built, which I attribute to a more guitar-like neck angle. The bridge is a piece of Bradford pear from my yard. It may be a tad bright. There is a sound sample on my Facebook page, made right after it was strung up. Will play it this week against some good guitars, banjos and fiddles, and see how the tone holds up and how it mics.

[Kent Barnes]

Well... after a 5 year hiatus (and a move to Michigan, and a divorce, and a re-marriage) it's time to start building again. I'm going with an A-Style this time - need to ease into it!

My first package arrived today!

[bernabe]

Good to see you back, Kent

[Skip Kelley]

Kent, glad to see you back!

[Steve Sorensen]

Decided it was about time to start going green around here.



Steve

[Kent Barnes]

I guess I haven't completely forgotten everything! (and I decided to go ahead and build an F-style, since I still have all the parts for one of them...)

[hank]

Whoa! Nice finish Steve, wood grain like elvish braids of hair.