Mandolins in progress

[Mike Black]

Thanks PanaDP & Skip.

Skip, I'll definitely let you know how it sounds with the Virzi. So far, just tapping it, it sounds really nice. I'm looking forward to hearing it myself.

[oldwave maker]

A new 'top' in progress. Made the arizona sycamore bodied mandolin years ago in trade for machine and welding work with my old friend, neighbor and woodhunting partner Stan. Its resting on the lid of the bookmatched taptuned spalted hackberry coffin I built him wednesday and thursday after he passed away tuesday evening. This netleaf hackberry (Celtis Reticulata) died a couple of decades ago down the canyon. It was 85' tall and had a 5.5' dbh, possibly the AFA national champion when alive.
Thats his blacksmithing brand to the left of the mando.

[viv]

A new 'top' in progress. Made the arizona sycamore bodied mandolin years ago in trade for machine and welding work with my old friend, neighbor and woodhunting partner Stan. Its resting on the lid of the bookmatched taptuned spalted hackberry coffin I built him wednesday and thursday after he passed away tuesday evening. This netleaf hackberry (Celtis Reticulata) died a couple of decades ago down the canyon. It was 85' tall and had a 5.5' dbh, possibly the AFA national champion when alive.
Thats his blacksmithing brand to the left of the mando.

probably the finest tribute i've ever run across. bless your heart.

[Skip Kelley]

Bill, So sorry for the loss of your friend. You and his family are in my prayers.

[D18dave]

Here's some new pics. Bounds it last night and scraped her down today

[D18dave]

Forgot to include pics

[Skip Kelley]

Dave, thats looking good! I really like your peghead shape!

[D18dave]

Thanks Skip! It's cool seeing it start to take shape. Hope to have it strung up 'in the white' in a week or two

[Skip Kelley]

I agree Dave! It gets exciting at that point!

[Chris Keth]

oldwave maker, I think that's the finest tribute a woodworker can give a friend. I'm sure you miss him but you'll see him again.

Dave, that 2 point is coming along great. That fretboard extension looks great; very graceful.

[Jim Hilburn]

I finally decided I had to have a new camera. Every photo I've ever posted has been taken with the old (2001) Olympus C-3000.
But I wanted a better zoom and a bigger display. I got a Canon SX110 at Amazon for $216 and it's a 9 MP with 10x zoom and a 3" display. There's some much cooler stuff out there but not on the luthiers budget. I agonized over even getting this.
UPS dropped it off about an hour ago and the first shot was to see how the zoom worked and it was pretty impressive. But of course next I had to take a mandolin shot with the macro setting. Obviously having 3 times more megapixels makes a difference. I can actually zoom in about twice as much as this and it's still amazingly clear.
I might start taking pictures of every angle on the instrument so I can see where it needs more work.

[Jim Roberts]

Beautiful (as usual!) Jim.

You folks bought your tickets for Winfield yet??? I'll be camping with some folks from the Panhandle of TX this year but we'll get together.

[Jim Hilburn]

Here's that shot as it was taken, except since it was taken with my bench lamps for light, I added some brightness and just a smidge of contrast.

[Bob Kellett]

Jim I think you could look at your mandolins under a 100X microscope and they would STILL look exquisite! Keep up the amazing work!

[John Gardinsky]

D18 Dave- I am often neutral on 2 point mandolins but that one is a thing of beauty. Very harmonious. Good Job, John

[Andy Nichols]

Beautiful picture and beautiful work. I want to someday do a binding job that looks that neat.

[D18dave]

Thank you John. Just finished with the binding on the fingerboard. Hope to have it radiused and fretted this weekend.

Been drawing some ideas for headstock inlay. some are more ambitious than others. I'll probably keep it simple

[Skip Kelley]

Jim, beautiful scroll and binding work!
Dave, I like your inlay drawings!

[mandomania7923]

Post some of your work skip!

[Chris Keth]

Thank you John. Just finished with the binding on the fingerboard. Hope to have it radiused and fretted this weekend.

Been drawing some ideas for headstock inlay. some are more ambitious than others. I'll probably keep it simple

I like the torch inlay designs. The second of those with the more flowing tail of the first one would be, IMO, the best of what you drew.

[Mike Black]

I like the torch inlay designs. The second of those with the more flowing tail of the first one would be, IMO, the best of what you drew.

D18Dave, I would have to agree. I really like the far right torch. Actually...I don't think you should use it. Forget about that one. Now where is my jewler's saw and router?

[mandomania7923]

my current wood stock. looks like scraps compared to all you experienced builders... from left to right. birch sides, maple sides, maple sides(finished), maple back sets(2), Maple neck blank, Desert Ironwood fretboard, Ebony fretboard, Spruce top sets(2)

[Stephanie Reiser]

My least favorite part of building mandolins: scraping the binding.

[Tracy Ballinger]

My least favorite part of building mandolins: scraping the binding.

So you put the binding on when it's in the white, then stain the mando, and then have to scrape all the stain off the binding? I never knew that. I often wondered what luthiers were referring to when they talked about scraping the binding.

[jefflester]

So you put the binding on when it's in the white, then stain the mando, and then have to scrape all the stain off the binding? I never knew that. I often wondered what luthiers were referring to when they talked about scraping the binding.

http://dudenbostel.leanside.com/11.html
Scroll down to pictures 131 and 132.

And start at page 1 to see the whole step-by-step build.