Best Mandolin Rim Form Designs

[mandough]

Hello,
I'm just about to build a form for bending my rims. #I was going to build a form as the Siminoff book suggests but it doesn't look quite right. #It seems a little basic and maybe not the best for clamping the rims to the edges.
Do any of you use this design and how has it worked out for you?
Can anyone suggest a better design and maybe post a few pics and specs?
There seems to be lot of variation in this area and I would like to see what has worked out for you guys. #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

I mean the form for clamping the bent rims, not a heat bending system.

[Keith Newell]

I started off with a form like that and then tried several others. I use these now made from nickle plated aluminum.
Keith

[mandough]

Wow, those are amazing! Did you have someone make those for you or did you make them yourself?

[Dru Lee Parsec]

I built 2 of the Siminoff forms and I hated them. #I couldn't keep anything in alignment, the internal clamp never worked right or even fit right. #The sides didn't want to stay in alignment. #It was aweful.

So I built one from MDF and just clamp the sides from the outside instead of having that internal clamp thing he builds.

http://www.brouelette.com/dulcimer/tmb/images/mandoproj1.jpg

[mandough]

Hey dru,
Did you slice your MDF in half first, then draw the outline, then cut out your shape?
I already have a bunch of different sized C clamps, but what kind of clamps do you use with your form?

[tope]

I have found that partical board does a great job. Yes cut it in half and reattach the two halves before marking and bansawing the inside of the form. I do prefer a high quality partical board that you have to go to a cabinet shop to get but it's much nicer that the Home Depot stuff...Gary

[Keith Newell]

Mandough, I made them myself.
Keith

[mandough]

Wow Keith,
You must have some shop! How did you make those? (This is just a question of curiosity because there is no possible way that I'll be able to do it.) Did you make them from a mold?

[Keith Newell]

Well, Im lucky enough to have access to whats called a Waterjet machine and cut it out from solid 6061 T6 aluminum plate. I then machined the profile for a smooth finish on a CNC mill then had them Nickle plated (one I had anodized). Im a machinist/Tool and die maker by trade.
I have made all my own forms, jigs tools etc. I did buy the finger planes and gouges though http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
Keith

[timeoutlaw59]

Mandolinkgn would you be so kind as to giving me a price quote on building me a set like these please drop me a line at timeoutlaw59@hotmail.com

[berkeleymando]

The time outlaw wrote:
>>Mandolinkgn would you be so kind as to giving me a price quote on building me a set like these

Mandolinkgn, I would also be interested should you make such forms available for sale.

[Keith Newell]

I have had many requests to make forms. They take a lot of time and the material even though aluminum is not cheap. They are many times more expensive in the long run then the good old plywood form.
I have had to make choices in my life about this and I could spend all my free time making tailpieces, forms or mandolins. I choose 5%, 5%, 95% in that order.



Hmmm seems Im short on time again http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif
Keith
http://www.newellmandolins.com

[ShaneJ]

Keith, are they ported to allow clamping, for weight reduction, or just 'cause it's cool looking?

Have you seen Steve Abel's flyreels and other stuff? The anodized patterns you can get (like a fly reel I have) are too cool. If I were you, I'd definitely come up with some kind of over-the-top paint job like that http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif Maybe a sunburst or "flamed" aluminum??

Those are too cool, man!

[Keith Newell]

Thanks sjenning. They are "ported" so to speak for two reasons. #1 is weight reduction and #2 is you can yous various styles of clamps through the holes when clamping top/back to sides.
My procedure is the bend sides, glue kerfing (both sides), leave wood in form and I lay out special wide long sandpaper (approx. 16" x 30") on flat surface. I then use the weight or the form as a help and flat sand the kerfing. I use it like a lapping stone. I then leave the wood in the form and then glue the top on. After its dried I then can loosen the bolts and split the mold and remove the partialy completed mando.
Keith

[Dru Lee Parsec]

Did you slice your MDF in half first, then draw the outline, then cut out your shape?


I glued 2 pieces of 1" thick MDf together to make the form thick enough. Then I glued a copy of my blueprint onto the form. I entered via the centerline at the tail piece and cut the shape out on a bandsaw with a 3/8" blade (Now that I think of it, I may have used 1/4").

I then clued a thin veneer of maple into the slot at the tail piece to fill in the gap I made with the blade. So no, I didn't have to split the form, I cut it out in about 5 seperate pieces, one at a time, using the bandsaw.

[ellisppi]

Here's mine

[Scotti Adams]

..now thats a fine piece of work too Tom...

[Michael Lewis]

Nice form Tom. Any special order or proceedures for assembly?

[zeke]

You're right, Michael, it really does open up the imagination for options doesn't it?

[ellisppi]

Thanks, It makes assembly real simple and fast. Its self aligning. Simply spread the glue and close the clamps. I do the headblock, tailblock and top point first, and then glue the lower point in a second operation. CNC parts allow the reality of a perfectly fitting inisde/outside mold with blocks. 90 seconds total assembly time (for the sides and blocks, not the whole mandolin http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif )

[oldwave maker]

I use whatever hasnt been rained on at construction site scrap piles, outside forms for almost everything except fiddles and watermelons

[Mario Proulx]

Nicey nice, Tom!

Y'know, there's a market out there for this kind of stuff(well thought out assembly aids) for those of us who don't yet have a CNC.

Hint, hint.....

Mario

[Mike Bromley]

Question. How thick are the rims? Somewhere around 1/16 of an inch?

[crazymandolinist]

Question. How thick are the rims? Somewhere around 1/16 of an inch?

I always go for 2-3 mm. Not experienced enough to get too precise but it's in the ballpark.

Here's the latest one I made. three layers of MDF glued up and then a finish is applied. The slot is there so that I can use pressure to get the sides tighter in the mold so they conform to the shape. That part works well. Some alterations I'll make to this design: put a bolt on top to prevent splitting, cut around the mold so I can put clamps around it for when the sides dry after being bent. After that, hopefully it'll work well.

Tip: This hasn't been mentioned before but it's important. Check the inside of the mold with a square.

[Rob Grant]

This works for me...

70918

[eastmountain]

You guys are all amazing! I mess around with instruments but you all are ARTISTS!

[fscotte]

I pretty much copied the Siminoff mold with a couple easier modifications. 3/4" oak board I found at the Home Depot. Works well.

One thing I've noticed is that the maple rims will not conform perfectly to your mold and that seems to be OK. Maple has a mind of its own. Another thing, maybe it's just me, but it gets dirty pretty quickly with glue here and there. And you'll be scraping glue off the edges after you pull the rim out. I use the mold for other things too, like holding my rim and top assembly for my makeshift deflection gauge. So it comes in useful for many things.

http://i.imgur.com/kiw5z.jpg (http://imgur.com/kiw5z)