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Newbie, I have no prejudices about junk tools, especially for light usage, but quite often HF sells stuff that’s really, really bad and fails right out of the box. Unfortunately, I usually dissect...

I agree with the last 2 posters.
When we have bent curly maple into scroll shapes for 30 years or so we learn that the wood cracks sometimes and we have to repair minor cracks. May as well lean that...

This is your first one. And I just completed my first one. So I'm coming at this having learned a lot of lessons (and patched a lot of imperfections!). So here are my two cents:

- The scorch...

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How about a bit of heat shrink.

All my mandolin truss rods are inside soda straws. It doesn't matter if it's a snug fit. Your filler piece that goes on top will squish it down. The important thing is that there's no gluing of the...

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looks like a good start to me. i am just starting my 4th, should say 3rd, the first one will never be playable,

Good for you! I’m happy to hear that your project is moving in the right direction! I once had a late night conversation with a café member regarding the essential tools for making an instrument....

Doesn't really matter, but I generally place the freshly sawn faces "up", meaning they are the non-flat side of the top blank. If there is any reason that the other way works better, (grain closer to...

I prefer to saw without flattening the round part so that less of that wood is wasted. Instead, I like to saw the top halves, then for each half, flatten one face and square the edge to the flat...

I'm impressed. If you can make a mandolin that nice, you'll be in business soon!

That cutting is only half work of gouge and other half is technique. You have to have your feet firmly on ground and use their strength and posture of torso helps deliver it to hands (I usually brace...

Nice work. I forgot to answer your question about the gouge... the one I use most is approximately 30mm (1 3/16") wide and 9mm (3/8") deep (going just from memory) I think the diameter would be no...

Marty, the time spent working on own tooling is not lost. The experience is PRICELESS and you cannot buy it for any amount of money, that's the VALUE.
Perhaps I've been lucky but I haven't spent...

You will need about thirty spool clamps. Steel rod, nuts, wing nuts, a closet hanger dowel cut in 3/4 to 1" lengths, some spray adhesive, and cork sheets. Hacksaw needed to cut the rod.

A...

I've made a couple of gouges from old files. The steel is quite good & takes an excellent edge. One I heated & hammered into a curved profile, gouge shape. The other I made from a half-round file...

Good call on the bandsaw; that’s my most-used power tool! I’d recommend a moderate sweep gouge to help deal with the hard maple — finger planes will just wear you out if you try to use them for 100%...