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I read a book quite a few years ago. I wasn't overly impressed with the book (and much less with another in the series that i gave up on), but it made me think of art, what art is, what art is not,...

Sprayed alcohol might help the blush, and perhaps gentle heat from a hair dryer.

In my experience sprayed clear coats make 'bursts look better; more blended. It looks to me like your pre-spray photo shows distinct rings about the same as the post-spray. However; in my experience...

In my limited experience with clear coatings, they always make a matte surface look darker - less light scattering. I think that’s what you are not liking. One of the reasons test panels are...

I've got a huge amount of notes & blueprints that I have made over the last four+ decades of building instruments, in addition to several commercially available blueprints. I've been looking into the...

Ok, that's really cool. I hadn't even thought about the concept of a faux machine. I've been so busy building out functional stuff it never occurred to me to make it pretty as well. I really like...

Hello,

I do not consider myself a luthier or a real woodworker. I did think at one point that I would have more time to pursue building instruments so I picked this jointer up at a thrift store....

I used a Powermatic 66 with a Biesemeyer fence for many years. A very solid, accurate beast of a saw. You can do just about anything with it. Time spent tweaking the adjustments will be...

'Just got off the road traveling over to Virginia this week (amazing fall colors still holding strong!) and picked up a 16" Walker Turner bandsaw with all of the art deco goodies for a friend of mine...

You can gift your new saw with a (homemade) sliding miter table, complete with safety guard and end block so the blade can’t get your thumbs. The miter insert can be made removable, which could be...

I used one of those way back when I made my first instrument! It was a great tool, and though I own and use a Unisaw, I think I liked the Powermatic a little better.
I recall an article in some...

I always laugh at how many times I get jabs form mandolin players for being a bass player (in addition to a solid mandolin player and also several other instruments).

My family has had continuous...

It is a refreshing change to see this crowd getting so worked up over an A5 mandolin.

I tend to agree with Marty on this.
All of our best varnishes and lacquers will sink into the grain, sometimes quickly, sometimes it takes years. It's one of the things that gives character to a...

Well... french polish is never a glass finish. You got a great finish, by any standard. Nothing wrong that I can see. If you want plastic, build with plastic!

I've been pleasantly suffering through the quarantine enjoying a new mandolin: #164, the 4th in sequence from my favorite Brazilian rosewood log. 1989 Ted Davis red spruce, 1950s Brazilian rosewood...

Hi everyone, here are a couple of mandolin setup walkthrough videos. Long, but hopefully engaging. Not saying this is the right way, or the only way, to do things. But it's the way I do it. Today, at...

Due to having to re-do my fretboard, I ran short of 4mm MOP dots...by just 1 dot. I couldn't find anybody selling single dots except De Paul, who I had originally ordered my inlay supplies from. I...

This week I've been experimenting using Kydex as a custom shaped sanding block. Fun stuff!

https://youtu.be/m8SGECLXemw

When I worked at the mandolin factory, five of us got into quite a heated argument one day. I had a big beam of African Blackwood and asked the saw operators to cut some sets for me using the $30,000...

For $20 in scraps and hardware you can make a re-saw fence that will perform as good as anything you can buy under $1000. Good re-sawing is more about patience and skill than a fancy aftermarket tool...

I use a board and two clamps. Doesn't adjust very fast, but it does the job for little money.

Use a blade that your saw frame can tension fully. In other words, you don't need blade width...

Hi Ron,
Just browsing Mandolin Cafe this morning and came across your post. I remember you and I am still kicking. I am retired now and still making Arm Rests www.mandolinarmrests.com. I still do...

Study good instruments every time you have the opportunity. Try to discern what makes them tick. On mandolins, look at the arching, feel the stiffness of the plates, try to see if you can produce a...

Repair stuff. Know your limits and take on repairs accordingly. When we take instruments apart and fix them, we can see how they are built, what went right and what went wrong. Study different...