Search:

Nice result Bill. It's a beautiful instrument. (And thanks for reminding me about Plektra.)

Thanks Bob. The back, sides and neck are Queensland Maple, the soundboards are European spruce and all the black is ebony.

As for the internal soundboard, I couldn't really picture how Kerman...

After listening to Avi Avital and Jacob Reuven recordings last year, and liking their sound more and more, I decided to have a go at making an Arik Kerman style of mandolin based on all the...

Chris Acquavella has two very useful repertoire lists on his website, one Baroque/Classical, the other Romantic/contemporary:
...

Lovely instrument.

I'd say the varnishes used by the Cremonese violin makers are pretty successful. Some of them still look great after 300 years. Although there's a lot of argument about how they were made, the...

Very nice, as always.

What kind of mould/form do use when making the bowls?

Great stuff! I enjoyed that a lot.

You can tell that you haven't exceeded the open time of the glue if liquid glue squeezes from the joint when you clamp it. If the glue looks or feels 'jellied' while you're gluing up, then you were...

That's right, the nut is 28mm. Standard width on a Gibson bowlback ;)

This is my first bowlback instrument - a sort of 'German' classical. I say 'sort of' because the body shape is not quite as round as other Seiffert-style mandolins, and it has a Gibson scale length...

With the 'Siminoff' joint (or tapered mortise and tenon, violin neck joint or whatever) I've done the chalk fitting the other way round. Get the neck part of the joint to a perfect taper, then don't...

I think that's one of the most exciting mandolin ensemble performances I've ever heard. Really wonderful. Thank you.

Alcohol.

A baby bottle/food warmer works well, has adjustable thermostat, and is a nice neat size. You can pick them up pretty cheaply, especially secondhand.

Just to confuse you with a different perspective... I've been through the same difficulty with similar results to yours and decided I couldn't live with the blotchiness (particularly around the...

Spiral bit with a depth stop works well. Use some supports to keep the instrument level. Here's the pic.

That's a really marvellous bunch of instruments. 'Mandobeauties' would be more appropriate.

I'd love to hear the five-course 'thingy' over its full range. It's something I'd like to have a shot at...

Having posted this in the Pictures forum, I realized that it should probably have been here, amongst its own kind, so I'll double up. It's a just completed Octave made mostly from local Australian...

Here's a recently finished Guitar Bodied Octave with a 21.5" scale.

Top - Adirondack Spruce.
Back, sides, neck - Queensland Maple (Flindersia brayleyana)
Headstock, tailpiece, pickguard -...

I'm sure it depends on the ebony, because I've found New Guinea ebony considerably easier to bend than some other timbers. For very tight curves, like around the heel cap/button, I've resorted to...

Nice work Pete. Bet you're itching to get some strings on it...

Wow, Pete. You're turning Blackheath into Kalamazoo.

I've just been testing out an Arbortech Turboplane prior to attacking some big octave mando plates with it. Seems like a really good tool. You can take quite fine cuts with good control.

Not a hurdle if you like playing scales...