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John--How did your cf reinforced mandolin turn out? Did you use a 3/8 X 1/8 rod as mentioned by Sunburst? i wonder if there is a standard size. Looking on Amazon, I found rods that are square in...

That is too scary for me!

That is too scary for me!

Thanks for your helpful advice! It's a 4 1/2 inch diameter paddle switch Hercules angle grinder. There are two round nuts or spacers on the shaft that "sandwich" the the two attachments I did use...

Thanks for all your advice and comments! I went to Harbor Freight and bought an 11 amp angle grinder, a wheel with carbide blades, a rounded rough metal wheel, and a backing disc for sandpaper discs....

I have a spoon gouge which is pulled and I find it more efficient than a regular gouge that is pushed, but it is not as precise as a small gouge can be.

I just went down a rabbithole on youtube reviews. It looks like a brand called Kutzall makes an abrasive disc that is reasonably safe to use. What brand of disc do you use?

Yes, that's how I get the arching to begin with. I use a depth gauge on a drill press and drill a few hundred holes. It's removing the rest of the wood that is tough on me.

I'm starting on a mandolin building project and would like to get advice/recommendations on the best way to remove wood while carving tops and backs. It has been a couple of years since I built a...

Sure, many folks use Titebond or other similar glues. I have been using fish glue lately for a lot of repairs instead of hide glue. Clamps of any kind that don't damage the finish or put marks on...

Thanks Graham! I have a 15' form that I use for guitar backs, but I was thinking of a more extreme arch that would compare to flat topped mandolins that have the top bent across a lateral brace. I'm...

I have decided to build a "double topped" mandola after having a very successful experience building a double topped lap dulcimer. I used two layers of sitka spruce veneer with an inner layer of 1/8...

For the last two instruments I built, I used fish glue as a sealer colored with Brer' Rabbit Blackstrap Molasses. Fish glue gives a nice yellow color and the molasses darken it. If anyone wants to...

Here is the eye on the back of the guitar. This is my main guitar. It's sort of a Nick Lucas copy. The sides are laminated from walnut. The back is made of two walnut veneers with a sitka spruce...

Here is an eye that I made to fill in a knothole. I cut individual pie shaped sections of walnut veneer and glued them together, then drilled out for the pupil and cut a black disc from a violin peg....

I have repaired or rebuilt five Stradolins. The first one I did is shown above. A friend owns it and it is quite loud. The ones I have taken apart have had tops that were essentially all the same...

I have a Flexcut brand gouge that is 8 inches long and the spring in the shaft makes it very comfortable to use two handed. I actually do the contouring with a few hundred holes drilled with a...

As an interesting twist to this discussion, consider what Niles Hokannen did. To become a better teacher, he *relearned* mandolin left handed to better understand what beginners go through. He...

Eugene--

You are correct and I perhaps shouldn't be so prescriptive. I can only say that from my own experience from first trying right handed that becoming left handed was a huge improvement for...

If you are really left handed then you should play left handed if you want to be the best you can be. The fretting hand is a slave to the picking hand most all the time. The pick drives the music....

I haven't played either of those instruments, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

For short scale, strings would be looser and thus easier to fret. There is less of a stretch, so there is...

So I guess what I am asking is whether the domra is easier to play, but still dynamic and versatile enough to work in settings where people normally play mandolin. From looking at the Caprice 24...

I am curious to know whether a domra is easier to play than a mandolin and if so, is it a good instrument to play all different styles of music that mandolins play. I know, bluegrass isn't likely on...

The Steinberger tuners are heavy, but are very smooth with a 40:1 ratio.

Back, sides and neck are all the same red maple.