New Builders Help!

[Larry Nixon]

Newbie here..Built two from kits and one from scratch using hand power tools except for a Harbor Freight drill press. Lots of frustration and satisfaction and questions. To start questions, I bought plans from Stew Mac, GA Luthier and have Siminoff's book. Curious...as to carving thicknesses. For top, Stew Mac says 0.22", GA Luthier says 0.25" and Siminoff says 0.20. For back, Stew Mac says 0.17", GA Luthier 0.22 and Siminoff says 0.25..What's a newbie to believe?

[sliebers]

Not one of those plans have correct graduations. The best drawings have been done by Adrian Minarovic (Hogo).
You can buy a set from Elderly Instruments, not cheap, but worth every penny. The Ted Davis plans are good too, not as detailed though. You might be able to find grads from those in some of the Cafe threads.

[HoGo]

You don't need extremely detiled drawings to make mandolin but if you want to get as close as possible to the ideal "Lloyd Loar" F5 you better gather all infor out there.
Much depends on your motivation... If you want to do it just like hobby once or twice all you need is few basic outline templates and numbers. If you plan to build more and eventually become serious builder you want to prepare your templates precise and consistent with your model and your preferred working methods (Everything about building mandolin has been posted on MC at least once so search and decide what will work for you and what information (outlines, dimensions) you will really need.
Think twice before you start making forms etc., it's expensive to make new ones if you find better method... and you certainly will make some mistakes as we all did.
For basic thicknesses I would recommend searching the MC for info. I would sugest general consensus is tops 3-3.5 recurve to 4.2-4.5 mm center backs 2.5-3mm recurve to 4mm center and going thicker towards neck heel. There are at least dozen LL F-5 graduation maps taken from various instruments floating around internet so try googling if you want some arbitrary exact numbers.

[Larry Nixon]

Thanks. I’ll ask him.

[Larry Nixon]

Is Ted Davis on here?

[Larry Nixon]

Thanks for your help.

[Br1ck]

If you go on the Arches website, look for the F 5 kit which will give you a link to the not yet completed instruction manual. There is a thickness graduation link you can use as a map. Just one man's opinion, but it looks pretty good to me.

[luthier88]

Is Ted Davis on here?

Perhaps, but without a ouija board we won't know.

[cwood3]

I was pretty sure Ted Davis passed away some years ago.

[j. condino]

Is Ted Davis on here?

Ted Davis has been gone for probably eight years now. I sure wish he was still around; it was great to be able to drive down off the mountain and go visit him for the afternoon. For a few hours conversation and a couple of hundred $$$ I would fill the entire back of my old Subaru with some of the finest red spruce you can imagine, laugh and talk about vintage instruments, and get to nerdout on some beautiful old vintage cars on the other side of his shop...


"...some arbitrary exact numbers..." !!!

[Larry Nixon]

Well, plan to make several, started on #5 and #6. Worked on truing up forms tonight. I order Siminoff A-4 plans but not really satisfied with what they show.

[Larry Nixon]

Thanks, I ordered red spruce from the guy in MO Old Standard and sitka from Orcas Island. Just as a wood, I like the red spruce better.

[Larry Nixon]

None of the Loar's had truss rods did they? Why is an adjustable truss rod needed for mandolin, the neck is so short...

[gep]

Hi everybody,
this is my second post on Mandolin Cafe' and this time I'd like to take the opportunity to show my F5 mandolin that I've just finished.
I started my project three years ago.
Before starting, I studied luthiery theory about American string instruments and read other books with more information as how to build an F5 model.
Then, I made some acoustic tests with different kinds of wood, I transformed some drawings from paper to cad files.
Therefore at that point i could prepare my technological process in the best way.
Now I was ready to start working.
I want to summarize briefly the main steps of my process:
for the top board i chose an Italian spruce from "Val di Fiemme", I made the rough carving using a cnc machine and I finished it by hand.
I made the same process also for the bottom board, in this case I chose an east Europe maple, I used this wood also for the rim and the neck.
During this phase of the process, I want to say the after reading hundreds of posts on Mandolin cafè about the right thickness and the shape of the boards helped me to make my personal decision.
In order to be very accurate I made the slots of frets using a cnc machine. All the others parts of my mandolin were made by hand.
For the finishing, I dyed it with thinner colour and I finished the mandolin with French polish.
I bought the head machine and the tail piece from London, they weren't very expensive, while I made the bridge by my self.
After assembling the strings I treated the mandolin at a dumping process for two days at last I set up the whole instrument.
Building a mandolin certainly is an awesome adventure that I propose to every mandolin lover.
Today I've understood how to improve some details of my first project, for this reason I'm already working on three mandolin projects at the same time, introducing those changes.
I will keep you updated.
In the meantime I've attached some pictures of my mandolin.
(If I meet a better mandolin player than me, I will post its sound).
Keep in touch.
Enrico from Italy

[John Arnold]

Ted Davis has been gone for probably eight years now.

Almost ten (October 2008).

[j. condino]

Almost ten....time passes fast....



Buongiorno Enrico,

Your new mandolin looks great. Where in Italy are you located? There are many many great luthiers all over there and everyone loves the tuning machines that my friend Nicolo Alessi builds.

Keep up the good work.

Ciao,

j.

www.condino.com

[Larry Nixon]

Wow, that’s why I started with kits. Then I ordered a kit, just to have the parts available to compare.

[Larry Nixon]

When I try to go there, it says site not available.

[Larry Nixon]

When I go there it says “site not available”

[Larry Nixon]

Great looking. I didn’t want to tackle an F style first.

[Larry Nixon]

Ok, let’s tackle tap tuning. I tapped my little self silly with istrobesoft, clamp on tuners and several others, and I cannot hear or replicate what Siminoff says. First I neither hear nor measure any difference in the tone bars. I can eventually get a consensus note for a plat or rim assembly, but with two kits and two from scratch, I’m stumped. I read on here some long time builders trashing tap and others think it’s gospel. The label inside Loar’s say something like “ parts were tuned” whatever that meant to them. I don’t think he had iStrobesoft. The two from scratch so pretty good, but that may be a parent talking. Help

[Larry Nixon]

If you go on the Arches website, look for the F 5 kit which will give you a link to the not yet completed instruction manual. There is a thickness graduation link you can use as a map. Just one man's opinion, but it looks pretty good to me.

When I go there it says “site not available”

[Larry Nixon]

Ok, let’s tackle tap tuning. I tapped my little self silly with istrobesoft, clamp on tuners and several others, and I cannot hear or replicate what Siminoff says. First I neither hear nor measure any difference in the tone bars. I can eventually get a consensus note for a plat or rim assembly, but with two kits and two from scratch, I’m stumped. I read on here some long time builders trashing tap and others think it’s gospel. The label inside Loar’s say something like “ parts were tuned” whatever that meant to them. I don’t think he had iStrobesoft. The two from scratch so pretty good, but that may be a parent talking. Help