Whetstone School of Lutherie

[spufman]

A couple weeks back, I took the 6-day flattop mandolin building course at Whetstone in Brattleboro, VT. It was a fantastic experience that I will highly recommend! The fingerboard was slotted and the kerfing strips prepared before my arrival, but otherwise we worked pieces of sized wood into a really nice mandolin design over the course of six full days in the shop. I'm really happy with how mine turned out - plays and sounds just great. Still in the white, but I'll start applying the (supplied) finish this week. I wanted it to settle as I slowly shaped the nut and generally got the action how I wanted.

Brattleboro is such a funky, photogenic town. So, here's a Picasa album with a bunch of shots throughout the week. There were some tense moments (gluing the top and bending the sides come to mind), but it was all worth it. I learned a ton and can now progress on my own, having worked through all the steps. Scott is a genius with jigs and cauls. Enjoy...

https://picasaweb.google.com/1040214...eat=directlink