Aloha Y'all!
Am brand new and fresh to your site, an experienced luthier from Maui, call me Raven.
I build mostly archtop ukuleles, some guitars, have given building lessons to 25 or so students, and have made one F5 mandolin about 8 years ago. My total output would be near 75 instruments, 60 or so being carved and arched.
For many reasons I thought I would make a small batch of F5's, and I have put together my molds and bending helpers, cut and prepped my sides, and joined my tops/ backs... the sides are bent and I am ready to install my blocks and get going.
Without my lost and missing building notes I am starting slowly. I have broken or botched 4-5 headblocks this week. Am learning each time, gonna get it soon. Would like some advice on making head blocks, Old style.
My first build, although almost forgotten, was copying a kit with a super cool, CNC dream of a neck/ headblock pair with a tapered dovetail. Of course I had to simply wing it and do my own thing with the dovetail. What that might have been has not yet come back to me!
1st question... laminating the blocks in cross grained layers seems reasonable. Is it done very often? Certainly would minimize the weak areas, but maybe have negative effects too...?
2nd Q... wood selection. Is Mahogany the 'go to' species for blocks? Or are there several others that work just as well? What are your choices and considerations?
#3... Technique . Have made a nice template to be used with a flush cut bit and a router. This gets me all of the big open spaces. My oscillating spindle sander is very helpful cleaning things up. The Coping saw is my best tool for thinner openings, then small files, etc. Meticulous care gets me really close... there is a lot of hand sanding.
Sold my Scroll Saw last year, as I had rarely used it. Band saw, also gone. My friend offered CNC, but I wanted to do it 'the hard way' at least once.
#4... Knowing that it is 'just the block', and that I will be carving the scroll out of top, block, and back; how much of the open spaces within the scroll are defined sooner, and how much should I leave for later?
and #5 Looking very closely at the GAL's plans for the F5 from 1988, the block gets no sides on the scroll side of the neck. The block gets side material out towards the point, but not the other way. Seems the neck will cover all of that? Is this always the case, or do some bend that side both ways around the headlock, and also tuck the side into the block in a similar manner to the longest side hiding near the neck? I guess I am asking if it has the chance to show if it's not sunburst painted and kept natural?
I'd like to apologize in advance for digging up well discussed topics, repeats...
But as a newbie, I haven't figured out how to find the old threads easily. I fumbled through about 5 times so far, and thought maybe this was the easier way to learn.
Well, sit back and smile, remembering your second build and all those hurdles you were soon to meet! Can't wait to read up on arching, graduations, Dovetails, and binding.
Mahalo for your time and patience. Aloha!
PS. I know nothing of Tags, emotes, icons, etc.. This is my very first post of any kind. In ways I am as green as a fresh blade of grass. Go easy on me. Thanks.
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