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Thread: F5 scroll "ridge" - Distance from the side

  1. #1

    Default F5 scroll "ridge" - Distance from the side

    On my first build I made the mistake of carving the scroll on the top all the way to near finished sanding before I attached to the side assembly. I then realized that to make the edges of the top flush I had to sand down a substantial part of the edge. This resulted in an uneven distance from the side of the finished mandolin to the "ridge" of the carved scroll--particularly at the bottom of the scroll where the ridge curves around in to the body, where the ridge was much closer to the side.

    For my current build, I am not carving the scroll until the top is on the side assembly and the edges are sanded even. I'm hoping this will result in a more pleasing appearance and uniformity on the carved scroll.

    But in thinking about how I wanted to approach this I looked at a good number of pictures of F5 models, and it seems like there is at least some variation of distance from the side to the scroll's ridge. My assumption was always that the ridge is the same distance from the edge all the way down until it disappears in to the mandolin body. Does anyone know if this is the case? For F5 builders, do you allow fluctuation in this, or it it always the exact same position?

  2. #2
    Registered User sunburst's Avatar
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    Default Re: F5 scroll "ridge" - Distance from the side

    Quote Originally Posted by putnamm View Post
    ...My assumption was always that the ridge is the same distance from the edge all the way down until it disappears in to the mandolin body. Does anyone know if this is the case? For F5 builders, do you allow fluctuation in this, or it it always the exact same position?
    The F-5 scroll is misshapen in that the there is not a constant taper between the edges of the scroll all the way from the body to the button. The edges of the mandolin flare out from the rim to start the formation of the scroll and thus converge. The convergence reverses about halfway around the curve of the scroll and the lines diverge for a short distance before converging again to the button. That makes interpreting the shape and the position of the crest difficult. Most builders place the crest nearly parallel to the outside edge of the scroll, some place it so that the crest and outside edge taper slightly from body to button, and many leave it to chance as you did on your first build, so that the crest sort of meanders it's way around the scroll.
    Personally I have been redrawing the scroll since about 1990 trying to get it just right, and at this point I've concluded that it will never be just right, but I'll keep trying.
    I place the crest so that it pleases my aesthetic as nearly as possible, and that means I carve each one individually so it is not always the exact same position. CNC machines can put it in the same position each time, we humans can interpret the shape and make subtle variations if we wish.
    Last edited by sunburst; Jan-15-2021 at 1:58pm. Reason: wrong word... fixed

  3. #3

    Default Re: F5 scroll "ridge" - Distance from the side

    This is a typical Loar. The ridge is generally half way between the inner and outer binding. But try not to kink the binding like they did on this one.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

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