Mandolins in progress

[Pete Jenner]

Fretboards are finished and they're out of this world.

[Steve Sorensen]

Just cleaned up the binding and am starting to varnish this Sprite Two-Point with a really cool one-piece Sugar Maple back (and matching sides and neck) --



Steve

[Kent Barnes]

I never realized how much faster building an A-style was compared to an F-style!

[Austin Clark]

Just starting to French polish this octave.

[Steve Sorensen]

Love that 'burst Austin!

Steve

[Marty Jacobson]

So Killian asked me to make this fretboard with a Claddagh at the 12th fret. That's a pretty tiny Claddagh, but it came out very nicely. Well, I botched the first fretboard, but the second one came out great.


Here's the maple inlay. The knotwork elements about the width of five sheets of copy paper.


And then I noticed that I had gotten off target when I was cleaning up and sealing the inlays. Drat. So I'll make a new one. I could plane it and fix it up, but it's already set up and I'll feel better knowing it's as I planned it.



The maple stripes are glued to the board with West System epoxy, which I have used to make the fretboard stick together even if it has to come off. It's still very much intact. Pretty cool.

[tree]

Somehow I'm not getting the "off target" part . . . where was the issue?

[Marty Jacobson]

Yes, you won't see .020" of deviation in the radius geometry in a photo, but it makes the instrument unplayable unless the fretboard is planed (at the very least).

[Steve Sorensen]

French Polish #2 bringing a bit of maple-glow to a gray and gloomy day.



Steve

[Mandoborg]

That's looking great Steve !!! Marty, even though your work is in an entirely different universe , it's still inspiring to see your works in progress !!

[Killian King]

I must be one of the luckiest mandolin enthusiasts ever to have two, soon to be mine,amazing instruments featured on the same page in this thread. I cannot wait to hear them and play them.

Here are some more pictures of Hilburn #65 to go along with Jacobson #34.

[Don Grieser]

2 stunningly good looking mandolins, Killian. Congratulatios!! I'm sure they'll both sound as good as they look!

[Pete Jenner]

Pagan #5 is approaching completion. 6 and 7 are not far off. Henry Ford had nothing on me.

[Max Girouard]

Started some work on a couple experimental 10 string mandolas. Here we have an ebony board and a figured purple heart board. I've been climbing over wood piles at our favorite saw mill for a couple of years and this was the first figured purple heart board I ever ran across. We are looking forward to stringing these up!

[Skip Kelley]

Nice work to all!

[Steve Sorensen]

Parting shots before boxing her up for Brighton --





Steve

[Michael Bridges]

Parting shots before boxing her up for Brighton --





Steve

What a beauty! The Sprite is just a killer design, Steve. Nicely done.

[misterc]

Finally got a chance to do some finish work on our Neild A-5 prototype. Here she is with the base color.

[misterc]

... and here with a couple coats of varnish.

[billhay4]

Nice.
Bill

[Pete Jenner]

Pagan #5 in the white.

[derbex]

I like the look of that Pagan, look forward to a sound clip in due course. Shame you are in the wrong Blackheath

[Pete Jenner]

I'm working on a sound clip - the main limiting factor being my playing ability.
My brother has Pagan 3 in Herts if you ever get over that way.

[Ron McMillan]

Parting shots before boxing her up for Brighton --


Steve

That is a beauty. Some lucky guy is going to walk into TAMCO and fall in love with that one.

[Astro]

Pagan #5 in the white.

That looks like a happy mandolin.