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I have been designing a mandolin and I finally got up the nerve to try to make it. It will be tuned one octave lower than the common mandolin, with a classical size body and 14 frets to the body, with a 25.5 in scale. The whole thing will be made of mahogany, top,sides,back and neck. The top and back will be a laminated wood (2.5 MM) that I use for a hollow body electric that I make, and I must admit that this material has a nice ring to it all by its self.
I will post pics as I get different st… Continue

Posted on September 22, 2009 at 6:39pm — 8 Comments

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Posted on July 3, 2009 at 9:31am — 18 Comments

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At 8:19am on September 23, 2009, Ry Charters said…: Love the idea of a 25.5 mando. Now I want one. Looks great so far!

At 6:33pm on September 22, 2009, Ry Charters said…: Thanks Donald. I built that one for myself, and made a more traditional design for my production model. I finished it with tru oil. I'm really proud of the bridge/armrest on the production model. visit my site www.chartersguitars.com if you want to see some more pics of them.
Take care,
Ry

At 8:29pm on September 15, 2009, Bob Webster said…: Life is now much better, huh, Donald? It feels good to get by something like that, doesn't it? Better get to work on that footstool now so that you can give that son-in-law a smack.

Do the blog. I'd love to see how that comes together.

Cheers,
Bob

At 8:19am on September 6, 2009, Bob Webster said…: Hi, Donald. If I understand your question right, you're thinking that somehow you need to create some threads in the wood before you screw the insert into it. Actually, you don't do that. The inserts that I use, for example, have a body diameter of 3/8" with threads that stick out some beyond that. I drill a 3/8" hole and then screw in the insert.. It's basically self-tapping.

Cheers,
Bob

At 7:56pm on August 16, 2009, Bob Webster said…: Ha! That's a son-in-law for you. Do the right thing and smack him up along side the head.

It really looks great. What kind of finish did you put on it? How does it sound, given of course that it is a very fresh spruce guitar?

Bob

At 9:44am on August 16, 2009, Bob Webster said…: So Donald, I saw in one of the recent posts that you say you've finished your guitar. How did it come out? Were you happy with it? I'd love to see some pics if you have any. Is that it in your profile picture?

Cheers,
Bob

At 8:52pm on August 10, 2009, Dale Fortune said…: Maybe, But I would have to look thru my fathers family history book.

At 4:15pm on August 4, 2009, Bob Webster said…: Hi, Donald. It's about 45 minutes on the bending machine followed by a 3-4hr cool down. After that, it take me about 15-20min on the bending iron to touch up the stubborn spots. BTW, I do bindings and purflings on the machine the same way. It's a great way to get those stinking purflings to bend on edge without breaking.

Cheers,
Bob

At 3:13pm on July 27, 2009, Bob Webster said…: I use an old LMII bending iron that I've had for about 25 years. It' got an oval aluminum pipe, closed at the top, and heated by a pair of electrical coils connected to a rheostat for temperature control. I don't run it at the highest setting, though, because of scorching. Also, it should be said that some woods are more susceptible to scorching, such as maple, koa, and Aussie blackwood. Mahogany may also be that way. It's been 27 years since I bent a set of mahogany so I just don't remember.

Bob

At 4:46pm on July 26, 2009, Bob Webster said…: I tend to bend my sides relatively dry but relatively is the key term. When I'm using my Fox bender, I just wipe the wood with a paper towel moistened with water. I don't soak it or boil it or anything.

When I'm using my manual bending iron I just wipe the area of the side where I'm going to work with a wet paper towel. It leaves just enough moisture to shove a little steam into the surface. If I need to rework the area I remoisten the wood. Mahogany can be a little tricky, particularly when there's some figure in it. Take your time with lightly moistened wood and things should go better. When it's up to the temp and moisture that creates a more plastic state, you'll actually feel the wood yield to your hand pressure and then you can step up the pressure a little bit. Too much too fast with no water gives results that you're familiar with.

Goog luck and keep me posted.

Bob