[Complete] "Temple Mandolin No. 000". My debut project.

LittleBlue

Hi all. This is the first project that I will post. I built my first (and only so far...) mandolin last year. I enrolled on the one year, one evening a week course at Merton College with the idea of completing a mandolin in the year. Most the work was done in quiet times at the shop I worked in and used the college to use tools I didn't have access too, I.e. Bending iron, and to learn techniques. I also wanted to build the whole mandolin using only hand tools, as I knew I wouldnt have access to power tools in the workshop. The book I based the mandolin on was the Mandolin Project by Graham Macdonald. I decided to change some of the techniques so that I could transfer them to guitar building, I.e. A dovetail joint on the the neck and building the neck with a scarf joint to create the headstock. Anyway, I completed it in the year and will now post the progress. I hope the photo links work. Enjoy!

LittleBlue

Ah! The other stipulation I wanted was to use purely English woods! The only areas I failed in this was using a spruce top and ebony fretboard. And the Kerfings.... And spruce bracing for the top...

VimFuego

would love to see some work in progress pics.

LittleBlue

The selection of wood. Spruce, English Walnut, English Sycamore, mahogany kerfings, Flamed sycamore: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg1.jpg Body mould: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg2.jpg Created using pine edges and MDF.

LittleBlue

Hmmm. Photos not working, and have read the guide... UPDATE: SORTED!!!

VimFuego

that looks proper good, I am suitably impressed. Have a smattering of WOW's.

 

I would love to do something like that, must have a look to see if there's anyone near me who does courses.

monquixote

Looking forward to it. 

Best way to get pics up is to put them on photobucket and use the "direct" links.

VimFuego

oh, and now demand soundclips.

Bidley

Yes, moar.

LittleBlue

Walnut sides planed to correct thickness. The sandpaper on the MDF was used to keep the sides of the walnut straight: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg3.jpg Sides bent to shape and tail/neck blocks shaped...(using mahogany...dammit!): http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg4.jpg Sides and blocks glued in mould with kerfing gluing with clamps: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg5.jpg

TTony

Excellent work.

LittleBlue

Spruce top joined and thicknessed: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg6.jpg Rosette channel cut, glued and shaved flush to top: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg7.jpg Back now thicknessed, shaped and cut roughly, with top and cut sound hole. Bracing blanks ready to glue: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg8.jpg

LittleBlue

Top spruce bracing glued: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg9.jpg Kerfing cut to fit top, perfect fit. Bracing shaped: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg10.jpg Top being glued with Klemmsia clamps to side construction: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg12.jpg Glued construction with back strip gluing in background; http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg11.jpg

LittleBlue

Gluing back bracing blanks made of sycamore: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg14.jpg Shaping back bracing: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg15.jpg Back bracing shaped: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg16.jpg

LittleBlue

Shaving flush the edge of top: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg13.jpg Top and side construction with back: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg17.jpg Back being glued to sides: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg18.jpg

LittleBlue

Gluing scarf joint on neck, front view: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg19.jpg As above, back view: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg20.jpg Neck blank with truss rod channel cut: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg21.jpg

LittleBlue

Jointing and gluing the headstock face plate, made of the walnut: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg23.jpg Attaching the Headstock faceplate: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg24.jpg Headstock plate glued, and dovetail roughly cut: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg25.jpg

LittleBlue

Dovetail insert cut on body, but doesn't fit yet: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg27.jpg Now it does! Also neck rougly cut to size: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg28.jpg Binding channels cut on body. For this I did use a dremmel: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg29.jpg

LittleBlue

Back strip cut and glued. Using flame sycamore off cut from rosette material: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg30.jpg Back strip cut and shaved flushed: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg31.jpg

LittleBlue

Wooden purfling glued on top section: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg33.jpg Sycamore binding glued. Was very brittle and had to bend with a bending iron. One section did snap, but I repaired and only slightly shows on finished mando: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg34.jpg Same with the back: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg35.jpg Binding/purfling shaved flush: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg36.jpg And the back: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg37.jpg

LittleBlue

Ebony blank planed to correct thickness: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg40.jpg Frets measured and cut by hand: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg41.jpg Fretboard shape cut and inlays fitted. Literally used solid maple dowell. The lovely brown line down the middle was the figuring of the wood and matched the inlay shade perfectly: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg42.jpg Fretboard radiused. I used radiused wood blocks in 3 different measurements to create a concave radius. Frets being fitted and used wood laminate to fill the last few fret slots, for cosmetic reasons. Left the 12 fret out so I could line it up perfectly with the neck, when gluing the fretboard, using guide pins: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/parkerska/Temple Mandolin No 000/imagejpg43.jpg