A few weeks ago, I was finally starting a new project at my workshop. It is the long-due mandolin build. As a former mandolin player, trying to build one was something in my list for quite some time. This year I finally decided to tackle the task since it is also the 5th year working as a luthier.
To get some pointers on how to create the mold and other things, I paid a visit to my mentor @luthier.andresr. Every time I have a question that needs some demonstration, I have a place to go and get answer. Sometimes, we get to some other answers just by talking about the issue.
He was teaching me something about the radius used to make the concave top and back. How to align the neck so you have enough room for string action. How to carve the mold so the curvature sits in the right place. There were a lot of other details that I had not stopped to consider before starting the build. By the time I went there, I had already put the sound board together. Opened the sound hole and put one bar on it.
After going going there, I went back home to make the template for the radius. Selected some piece of scrap to serve as the mold. And started to make all other accomodations to make this project run smoothly from start to finish.
It will take me a while to complete this mandolin, but now all the steps are clear. There's nothing else to do but to tackle the tasks at hand and get to the results.
Going back to the workshop is always a nice thing. There's coffee, there's wood, there are cats. There are instruments at different stages of development. It is the place where my journey as a luthier started. It is the check point that I need from time to time.
- Photos 📷: Redmi Note 13
- Editing 🎬: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.
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