MY NEXT PROJECTS ARE F-5 STYLE MANDOLIN AND A CONCERT DULCIMER

THIS MANDOLIN FOR CHARLES, CHARLES I JUST FINISHED THE BACK AND THE TOP, AND INSTALLED KERFING , THE NEXT THING COMMING IS GLUING ON THE BACK, YOU CAN CHECK AND SEE MY PROGRESS AS I CONTUNIUE..


PHOTO NO 2
BELOW IS THE BEGINING OF ____ F 5 STYLE MANDOLIN, CURLY MAPLE, I START BY PICKING OUT THE WOOD FIRST.. AND THEN SELECTING THE TOOLS NEEDED TO DO THE JOB....A LOT OF ROUGHING IS DONE WITH A GOUGE, BT AS YOU SEE IN THE PHOTO, I USED THE SMALL THUMB PLANES THAT I MADE IN MY SHOP. THEY WILL DO MOST OF THE THICKNESSING. IN THE FINAL PHASE OF GRADUATED CARVING OF THE SOUND BOARDS, TOP AND BACK...THE PLANES ARE EASY AND FUND TO MAKE,, THE BLADES WERE A PAIN IN THE NECK TO SHARPEN, BUT ONCE FORMED AND SHARPEND, THEN HONING MOSTLY REQUIRED......,,,,,THE COPPER COLORED PLANE ON THE LEFT, IS MADE FROM PLUMBING PARTS, AND ELECTRICAL BUSS BAR FROM A FUSE...THE OTHER PLANES ARE MADE FROM BEACH,,,,CUT AT SIMPKINS MILL CHEAP HILL , TN 11 YEARS AGO,,,,HARDWOOD AND VERY GOOD FOR TOOLS,,,THE BLADES IN THE PLANES ARE MADE FROM, FILES, AND OLD

CHISEL

PHOTO NO 1

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DULCIMER PROJECT.
THE DULCIMER IS DESIGNED A LITTLE LIKE A VIOLIN, IT IS MADE OF SHORT PECIES, WITH CORNER BLOCKS, AND THE CORNER BLOCKS ARE RE-INFORCED WITH GAUZ...
I EXPERMITED WITH TWO DIFFERENT KINDS OF KERFING, USING ON THE TOP, POPSICKLE STICKS, AND ON THE BACK TRADITION V CUT KERFING....THE CONCEPT OF MAKING AN INSTRUMENT OUT OF SCRAP RECYCLED WOOD, SHIPPING PALLETS OR OTHER SCRAP WOOD,,,WHICH ALL THIS IS.....THE TOP AND THE BACK WILL BE RED OAK , THAT CAME FROM MY GRANDFATHER S HOME PLACE IN LOWNDES, MISSOURI...WHICH WAS BUILT IN 1930 I SALVAGED A FEW PEICES OF THE LUMBER FLOORING IN THE ATIC, WHICH WAS COVERED FROM RAIN BY THE SHAKES MY GRAND FATHER SPLIT WITH A FROE.......SOME OF THE ROOF STILL IN TACK. I INTEND TO KEEP THIS IN THE FAMILY...AND SHARE....WITH OTHERS.....WATCH AS IT COMES TOGETHER AND IS A VERY GOOD PLAYABLE INSTRUMENT... NOTICE THE SPRING CLAMPS MADE FROM 1 1/2 PVC PLUMBING PIPE ,,WORKS GRET......THE WOOD TOP AND BACK AS ALL THE LUMBER FROM S.W. THURSTON'S HOME PLACE WAS CUT BY LOWEL FAULKNER, IN WILLIAMSVILLE, MO...IN 1929 OR 30...I WILL TRY TO PUT A PHOTO OF THE HOME PLACE ON ..BY THE WAY, THAT HOUSE STOOD TILL ABOUT 5 YEARS AGO.....IT WAS NEVER INSPECTED BY CODES,DID NOT HAVE INSURANCE, NO RUNNING WATER..NO FIRE DEPARTMENT, NO POLICE DEPARTMENT, NO BLUEPRINTS, NO ELECTRICTY AT THE TIME....OUTHOUSE OUT BACK, IT WAS 100 YARDS TOO NEAR IN THE SUMMER, AND 100 YARDS TO FAR IN THE WINTER...THIS WAS CALLED FREEDOM,THAT LIBERTY WE DO NOT SHARE MUCH OF TODAY....LOL.... OH! THERE WAS A GUN IN EVERY ROOM,,,NOT MUCH NEED FOR LAWENFORCEMENT....IN THOSE PARTS...

FINALLY FINISHED, SOME MORE INLAY DONE ON THE FRET BOARD

A COUPLE MORE COATS AND I WILL CURE THE FINISH AND BUFFED OUT....SET UP NEXT AND , THE BRIDGE INSERTS WILL BE EBONY ON MAPLE....AND A BONE NUT,AND OF AND QUARTMAN CONE, AND SPIDER BRIDGE, AND SOUND BAFFEL WILL BE INSTALLED......THEN WE ARE FINISHED. AFTER ALL THESE THINGS ARE SET UP.


SET UP TOOK ABOUT 4 HOURS.. SPIDER BIDGE LEVELED, MAPE AND EBONY CAPED BRIDGE INSERTS INSTALLED, AND A BONE NUT CAPED ON THE SIDES WITH ABLONE... AND DOVE MARKERS WERE INSTALLED AT EACH CORD POSITION...DOTS ARE INSTALLED ON HALF STEP POSITIONS...THIS SHOULD ALLOW GETTING AROUND THE FRET BOARD FASTER.

SOUND:
THE SOUND HAS A LOT OF BASS AND A WELL BALANCED TONE...