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...

SIDE VIEW AFTER 8 COATS OF SEALER

REAR VIEW

VINTAGE MODEL VD---1 SILLS MODEL

SHOWN BETTER IN THIS SHOT THE TONER , IS APPLIED TO AN AGED LOOK

JOHN SILLS---VINTAGE MODEL

I NOT SURE WHY TWO PHOTO'S LOADED , HERE IS A PROGRESS REPORT 8 COATS OF CLEAR SEALER, AND VINTAGE TONER

THIS VIOLIN CAME TO ME FOR REPAIR

VIOLINS OF THIS TYPE ARE HAND CONSTRUCTED AND HAVE A HISTORY WITH FAMILY MEMBERS..THEY ARE NOT WORTH MUCH ON THE OPEN MARKET, BUT TO A FAMILY WHO REMEMBERS GRAND PAW PLAYING IT ...IT IS PRICELESS...I RESTORED THIS VIOLIN TO A PLAYABLE GOOD SOUNDING INSTRUMENT....BY THE WAY...IT HAD A STICKER IN IT THAT SAID STRADIVARIUS......THERE WERE SEVERAL HUNDRED MADE BY THE STRADIVARIUS ABOUT 700...690'S VIOLINS AND 3000 OF THEM ARE HERE IN CHEATHAM COUNTY. HMMM

TO THE LEFT IS A DULCIMER, I MADE FOR SHERRY CRENSHAW..THE TOP IS WESTERN CEDAR, BACK AND SIDES CHERRY... REAL MELLOW SOUND

BINDING CHANNEL FINISHED

IN THIS PHOTO'S THE BINDING CHANNEL IS READY TO INSTALL THE BINDING 3/16 WIDE, IVORY, BLACK , IVORY HAND TOOLS ARE STILL USED A LOT. IN THE PHOTO ARE A LEFT AND RIGHT HONED KNIVE, AND A SMALL TOOL FOR CLEANING OUT THE CHANNEL..IN THE BACKGROUND THE HEADSTOCK ON THE NECK HAS HAD THE CHANNEL CUT AND IS READY FOR THE BINDING...

JOHN SILLS DOBRO---ITS NOT GLUED Yet JOHN, THAT STEP IS COMMING NEXT.

LOOKING AT THE BACK BRACING --FOR JOHN SILLS 

BACK, FIGURED MAPLE 

CHARLES BURGER, MAKING A G RUN!
click on the photo to enlarge

FREDDY MILER, ON THE HOUND DOG, DOBRO, AND MIKE LATTIMORE, PLAYING THE CAROLINA FIVE STRING, JAM AT SIMPKINS CHAPEL, UMC.ASHLAND CITY,TN. click on photo... This is just before Freddy Falls backwards, out of the shelter,,,I did not Miss a note!

C. ALEXANDER BURGER, AND HIS MARTIN.  

CHARLES ALEXANDER BURGER, MASTER GUITAR PLAYER, PICKING A VINTAGE D-28 MARTIN GUITAR,OTHER FOLKS IN THE PHOTO ARE , FRED MILER, DOBRO, MICKEY FARMER, SETTING
click to enlarge

Selecting of Wood

SELECTION OF WOOD IS THE FIRST STEP.
MAPLE IS STABLE, SOUNDS GOOD, LOOKS GOOD. IT IS BEGINNING TO COST A LOT TO FIND THE SPECIAL FIGURED TYPES NEEDED..FIGURE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SOUND THOUGH .

THE NECK BOLTS ON AT THE BLOCK

ANOTHER LOOK AT THAT CURLY MAPEL