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Most of the work on the mandocello top braces is done.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

My ES-335 build, in my knock down spray booth. Three more coats of Crystalac Britetone to go....then 30 days of cure.

I glued up the little baroque guitar, that I'm making as an 8 string Uke. It has a dish in the belly, not a dome. The full size baroque guitar, and the 1600? Vihuela that I have plans for have the dished belly too.

To make a form to build on, I carved a dish into the shape of the guitar, and the vihuela. I cut a shape out of another piece of the cheap plywood, and used it as a dam to hold plaster of Paris, and I made a mold that will be the form. It sits right inside of the plywood dam, that has the neck on it too. The dished pattern used to make the mold is used to put the shape on the bridge. The bridge is glued on FIRST before anything else, so having the curvature where it should be on the form should help a lot.

I make a shape for a vihuela, and a guitar, because the guitar is longer and skinnier. The molds were made with the same dam/building board, so I have a double sided pattern for sanding bridges, the building board, and 2 plaster of Paris domed inserts to add the dish.

So I have the thing glued up. The ribs weren't long enough. But that will be fine, I'll figure out something! There are only 3 little tentalones? on the inside to hold the ribs in place. I used the blocks under the rods to mark where the line of the outline was, and butted the sides against them.

The next step is an odd one.

The Voboam guitars used a glue soaked rope, instead of a line of tentalones on the belly. The rope goes over the tentalones, and the braces. I have some rope, Oddly, the plan shows the same size rope on the little guitar as on the big one. I could do that. I'm not sure if they soaked the rope, just got it wet on one side, or did that and brushed glue on the sides and belly too. Maybe I'll see if the guy I bought the plans from knows for sure. You can't ask anyone from the 1700's.

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Why be normal?

That's a whopper of a tail block! I assume it's made according to the plan, but do you have any idea why it's so big?

That's an interesting idea using rope for lining. If it were me, I'd dunk the rope in the glue pot, brush glue on the guitar, then pull the rope out of the pot while squeezing it with my fingers to remove the excess glue before laying it in the guitar.

Dennis, this photo will help you understand. It is undercut. The back is very thick, it is what holds it all together. The early bellies went a few frets past the neck join on the neck, for more support on the belly too.

I like your idea about how to glue the rope in.

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Why be normal?

It always looks more like an instrument when the neck is on. Gluing the rope in was a bit messy, and I could have cut them a little longer. It will work for what it has to do.

The belly is pretty thin; a lot of it is 2mm or less; but you can see how the bearclaw, and the VERY fine growth lines really stiffen it up. There are 50 years on the bass side there; but about a dozen are in the overhang.

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Why be normal?

Ken, is the rope made of hemp or something else?

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Say what you do, Do what you say.

Dave, I just checked. The label; from the trash; says, 80% cotton, 20% polyester! I saw that it said, Natural, and made in Turkey, so I thought it was all natural. Natural is the color! Yarn Bee Macrame 5mm rope from Hobby Lobby. I looked around a few stores, and that was the best thing I could find that looked like 5mm rope. I could probably find something, somewhere, more like what someone in 1700 would use.

But it seems like it worked. I have no idea where you find real rope. Tractor Supply?

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Why be normal?

Hmm, have my doubts about rope lings catching on.
Crochet perhaps, more decorative...

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Working on a rosette for the dred:






Brad


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Beautiful design Brad.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

Finally….

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Measure Twice,

Karl Borum

A video showing the vacuum radius workboard - https://youtu.be/xlHxnEhtJws?si=fLDIuTMy1crCeQ-g


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Lovin’ the heating pad! First time I’v seen that.

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Measure Twice,

Karl Borum

Not much since this rascal joined the team this last week. Not getting much done in the shop or sleep for that matter, but she sure is fun. (8 weeks old)



She may prove handy for dust collection and a lot of moral support I expect.

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Brian R, Wood Mechanic
N8ZED

A future shop dog joined our family three days ago. This is Finnegan a 5-month-old possible border collie mix. Not much shop work getting done here either although I did manage to get the back fitted to the sides on a mandocello yesterday.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

More fun with making jigs.











Brad


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Brian, thanks again for the recommendation on the “cane tips”, they are great!









Brad


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Oh no!!



Oh, OK.



Brad


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Brad I love your neatly printed labels on all your jigs - obviously done with the CNC.

It puts our rough scrawls with felt tip pen in the shade! And that's even when we remember to do a label!

Cheers Dave

Brad; I looked at that a couple times before I saw what you were doing. I usually forget to even put a label in them!

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Why be normal?

I’m not posting anything more here until someone not me, Ken or Jay posts.



Brad


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Hello Brad,
I think it isn't a label that you have forgotten. I think you mirrored MODEL: DC INST#24! I would not change that, it is unique!
Juergen

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Yeah, it was on purpose.

Dang it, broke my own rule!

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This amp project is still filling my bench and my time.

It is actually closer to being done than it might appear. The reverb send, reverb return, and negative feedback have been dialed in on the breadboard appendage, and it is ready to drill a couple new holes on the control panel, and start permanent wiring.