Official Luthiers Forum!

Guitar no2 is almost complete, and I've made 3 carved mandolins using Siminoff plans.
I want to try a flat top and back mandolin.
Has anyone any thoughts on how to best use the wood? Can I get two mandolins out of one guitar piece by cutting head to tail or is it not good to use 'outside' edges of the bookmatched wood in the centre joint?

I've seen 'small' wood advertised for fronts, but not for backs and sides.

All advice gratefully welcomed.
Charles.

Charles,
I know of another builder who builds mandola type instruments, and he buys the one-off sides and backs from wood sellers. He can get 2 backs and 2 sets of sides from one guitar back/side set. You will need a special jig that is used for jointing odd shaped woods because he actually cuts the wood to shape before joining the halves. This is what allows him to get this many sets out of the wood. He uses the LMI jig for jointing, but he makes the jig the same shape as the mandola, but just slightly oversized. Hope that helps. Good luck!

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Tracy
http://www.luthiersuppliers.com

I usually get 2 and sometimes 3 mandolin back and side sets from a single guitar set. I'm not a fanatic about having the tight grain in the middle and no one has ever complained about the looks of my back and sides.

However, flat back and top mandolins are not all that common so you might not see anything advertised. Give your wood suppliers a call on the phone and tell them what you need. They often have great wood that is just too small for guitars and would otherwise just sit on the shelf or be cut up into head plates or binding. I've gotten some great deals on these small sizes.

Thanks for the advice. I will make a few phone calls.