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Pulled the fret board out of the clamps and it looked good.


Some quality time was had with chisels, files and scrapers to get the inlayed piece even with the rest of the board. Next I cleaned up the slots with a fret saw by hand and then put in the side dot and fret marker at the 10th fret.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Perfect!

Nice save Steve.

Bob

Thanks guys. I'm looking forward to getting it strung up and seeing how it sounds.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Your fingerboard looks great Steve! That fix you used is totally invisible.

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http://www.cushmanguitars.com/.

A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.
Mark Twain

Thanks Matt. Definitely no need to make a new board.

I fretted the board tonight. Nothing special, I put a little medium CA in the fret start it with a hammer then finish it with a fret press mounted in my drill press. I've got it clamped to the bench using Mario's method to counteract the backbow from fretting. Should be straight when I release it tomorrow.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Out of the clamps this morning and you can see the fret board is nice and flat.


Finished the prep and got the fret board glued on. I will take it out of the clamps and final shape the neck tonight then all I have left is to make the nut, fit the bridge and mount the hardware. Then it will be ready to string up.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

5 minute temporary fret bevel file, I set it at 15 degrees. The one I made for guitars is too big.


I finished shaping the neck to the board. Fret board is level enough to string it up and test. I did file the ends and run some Micromesh over them so they wouldn't feel too rough.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Made the nut and fitted the bridge last night. Nothing spectacular there but should be able to mount the hardware tonight and get strings on it.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Got it to the point where I could string it up in the white. The new owner got a chance to take it for a spin this morning and he was very happy. Balanced tone, plenty of volume and all the bark that he wanted. It's a good feeling to put an instrument in someone's hands that they obviously really enjoy

I'll get the setup completed most of the way and then get the finish on. Then I'll try to take some decent photos

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Very impressed with Steve's mandolin, got a hands on today at our local luthiers meeting. Looks great sounds, great, hard to beat that.

The new owner?!!! There is so much love in this build I assumed it was for you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I am passionate about building and I'm glad it shows. I admit I will miss it when it's gone but it's going to a good home.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

It's a good way to make another. Gone and I wish I had one.
Good job, Steve!

It's a good way to make another. Gone and I wish I had one.
Good job, Steve!

Hmmm, hiccup...

You're right Hans, I'm hooked. I need to make another one of these for me and I want to build an F5 as well.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Great build thread, Steve! Really eye-opening to read through and see how much work goes into a mandolin...I had no idea how complex it actually is. Are you guys still meeting regularly down in Knoxville? I'd like to make the trip again once I get my guitar finished up...hopefully that won't be too much longer!

Hi Zac, thanks! And yes, we're still meeting. 2nd Sunday every month (unless it falls on something like Mother's day ), 2PM, at the Knoxville Woodcraft store. I'll look forward to seeing you and your guitar

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

The mandolin settled in nicely so time to get the hardware off and get it finished.

There was a spot where the binding didn't meet quite right and it's just one of those things I can't let go.


First step was to centerpunch in the notched area then I drilled a 0.046" hole.


Next was to use an Exacto knife and square up the corners. Except for the fact it's a hole, it looks better already


Finally shaped a piece of rosewood and glued it in with fish glue. We'll see how well this works tomorrow.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Also cleaned up the nut. This Panavise mounted on a piece of wood is another of my favorite tools - it just comes in real handy.


Nut is good to go.


I do my truss rod covers a bit differently since I don't care for the screws so here I'm mounting some really small magnets in the headplate.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

The little mod I did to the binding worked out well.


The magnets are good to go - I made a maple/rosewood truss rod cover but I didn't like the contrast so I'm working on a maple/ebony one.


I got the ebony finger rest completed and mounted. Might need to do some final shaping but otherwise I'm happy with it.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Finished up the Truss rod cover. I made an ebony and maple version of the standard Gibson type plastic cover.


I came up with the idea (at least I haven't seen anyone else use it) of using small rare earth magnets (neodymium) to hold the cover on and eliminate the screws. So here the magnets are inlet into the cover. Red marks are to make sure the polarity is correct.


It self aligns and is easy to remove, just slip it down and to the side.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Your mandolin is sure looking good Steve. I can't wait to see her with a finish! That is a great way to mount a TR cover by the way. I like the clean look of no screws. I have tried clips attached to the cover that snapped over a allen head TR nut. This got rid of the screws but they occasionally buzzed a little. Right now I'm using a single screw for TR covers . Not that I'm going use your idea or anything, but where can I get some of those little magnets, if you don't mind my asking?

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http://www.cushmanguitars.com/.

A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.
Mark Twain

Hey Matt.

The company I buy from is Magcraft and I use their disc magnets in 0.125 diameter x 0.0625 deep. http://www.rare-earth-magnets.com/disc-magnets/. Of course feel free to use the idea, my only warning is to be sure that you secure the magnets well when you install them.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Thanks Steve your magnet mounted TR cover is a great idea! One reason I don't like screws is, I never have enough clearance under the strings. I need to change something to increase my clearance at the nut. If the stings contact the TR cover or the screws holding it, there can be buzzing.

_________________
http://www.cushmanguitars.com/.

A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.
Mark Twain