Side panels and new project

 Cut out and planed the side panels for the Cobh mandolin. Started with quarter sawn cherry for the sides, but had problems as the wood was knotty. Probably wold break in the bending process so I made a new set out of black walnut. Ready for bending.

Started a new project; I'm calling this one a Mandolele. An arch-top ukulele with a soprano scale, strung in fifths like a mandolin. Floating bridge with a separate tailpiece. Laser-cut the profiles.

Made these with the laser. Ukulele medalion holders for our Hawaii Cruise.

 

 

Neck rough-out

Finished the neck rough-out. Added the Black Walnut head veneer. Built a head drill jig for the tuner holes. Drilled the tuner holes and engraved the logo.

Design finished, Neck started

 Design is finished and all templates have been cut/fabricated.

Rough-cut the neck from a solid Quarter-Sawn Cherry block. The 8/4 Cherry was not thick enough so I added Black Walnut extensions to each end of the neck. 

Neck cutting sequence is shown here.

Next, I'll attach the head veneer and finish roughing out the neck.

Overall design almost done

Laser cutter experiment with fixtures and repositioning the part to make two cuts. Partially successful, but turns out the flat pattern profile is identical to M7TD, so I’ll use that one.

Also adjusted the height of the sides to 1.5”.

Almost finished with the overall design. Need to verify the tuner spacing when I get them. Then I'll start cutting templates.

Heel block template

Made a small template for tracing the curved profile on the heel block for a teardrop shaped body. Mandolin or Ukulele.