This photo essay takes you through the proccess of bending the sides and gluing up the body of an Apitius A-model mandolin.

 

Click on an image to enlarge it.

 

	The sides of the mandolin are bent by hand over an electrically heated pipe known as a bending iron. It can be seen in this photo at the bottom center/left.
	Once the sides are bent to conform exactly to the shape of the outside form, the two body blocks are glued in place. The blocks are made from genuine Central American Mahogany chosen for it's combination of stability, strength and lightness of weight. The blocks must be fitted very precisely to avoid any gaps which could rob the instrument of some of the vibrational energy of the strings.
	"Kerfed linings" are glued to the rim of the mandolin in order to provide a wider gluing surface for the top and back plates and to allow the binding channel to be cut later on. The linings on Apitius instruments are made from Spanish Cedar which is a light, stable and flexible wood that also glues very well. A strip of kerfed lining appears in the background of the photo. The kerfs, which are sawn nearly through, allow for easy bending of the lining.
	When the rim is completed and made level, the top plate is glued on using traditional hot hide glue. As of 2016, all wood to wood joints on Apitius instruments are glued with hot hide glue as I have found it to have superior qualities to any other glue available. Hot hide glue has a short "open" time and sets up very quickly. For this reason, I have made gluing fixtures for all of my models that allow for a very quick clamp up.
	Tap tones of the clamped plate are measured and entered into a log. I have compiled the tap tones of all my instruments for nearly forty years and have come to know what I like to see. At this stage of construction, the tap tones can be adjusted by removing material from the top and/or the tone-bars. I like to create a certain relationship between the main tap tones of the top, back and air chamber. This photo shows the top being tuned after it has been glued to the rim. The back's tap tones were adjusted with the back clamped to the rim before the top was glued on.
	The tapered dovetail neck joint mortise is sawn on the band-saw at this stage. The table is canted 5° to the right and then to the left to form the taper. The traditional tapered dovetail is still the best joint for attaching the neck to the body. It is a very strong joint that when well fitted, creates a solid bond that does not rob the instrument of vibrational energy. In addition, especially when hide glue is used, it creates a joint that can be disassembled, if need be, for future repairs.
	The back plate can now be glued on, closing up the sound box. As with the top plate, hot hide glue and a specially made gluing fixture are employed for this task.
	Prior to cutting the channel for the body bindings, the sides must be smooth sanded and the edge of the top and back plates made flush.
	The last step in constructing the body (or is it the first step in the binding procedure?) is to rout the channel or rabbet that will accept the ivoriod bindings. There are a few spots that this routing fixture can't quite get to on an A-model, namely, near the 15th fret cross-piece and at the heel button. I will carve the recess in those areas by hand.

 

 Back to top