No time to type, but the binding is on the mandola!!

The mandola is now sealed. maple bridge plate in place, and the braces shaves a bit more after the pic, then all glued up, and after leaving over night, I've cut the binding step and glued in the binding strip at the cutaway (hence the tape on the pic). Hopefully I'll get a chance to get the rest of the binding done this week.

it FEELS tighter than the normal x braced mandos. this is only natural as the bracing is heavier as there is a LOAD of extra force through a pinned bridge rather than a tailpiece

As you can see I've started another using the same mould....... just in case the 1st is rubbish. I'm going to put the front on this one first so I can trim the braces after attaching the top to the sides.......


Cherry mando is trundleing along (gotta do something while waiting for the glue on the other build to dry!!)

neck join carved, tuner holes drilled, frets in, ends filed, end spaced under the frets filled, and the neck glued in.

mandola has the soundhole cut out and the bracing glued in place, but not yet carved

Doubleneck has the second set of strings on.

A LOAD of tidying up to do now.
screws in tuners
nuts tidied
pickups under saddles
preamp/tuner & switch fitted
strap buttons
frets on 6 neck sorted
intonation on saddles set.

inner & outer bwbw rings fitted on mandola rosette. still needs a bunch of sanding, but I've glued on the soundhole patch so hopefully on monday i'll get the soundhole cut and start the bracing.

Progress on the doubleneck continues, the bridge is shaped, drilled and glued in place. strings on the 6 neck "just to see" as the nut is not glued in, the saddle isn't intonated, the frets aren't levelled and the screws aren't even in the tuners, but I had to see, y'know?

I'm delighted as all the frets play smoothly up top #15 which needs a wee buff as 12and up are fretting out on the D string.......

the 12 bridge will be 2 strings per pin.......

the cherry mando progresses too, the neck is pretty much done, just the mortice to cut and then fret it.