Jerry, your careful trimming away, of the tiny bits of glue squeeze out, inside your instruments, is just more evidence of what a fine craftsman and master builder you are.
Jerry I've been enjoying your videos and in particular this series and even more when I realized that you wrote the music included in your time lapse portions.
Jerry, to make things easier for yourself when doing vacuum veneering, make yourself a plenum(and rounded piece on top of the glue-up) much larger than the piece you're attempting to glue up. That way you only have to focus on keeping the glue-up in position - which is much easier than having to worry about keeping everything in alignment.
IF I played mandolin I'd make you a totally outrageous offer for this incredibly fine instrument once finished...alas, I don't play mandolin. Deserves to be kept and played by YOU, someone who can really play it and would appreciate it! BEAUTIFUL job, of course!
I think some small locating pins on the top and bottom corners of those boards would work perfectly with the vacuum seal, in an area that you'd shave off anyways but I think it would make alignment much easier for you! The pins don't even necessarily need to go the entire way through, you could inlay some small pins in a tiny recess near the edges of the boards, knowing they will be cut off later so you don't need to remove them. Thanks for another great video 😊
Hey Jerry I just turned 70 a couple months ago I sure hope I get to see this world's best mantle and done before I leave this world I love your program just messing with you
Hi, Jerry! I have greatly enjoyed this build, and I always learn things when watching you (even if I may never use the info). I am always amazed at the quality of your craftsmanship. I do have a tip for you, and I hope you find it helpful: In the hose that goes from the vacuum pump to the bag, install a “T” fitting. On the new third leg the “T” creates, install a ball valve. This way, if you need to readjust things in the bag, there’s no need to unhook hoses or open the bag in order to let the pressure off.
I use Irwin quick clamps in any place I an to put the squeeze in that my fingers will no longer do. Jerry my father died with arthritis having reduced him to a cripple so I know something about the pain you are having. God bless and stick to it we care about you and what you do. You and my father would have been very good friends and he died 50 years ago so I just pretend we are friends in his stead.
Bow builders use a bladder press on those finicky layups. Just a piece of fire hose clamped on one end with a air hose fitting on the other end. Lightly clamp up your piece with the hose under an over press board and flip on the compressor. Open air so glue evaporates and even pressure so no slippage. Bonus it works just as well on contoured shapes.
the pun about the glue up......... ouch! I love what you do, and you taught Caleb well too, hope you can find ways around the arthritis so you can keep on doing what you love.
I have to admit if someone decided to come up with a better coping saw it would make about 3.5 Million of us a slight bit happier. Coping saws are a pain no matter how much money you spend on them, none of them work as well as they should. Your work is beautiful
I’m really enjoying your channel and this Mandolin series. Thanks for all you share. To spread glue I use an old credit card with notches cut along the edge. Depending on the notch size it gives a very even spread of glue.
Beautiful work, Jerry! I received my deer antler mandolin saddle today, and it fits my bridge base like it was custom made for it. I couldn't be more pleased with it! I took your advice on the GHS LS-250 Silk and Steel strings, and they toned the brightness down to a beautiful woody sound. The deer antler saddle increased the already loud volume of instrument, and brought out better note definition and clarity. I just got it all back together, and I noticed a tremendous difference (better) in the sound of it. Thank you for the beautiful antler saddle, I'll think of you fondly, every time I pick up my mandolin, and play it! FWIW : My mandolin is a very early 70's MIJ Kentucky KM-1000 (F-Style) mandolin, that I inherited from my grandfather in 1995. I put a Fishman Ebony Nashville Bridge on it with a piezoelectric element in the base. The saddle is removable and replaceable, and the new antler saddle fit absolutely perfectly. I'm proud to be the new custodian of this instrument. They can last for several generations if probably cared for, then we pass them along to the next fellow or lady.
Jerry if I can make a suggestion, if I were you next time you have to cut F-Holes, Buy yourself a jewelers saw & a pack of 00 or 0 Blades instead of using a coping saw you will find it goes !0Xs easier.. Great build series I cannot wait to see this finished. 🙏🙏🇺🇸🎸🎼🎹👨🏻🦯👨🏻🦯
Absolutely loving this build video series. I can't wait to see the final result. Unfortunately for you I see hundreds of hours of hand sanding in your future!! 🤔🤔😜😜!!! I know you never plan to sell it but I would love to have you do a video when you're all done with it. Of a at least three mandolin appraisers to see what it would get at auction!! After all if this is the finest mandolin ever made by hand by a human..? it needs to be played by and quantified/peer reviewed!! By the best mandolin players on the planet!! I'm sure you know all of them!! PS you mentioned Lloyd lore quite often in the series.. and not to say he wasn't the best of his time but that was many many years ago,.. and the greatest men of all time stand on the shoulders of the Masters of the past!!
I'm 80 years old and suffer from arthritis in my hands too. Have you tried hemp oil cream. It works for me. Voltaren is good too. Enjoy your videos. Keep 'em comin'!
Have you thought of using a jig and a precision router attachment for your dremel to cut your f-holes? They would come out nearly finished, clean and precise.
I couldn’t find the exact video but there’s another builder on TH-cam who uses the vacuum bags. And he just uses tape to tape the edge to his workbench. And it’s enough to hold the seal. So you don’t have to use that pipe clamp on the edge. And then he just cut the end off.
Great video! You are a cool! I started playing mandolin couple of days ago (Loar 700). Very interesting how a mandolin is built. Could you do a mandolin setup tutorial? Would be highly appreciated. Many thanks from Switzerland. Kind redards, Daniel
Loving this build, hey Jerry would turning that neck on it's side in the vacuum press stop the layers moving? pressure being applied sideways rather than top down sorta thing, It figures in my head but the reality might be different
Honestly I think locating pins would have been the way to go if the pieces were long enough. Maybe a bit more work, but for me taking the guesswork out would calm my nerves.
Hey Jerry.. Just an idea.. on the vacuum sliding issue.. can you use some menard clamps and install cawls the length of the neck sides on both sides on the outside of the bag to hold them softly in place as it sucks the air out and then remove them once full vacuum happens.
Tightbond 3 is no stronger than Tightbond 2. TB 3 is just waterproof and takes longer to dry. And I know this sounds stupid. But, sprinkle some salt in between the layers after applying the glue. It stops the slipping. Salt is soft enough that it does not do any harm to woodworking tools. You only need a little. P.V.A. glue dries and cures by evaporation. So, when using a vacuum press, the moisture in the glue has no place to go except into the wood. Once the glue sets, the wood needs to air-dry for some time. How long that may take depends on how much glue you used. I'm not a troll. I am 60 years old and have been making dead tree carcasses into things ever since I was 12 years old. I have even made a few guitars. Not as good at it as you are, tho. If someone asked me to carve a spoon from Curley Maple. I would tell them to go to hell. LOL, I'm impressed. Have you ever thought that it may be impossible to make anything perfectly? Were Human, after all. 🤕 God bless and stay safe.
maybe after foil wrapping, you could just custom make a little piece of wood, that is like 2 mm smaller than the width of your neck, a U shape, that you just put around the neck so it doesn't move and just put that along with it in the vaccuum bag
Jerry where do you buy your semi-chrome I really like the way that it works and it's always nice I think seeing you use it I need to try it only guitar acoustic Montclair and it's been an attic for 40 to 50 years and it don't look bad I just needs to be waxed and polished and it may need a new friend job because of the ones that are on it are black and some are flat pretty much all of them are I really was wondering if you could tell me somewhere I might be able to get it and the Houston area Texas
Just obsessing here but I wonder if the sound differences in the book match blanks should be representative of the side it is used on the lower tone blank for the base side of the instrument and the higher tone blank for the treble side 🤔
So just a quick question: I have seen you build several mandolins, and I have never seen you doing the tuning of the instrument like Roger Siminoff talks about. I remember you talking about using his book to learn how to build, but I don't think he talked about the tap tuning part in the first version of the book. In the 3rd and now the 4th, he goes into big detail about it (especially in the latest one). Is this something that you don't worry about since you have the measurements you want, or have you just not documented it? I'm starting a mandolin, and I'm just wondering. This one is going to be a real beauty. That quilting is just spectacular.
I should have just waited, you answered my question. I guess I just expect to see the lab that Siminoff has. Plus, he tunes them after he glues them and the neck to the sides. But I see what you are going for, and it's clear that you have something going with your golden set of measurements. Again, can't wait to hear this one.
Would you be able to mount a paper towel holder, then drop the roll you have so you can let it spin on the holder. That should free up your hands a bit
Its amazing to a professional woodcarver like me of how you struggle with controlling and holding your work. Take a little more time in planning out the process. You complain but do nothing about making it easier for yourself.
It's a privilege to watch this series, and learn steps to handcraft a beautiful instrument.
Jerry, your careful trimming away, of the tiny bits of glue squeeze out, inside your
instruments, is just more evidence of what a fine craftsman and master builder you are.
Jerry I've been enjoying your videos and in particular this series and even more when I realized that you wrote the music included in your time lapse portions.
Jerry, to make things easier for yourself when doing vacuum veneering, make yourself a plenum(and rounded piece on top of the glue-up) much larger than the piece you're attempting to glue up. That way you only have to focus on keeping the glue-up in position - which is much easier than having to worry about keeping everything in alignment.
IF I played mandolin I'd make you a totally outrageous offer for this incredibly fine instrument once finished...alas, I don't play mandolin. Deserves to be kept and played by YOU, someone who can really play it and would appreciate it! BEAUTIFUL job, of course!
I think some small locating pins on the top and bottom corners of those boards would work perfectly with the vacuum seal, in an area that you'd shave off anyways but I think it would make alignment much easier for you! The pins don't even necessarily need to go the entire way through, you could inlay some small pins in a tiny recess near the edges of the boards, knowing they will be cut off later so you don't need to remove them. Thanks for another great video 😊
Hey Jerry I just turned 70 a couple months ago I sure hope I get to see this world's best mantle and done before I leave this world I love your program just messing with you
I always say, "There's nothing wrong with a little overkill that can't be fixed with a lot more overkill."
Watching you build mandolins never gets old!
Please don't retire! Your video's are so informative and relaxing at the same time.
Cosmic work Jerry & those bluegrass gospel tunes are food for my soul!
That Job just beautiful work can't wait to hear it play. Keep up the great work.
Hi, Jerry!
I have greatly enjoyed this build, and I always learn things when watching you (even if I may never use the info). I am always amazed at the quality of your craftsmanship.
I do have a tip for you, and I hope you find it helpful: In the hose that goes from the vacuum pump to the bag, install a “T” fitting. On the new third leg the “T” creates, install a ball valve. This way, if you need to readjust things in the bag, there’s no need to unhook hoses or open the bag in order to let the pressure off.
I use Irwin quick clamps in any place I an to put the squeeze in that my fingers will no longer do. Jerry my father died with arthritis having reduced him to a cripple so I know something about the pain you are having. God bless and stick to it we care about you and what you do. You and my father would have been very good friends and he died 50 years ago so I just pretend we are friends in his stead.
They're called "F" holes for a reason Jerry I'm sure you get my drift👍☮️🇫🇴🇺🇦😃
Bow builders use a bladder press on those finicky layups. Just a piece of fire hose clamped on one end with a air hose fitting on the other end. Lightly clamp up your piece with the hose under an over press board and flip on the compressor. Open air so glue evaporates and even pressure so no slippage. Bonus it works just as well on contoured shapes.
Checked the Bb, spot on Jerry!!
the pun about the glue up......... ouch!
I love what you do, and you taught Caleb well too, hope you can find ways around the arthritis so you can keep on doing what you love.
Wow...that was a lot to take in.
I have to admit if someone decided to come up with a better coping saw it would make about 3.5 Million of us a slight bit happier. Coping saws are a pain no matter how much money you spend on them, none of them work as well as they should. Your work is beautiful
Woo hoo! Was literally looking for magic to watch. Thanks mate
Absolutely fascinating!! I've watched every minute of your build up to this point, and I'm speechless!
I checked it of the computer with my Peterson strobe tuner yep its a Bb...perfection!.. this is your masterpiece for sure..
Jerry, after the glue is spread, sprinkling some table salt on the glue surface will really help to prevent wood slippage in the layers.
Yes I know. I never use salt
Sounds like a B Flat tone coming out from the tapping. Really enjoying watching the project.
Not sure I'll be able to use the advice, "When it's perfect you should stop." Hope someday to be able to.
I’m really enjoying your channel and this Mandolin series. Thanks for all you share. To spread glue I use an old credit card with notches cut along the edge. Depending on the notch size it gives a very even spread of glue.
Wow Jerry, that must be at least a 4000 dollar Mandolin. Great work from the Master!
And the tale goes on!
Even if this turns out not to be the finest mandolin ever built by a human, it will surely be the finest mandolin ever built by a human video!
Ha! A pain in the neck! Isn’t that what’s it all about!? Enjoying the build lots!
Knowing the backstory of “Phantom 614” made the song even more enjoyable to listen to!!
I confirm Bb tapping. The first tapping was close to a C, when I checked it, FYI
Beautiful work, Jerry! I received my deer antler mandolin saddle today, and it fits my bridge base like it was custom made for it. I couldn't be more pleased with it! I took your advice on the GHS LS-250 Silk and Steel strings, and they toned the brightness down to a beautiful woody sound. The deer antler saddle increased the already loud volume of instrument, and brought out better note definition and clarity. I just got it all back together, and I noticed a tremendous difference (better) in the sound of it. Thank you for the beautiful antler saddle, I'll think of you fondly, every time I pick up my mandolin, and play it!
FWIW : My mandolin is a very early 70's MIJ Kentucky KM-1000 (F-Style) mandolin, that I inherited from my grandfather in 1995. I put a Fishman Ebony Nashville Bridge on it with a piezoelectric element in the base. The saddle is removable and replaceable, and the new antler saddle fit absolutely perfectly. I'm proud to be the new custodian of this instrument. They can last for several generations if probably cared for, then we pass them along to the next fellow or lady.
Jerry if I can make a suggestion, if I were you next time you have to cut F-Holes, Buy yourself a jewelers saw & a pack of 00 or 0 Blades instead of using a coping saw you will find it goes !0Xs easier.. Great build series I cannot wait to see this finished. 🙏🙏🇺🇸🎸🎼🎹👨🏻🦯👨🏻🦯
Beautiful man!
A lot of techniques you cover on this
Mandolin video are similar to or could be used in constructing a violin. I’m
Learning a lot from your videos.
Thought: place glue-up in a vice, shrink wrap half, flip & shrink other half. A little heat will tighten up but you may not need that.
*that said, you may benefit from a little flexibility due to that much pressure potentially causing slippage
Absolutely loving this build video series. I can't wait to see the final result. Unfortunately for you I see hundreds of hours of hand sanding in your future!! 🤔🤔😜😜!!! I know you never plan to sell it but I would love to have you do a video when you're all done with it. Of a at least three mandolin appraisers to see what it would get at auction!! After all if this is the finest mandolin ever made by hand by a human..? it needs to be played by and quantified/peer reviewed!! By the best mandolin players on the planet!! I'm sure you know all of them!! PS you mentioned Lloyd lore quite often in the series.. and not to say he wasn't the best of his time but that was many many years ago,.. and the greatest men of all time stand on the shoulders of the Masters of the past!!
Great work
As Ron Pratt says "Overkill is under rated."
I'm 80 years old and suffer from arthritis in my hands too. Have you tried hemp oil cream. It works for me. Voltaren is good too. Enjoy your videos. Keep 'em comin'!
Yes I have tried both. Thanks so much.
@@RosaStringWorks 🙂
Great video Jerry really liking the detail of this build 🇬🇧
Jerry uses a high dollar digital glue spreader! He keeps it with his sky hook and muffler bearings!
Lightly salt your glue up to prevent sliding. It creates just slight amont of friction so parts don't slide
Salt is a very poor way to handle it. I never use salt. It is corrosive and weakens the glue.
very nice
How did you explain all the washing blowing over the farm 😁 a joy to watch 👍👍
Any time you need someone to come and install blades upside down for you, give me a call!
Jerry I bake for living and your tempting me to buy the vacuum press 😆 ask for more stuff cos your top drawer salesman mate 👍
I sometimes wonder if you were a plastic surgeon, would you converse like this. Stay safe, Jerry!
put sides on the suction plate Jerry, make a diff form for every diff thing you do and there ya go
Instead of salt, try using a little sawdust from the same wood. I've heard that will stop slipping and won't degrade the glue.
Have you thought of using a jig and a precision router attachment for your dremel to cut your f-holes? They would come out nearly finished, clean and precise.
I couldn’t find the exact video but there’s another builder on TH-cam who uses the vacuum bags. And he just uses tape to tape the edge to his workbench. And it’s enough to hold the seal. So you don’t have to use that pipe clamp on the edge. And then he just cut the end off.
Great video! You are a cool! I started playing mandolin couple of days ago (Loar 700). Very interesting how a mandolin is built.
Could you do a mandolin setup tutorial? Would be highly appreciated. Many thanks from Switzerland. Kind redards, Daniel
I wanted to buy the song "Phantom 614" but did not find it on your website. Fantastic build as usual, Jerry.
I had a lot of songs on my website and they somehow disappeared I'll look into it
Loving this build, hey Jerry would turning that neck on it's side in the vacuum press stop the layers moving? pressure being applied sideways rather than top down sorta thing, It figures in my head but the reality might be different
Honestly I think locating pins would have been the way to go if the pieces were long enough. Maybe a bit more work, but for me taking the guesswork out would calm my nerves.
You need to build a two sided jig to hold everything straight.......
Hey Jerry.. Just an idea.. on the vacuum sliding issue.. can you use some menard clamps and install cawls the length of the neck sides on both sides on the outside of the bag to hold them softly in place as it sucks the air out and then remove them once full vacuum happens.
Nothing exceeds like excess.
👍
Tightbond 3 is no stronger than Tightbond 2. TB 3 is just waterproof and takes longer to dry. And I know this sounds stupid. But, sprinkle some salt in between the layers after applying the glue. It stops the slipping. Salt is soft enough that it does not do any harm to woodworking tools. You only need a little. P.V.A. glue dries and cures by evaporation. So, when using a vacuum press, the moisture in the glue has no place to go except into the wood. Once the glue sets, the wood needs to air-dry for some time. How long that may take depends on how much glue you used. I'm not a troll. I am 60 years old and have been making dead tree carcasses into things ever since I was 12 years old. I have even made a few guitars. Not as good at it as you are, tho. If someone asked me to carve a spoon from Curley Maple. I would tell them to go to hell. LOL, I'm impressed. Have you ever thought that it may be impossible to make anything perfectly? Were Human, after all. 🤕 God bless and stay safe.
do you mind if i ask ,what kind of magnifcation glasses you use.
maybe after foil wrapping, you could just custom make a little piece of wood, that is like 2 mm smaller than the width of your neck, a U shape, that you just put around the neck so it doesn't move and just put that along with it in the vaccuum bag
Jerry. Have you ever thought of using your Dremel to cut those F-Holes? I know that you're pretty steady with it. Great work as usual.
Ears? ; before cutting the groove for the truss rod?
It's purdy
The title is hilarious.
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION/HANDS-ASPERCREME WITH LIDOCAINE...PICK IT UP IN SPRAY-CREME OR WRAP ( At Walmart )...Blackfoot Willie's Art...Youre Welcome !!!
Unfortunately I've been there done that no help
What about a little table salt. Works really well.
hi jerry .question , can you wisstle ? thanks for sharing .
Jerry where do you buy your semi-chrome I really like the way that it works and it's always nice I think seeing you use it I need to try it only guitar acoustic Montclair and it's been an attic for 40 to 50 years and it don't look bad I just needs to be waxed and polished and it may need a new friend job because of the ones that are on it are black and some are flat pretty much all of them are I really was wondering if you could tell me somewhere I might be able to get it and the Houston area Texas
Just obsessing here but I wonder if the sound differences in the book match blanks should be representative of the side it is used on the lower tone blank for the base side of the instrument and the higher tone blank for the treble side 🤔
So just a quick question: I have seen you build several mandolins, and I have never seen you doing the tuning of the instrument like Roger Siminoff talks about. I remember you talking about using his book to learn how to build, but I don't think he talked about the tap tuning part in the first version of the book. In the 3rd and now the 4th, he goes into big detail about it (especially in the latest one). Is this something that you don't worry about since you have the measurements you want, or have you just not documented it? I'm starting a mandolin, and I'm just wondering.
This one is going to be a real beauty. That quilting is just spectacular.
I should have just waited, you answered my question. I guess I just expect to see the lab that Siminoff has. Plus, he tunes them after he glues them and the neck to the sides. But I see what you are going for, and it's clear that you have something going with your golden set of measurements. Again, can't wait to hear this one.
Definitely would have been easier with a locating pin
I add a couple small salt crystals to the glue on either end between each piece. Keeps it from sliding
Wow!
When that "high dollar" glue spreader, of yours, was first
invented it was just a Goo spreader. Glue had not yet been invented.
Would you be able to mount a paper towel holder, then drop the roll you have so you can let it spin on the holder. That should free up your hands a bit
What would you do if the top tap-tuned to G ? That would set up sympathetic resonance. Can you effectively alter the tone by carving off more ?
Bb top? That'll please the sax players watching!
Definitely tedious work!
It should be possible to edge clamp the pieces together through the bag?
I would have used bar clamps rather than the extra work and cleanup of the vacusystem.
13:40 pun intended?
You can't have too much overkill.
Its amazing to a professional woodcarver like me of how you struggle with controlling and holding your work. Take a little more time in planning out the process. You complain but do nothing about making it easier for yourself.
Can you make me a Maccaffari wood guitar with adjustable neck angle.
If something is too easy to make, it's not as special, in the end, perhaps? Memories are made of such things, IMO
casein sealed inside? please discuss
Your hands make it obvious this is not your first rodeo....
...pain in the neck....was that a pun?
Ha ha ha !!
Price quote.
Salt for slippage
TOO much!