My first day at Bluett Bros Violins!
The goal today is to build all the blocks that hold together the body of the mandolin. These blocks are internal, so they don't have to be too perfect. Guess that's why Mark has me starting here! The exception to this is the head block which has that fancy scroll at the top. All blocks are made from Honduran mahogany. I used a plastic template and tracings from Mark's mandolin mold to obtain the shape for the various blocks. I made a total of 4 blocks: head block, tail block and two blocks for the points on the side. Using the band saw, and various power sanders, this turned out to be a pretty easy task. The exception again being the top scroll which required a lot of hand filing and sanding. Final fittings for these blocks will be when we fit them with the side pieces. Here's a picture of the blocks sitting in the mold:
With the blocks completed, we're now on hold until the wood for the sides, back and neck arrive from the supplier. We're using curly maple for these pieces. The top fill be spruce which Mark has a ready supply that has been drying for 90 years!
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