Curly Mango Idiot's Build Progress(?) Pics

One of theses days I'll get the hang of this. Each time I attempt to build a nice instrument, I am humbled by the craftsmanship, precision and atristry I see on these pages. I doubt I'll ever acheive the level that most of you are at. Here is where I'm at on my present build:









Not having a fancy binding channel cutter, I rigged a flush-cut trimmer bit with a smaller bearing and cut the channels with a table mounted router. Crude, but it got the job done. When bending the ebony binding, I had a small crack on one of the waist bends, but saved it with a bit of CA. At this point, the body has been sanded to 220 grit and I am working on the headplate and fretboard. I'm using Macasser ebony for the bridge and fretboard. I'll post more pictures when (or if) I finish it.

Ahh yes, there is a lot to aspire to after viewing other's work on this site. But every build gets better, skills can be improved, and each problem is its own teacher. I take heart in my improvement, and love of the process.

Plus, your own mistakes are always more obvious to you. In the pics things look great!
Anne

Looks pretty nice to me. Have fun filling those mango pores

Thanks, and yes, filling the pores is a concern to me. I'm trying tinted drywall compound on a piece of scrap, but always looking for suggestions.

Hal, you can try the very traditional, organic and natural filler that is egg white. Back in the day, Martin used it as a killer for their Koa instruments, and it works nicely with any light coloured wood. I've done it before and the trickiest portion is the wet sanding because you can't have too much or too little moisture.

It's true that every build gets easier. The basic procedures, bending, binding, etc become more natural as your experience grows. But this kind of work can also become tedious, doing the same thing time and again. So in order to keep my interest up I find that every build gets harder as well. With every step there's room for improvement and there's always something new and different to do. I seem to work just above my comfort zone at all times so I can never relax and fool myself into thinking "I've got it down".

@Terence, egg white does work as a filler but there is also considerable shrink back. We've come a long way since those Martin days.

BTW, it's looking great Hal. If you're ever really happy with your work you're not trying hard enough!

I'm actually amazed at the quality of work I see from so many hobbyists. It's extremely difficult to learn this stuff when you do a task but don't do it again for months or years.

And if you only had one minor crack in ebony binding, you're doing good!