Very kind of you, thank you! 
1 Like
1:12 scale bowl back mandolin (AKA Italian-style mandolin), built just to challenge myself. I wanted one mandolin but managed to not scrap the extra bowl half so I was able to make two.
Full Fusion 360 model (and drawing set) from scratch. No CNC-built parts, but a bunch of laser-cut fixtures and a couple 3D-printed ones. The bowl is hollow (manual Sherline mill).
Having never seen a mandolin in person, I had no idea that a mandolin is much smaller than a guitar, and has more frets and more pegs/strings; making everything more compact than I imagined. One picture compares the mandolin to the 1:12 scale guitar I made last summer, which should illustrate the size challenge. There were pieces so tiny I didn’t think the materials would hold up. For instance, there is a tiny piece on the heel where the strings go through, which was one of the tougher pieces to machine (rotary table on Sherline mill).
I made and turned a segmented blank to simulate the look of the classical pieced up bowl.
I’ll let the luthiers in the group puzzle over how I made the purfling.
When the inspiration strikes me I will make better stands. These temporary stands hide the heel plates.
25 Likes
Just wow. These are absolutely amazing. You need to think about teaching others how you create your beauties. Fabulous work.
1 Like
Forged rivet set Hardy (used in the anvil’s square Hardy hole to hold the head of a rivet while the shank is peened over on the opposite side of the connected parts). Made from 3/4” oil well sucker rod.
The connecting knuckles of the 20’+ sucker rods make a great base for making Hardy tools. 4130/4340ish medium carbon tough steel and are already preformed close to what’s needed for tools (about the right diameter, shoulders already present, etc.
Finished tool after squaring off the threads to fit the Hardy and forging in the divot with a round punch and ball bearing
Before and after - shows how close the starting knuckle is to a finished tool
8 Likes
I have some sucker rod knuckle. I’m going to make me a pair.
1 Like
Is that a gear tooth profile cutter, or did you do multiple passes to approximate the profile?
The high school FIRST Robotics Team @budman and I mentor has made great progress on their robot design this month.
12 Likes
That’s amazing!!
1 Like
Remember the excess red oak I was selling recently? Well here’s what that build was all about: a cubicle bookcase 152" L x 95" H x 13" D that was installed on the 3rd floor of the residence. Took a bit of head scratching to figure how to make it into an erector set that was transportable up a couple of long narrow stairwells.
Base down:
Uprights and back half of the shelves in place.
Finished
19 Likes
Wow! Is this stained / sealed?
Ideally, you’ll also make a top tool from some of the same sucker rod: like a chisel but with a dimple on the working end to dress the rivet once locked in place. Making the working end would be about the same approach.
I put together a chisel-making howto slide deck a few years back: it should still be on the Blacksmith Committee drive. Step by step on forging the struck end, heat treating, etc.
Yes, a gray tone stain and flat clear coat.
1 Like
It’s beautiful work but I confess that when I see this I envision An.Entire.Wall full of miniature dioramas! 
3 Likes
Some simple 3D printed collars I designed to keep these 24AWG silicone wire spools from unwinding in my electronics kit. A small hole in one end holds the end of the wire handy.
14 Likes
I envision a wall full of LEGO!
2 Likes
Are you willing to share the models?
I assume you could drill the divot as an alternative.
The top of the rivet will conform to the shape of the void. A ball punch or ball bearing (I used both) would make a better profile. A drill will leave a flattish or cone-shaped bottom. You could hog out the hole with a drill and then pound in a ball bearing to refine the shape. Using a ball bearing also allows you to gauge a hemisphere depth.
I used a center punch to mark the spot, used a sucker rod ball punch to make the initial divot, then pounded a ball bearing in to finalize the shape and depth.
An appropriately-sized ball end mill on the lathe would likely work, too.
Getting close to done on my portable electronics/soldering station. Features fold-out wing doors with storage, a DC power supply for powering/testing circuits, and organizational space for my soldering iron, test leads, heat shrink tubing, multimeter, etc.
The soldering iron is plugged into an AC outlet inside the box. A 2nd AC outlet can be used to power task lighting. The box is then plugged into the wall.
The little wire collars I shared yesterday will be used for the wire spools while in storage in the door pockets.
Still need to connect the external AC power connection, add a handle to the top, and apply some finish.
Front view (closed)
Front view (open)
Wiring (view of inner box from bottom)
13 Likes
Also by forming the shape of the surface it will be work-hardened making it better at shaping the head. “Drilling/Milling” or mechanical removing of the material does not work-harden the surface and is likely the deform some until does so.