Page 1 of 1

Lathe made musical instruments

Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 3:13 pm
by Matthew Dirks
I recently got a wood lathe... I love working with it and have gotten rather good with it. Now I would like to see what everyones thoughts are on turning a frying pan style mandolin. Lets see what everyone has to say about the idea.

Re: Lathe made musical instruments

Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 10:56 am
by Dan Pennington
Intrigued by your idea. Tell me more about your design.
I've seen stuff about turning two banjo or uke necks simultaneously on a lathe, but nothing about mandolin type bodies on a lathe.
I turn banjo rims on a lathe. Are you talking about making the mandolin sides like a banjo rim?

Re: Lathe made musical instruments

Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 7:37 am
by Bob Hammond
Hi Matthew,

I've been thinking about what could be made with my lathe as well. There are articles for ocarinas and flutes. For the mandolin, you could do a layered glueup for the body.

Re: Lathe made musical instruments

Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 11:02 pm
by Harmon Gladding
I've use the lathe to make a mandolin arm rest.

Re: Lathe made musical instruments

Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2019 5:03 pm
by Jo Dusepo
Historically some instruments were made using lathes. For instance the medieval rebec and gittern, which are both small pear-shaped instruments. Some evidence suggests they'd turn the shape out of wood on a lathe (obviously not an electric one back then, must've taken a while!) and then the resulting shape would be cut in half, for two instrument bodies which would then be hollowed out. In modern times there are similar bowed instruments to the rebec such as the Cretan lyra and Bulgarian gadulka which could feasibly be made the same way.

Re: Lathe made musical instruments

Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2020 8:36 pm
by Bob Howell
I have read about a number of bowls harps. Even a guy, Tony in England says its his idea and no one else can make one.

Re: Lathe made musical instruments

Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2020 4:41 pm
by Jo Dusepo
Bob Howell wrote: Thu Apr 16, 2020 8:36 pm I have read about a number of bowls harps. Even a guy, Tony in England says its his idea and no one else can make one.
Nobody tell him about those medieval instruments then! :lol:

Re: Lathe made musical instruments

Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2020 6:58 pm
by Karl Wicklund
Oh, man, this makes me want even more to get my lathe set up!

Re: Lathe made musical instruments

Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2021 4:34 am
by Frank Dryer III
Matthew Dirks wrote: Mon Aug 04, 2014 3:13 pm I recently got a wood lathe... I love working with it and have gotten rather good with it. Now I would like to see what everyones thoughts are on turning a frying pan style mandolin. Lets see what everyone has to say about the idea.
Frying mandolin? Never heard of such thing :o

Re: Lathe made musical instruments

Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2022 2:18 pm
by Alan Carruth
There's a Chinese noise maker, the 'singing cicada', that's made from a section of large bamboo tube, open at both ends. One end is closed off with a membrane, like a banjo or kora. A string comes out of the middle of the membrane (use a washer?), and one end of the string is looped around a stick that has a grove in it. The grove is rosined. When you swing the tube around the stick the loop of the string sticks and slips, and this produces sounds that drive the membrane. It's the original Leslie! What's interesting about this is that the pitch of the sound depends mostly on the length of the string; as you swing it faster the pitch rises a little (from increased tension) but it mostly just gets louder. One could easily turn a tube for this, or use it for one of those Chinese 2-string fiddles that are also made from bamboo.

I've often thought of making racquet (spelling?); a sort of folded oboe. You turn a cylinder and drill seven holes in it. A cap is made to fit each end that has channels that connect the ends of the holes together to make a continuous folded tube. Finger holes to the outer lengths allow for pitch changes. a double reed in the middle is used to drive it. Apparently these were popular during the 30 Years' War: it was a bass instrument you could fit it your pocket if you had to get out of town fast.

That one came from a book I saw more than 50 years ago, entitled 'Wind Instrument Making' or some such. Lots of stuff about recorders, flutes, and so on, including methods for making taper reamers and getting the walls of the tube concentric.

Re: Lathe made musical instruments

Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2023 5:33 am
by Allyson Brown
That's an interesting way to make a mandolin.
Matthew Dirks wrote: Mon Aug 04, 2014 3:13 pm I recently got a wood lathe... I love working with it and have gotten rather good with it. Now I would like to see what everyones thoughts are on turning a frying pan style mandolin. Lets see what everyone has to say about the idea.

Re: Lathe made musical instruments

Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2023 3:26 am
by Allyson Brown
As a beginner also in mandolin, I find this article useful.


https://medium.com/@cassidybole0712/man ... 403cd30c8e

Re: Lathe made musical instruments

Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2023 5:30 am
by Allyson Brown
I found this some place online. I thought you might find this helpful.

Are you ready to enhance your mandolin skills and embark on a musical adventure? Dive into the world of mandolin techniques and exercises in this comprehensive guide.

Whether you're a beginner looking to start your mandolin journey or an experienced player seeking to refine your skills, we've got you covered.

Ready to elevate your mandolin playing to new heights?

[Click here to read the full article](https://medium.com/@cassidybole0712/man ... 2b2ce57145) and unlock the secrets of mastering this enchanting instrument.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to enhance your musical journey!