Andrew Tatnell, Handmade Mandolin (ART, OBJECTS 2021)

I have made 17 mandolins in the last few years. This one, number 17, is what I have been aiming for. It has the simple aesthetic that I aspire to, and it sounds loud and full of tone. It sold itself to an Irish musician as soon as she played a few notes. It is made from Western Red Cedar, Tasmanian Blackwood and Gidgee. The top and back are hand carved from solid 20mm thick timber and shaped to specific thicknesses across the body by hand. The mandolin took one month to construct. I have French polished it with numerous layers of pure de-waxed shellac over a 5 day period. I use a Laguna drum sander for thicknessing, a Laguna bandsaw for cutting curves, and a Felder Hammer bandsaw for resawing. I still use a set of Pfeil carving tools that I bought when I was a teenager.

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