The following gallery of photos represent the hands-on craftsmanship involved in start to finish construction of a Wilson mandolin. In addition to use of certain power machinery, many shop built tools, jigs, templates and fixtures are utilized in the pursuit of an excellent final product. Hover over image to pause slideshow. Navigate directly to any point in the building process by clicking on thumbnail images.
A bookmatched curly maple back
Checking graduations on a WH-5 mandolin
Carving the scroll on a WF-5 mandolin
Binding the fretboard
Shaping WF-5 neck
Securing binding on a WF-5
WF-5 neck ready for cutting dovetail joint
Cutting WF-5 dovetails-body
Joining/gluing/clamping set up for mandolin top plate.
WF-5 in carving/shaping/graduating process
Carving recurve in WF-5 top plate
Gluing on peghead ears
Neck block ready to profile on the bandsaw
Just bent WF-5 side and mold
Two WIlson WF-5 mandolins stained and in varnish
Two Wilson WF-5 mandolins stained and in varnish-back sides
A Wilson WF-5 ready to play
