The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-26
MAKING OF MANDoLINs.
The Component Birch Is Imported
From south America.

From the Kansas City Star
Guitars and mandolns made here IN
Kansas City by musical firm are sold ali
over the United States. The wood Is bought
In New York and New Orleans, where IL
has been imported, Is shipped here. and
here it Is turned into musical Instruments.
The processes ole manufacture are inter
esting.
Bales and piles of fine wood are heaped
about the floor of the manufacturing
building This wood comes from the saw
mills especially cut to suit the purposes OF
the manufacturer The birch comes In
bales one-tenth of an inch thick. II is
mostly imported from South America. Eb-
ony, mahogany and poplar are cut up into
smaller strips
The first step In the manufacture Of a
guitar Is in the shaping OF the sides.
These may be made from birch, poplar,
mahogany, oak, bird s-eye maple or rose
wood. Two pieces of wood each about
two feet long, and one-tenth of an inch
thick. are cut and trimmed, and then
bent on irons heated by gas. When they
have acquired the proper shape they are
joined together, end to end with blocks
and glue. They are then hung up to dry
and are not taken down for six months
The next process Is the making of the
backs and sounding boards. These are
Of thin strips of spruce. There are two
qualities Of spruce. the American and the
imported Norwegian, the latter Is much
the better because Of its Wilderness, the
fineness OF the grain and it's qualities of
tone. The tops and backs are shaped
and Joined into solid pieces and then
laid away in the drying room, where they
stay three months in a temperature OF
140 degrees. BY that time they are pref
ty well seasoned. When the tops and
backs are ready and the sides have ac-
qured their permanent shape they are
glued together into what is called the
box" Not a nail Is used In the whole
instrument The rough edges are then
taken off by machinery, and the sides Of
the instrument smoothed with a great
revolving cylinder covered with sand
paper
A different workman next takes the in
strument and inserts the neck Necks are
nearly all made Of mahogany. though
butternut Is used for the cheaper instru-
ments. The necks are shaped wedgelike
at the bottom, and glued and Joined to-
gether so they cannot come out. The fin
ger boards of ebony wood-dark heavy
wood that weighs like iron, and comes
from the forests of Brazil--are then glued
on. After this the instrument must be
shaped and trimmed again. Then, II II
be of the better grade, the back Is in
laid with oak and stained white holly
woods.
II Is next sent upstairs where the fin
ishers are at work. There 1t Is stained
and polished, the keys are set In the neck
and the steel threads inserted. The lat
ter Is the most difficult process Of all,
since the slightest mistake in measuring
Of the spaces between threads viii spoil
the instrument.
The guitar Is now gone over very care
fully. II is stained again, rubbed and
polished. Fancy inlaid work is added TO
the sides and top. Finally II is wired and
tested, and then turned out. a finished
product.
The making OF the mandolin As much
like that Of the guitar. The principal diff
ference lies in the construction OF the
shell. The shells are made on heavy
iron frames. Rosewood or cheaper woods
in little strips are bent lengthwlse along
the frames one by one, and glued and
fastened to one another with iron clamps.
II takes from s to ~ pieces TO make a
shell, and the work Is very tedious. After
the shell Is shaped on the frame It Is laid
away for three months before it is re-
moved. The mandolin is then built Up af-
ter the plan OF the guitar.