Instrument-Building, page 6
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The Continuing Saga of the Octomando in a Cakepan
It's been eight months since the previous page. I finished the octomando, but there are no pix here because I had to back up and take it apart. It came together nicely and was loud. Very loud. Much loud. It was sure fun to play, but the setup was baffling me. It seemed like everything was changing all the time.
It was. After a couple weeks, I finally noticed that the top was sinking in. All the changes were happening right there. The action was going off again and again because the bridge was dropping into the cakepan, sort of like an 80th birthday on America's Funniest Home Videos. So the wide body and too-thin top were not only giving me volume but also proving structurally inadequate.
By the way, it's now a nonomando or something like that. I got mandola strings for it. They're heavier than octave mandolin strings (14-49 vs. 12-46 from 
them), and F-C-G-D seemed as high as safety would allow. I may decide to like that, or I may change it.
So the mando is on the bench with the top off and awaiting a revision of the braces. Fortunately nothing broke except a little bit of a crack at one edge of the top.
If nothing else, this is a lesson in why it's good for an inexperienced builder should stick to proven designs. But then, what would be the fun in that?
All that stuff I've read on other websites about instrument-making being addictive doesn't apply to me. I only make 'em because I want to play them. And I have the next three well along in planning. Stay tuned for more follies.