| This page is dedicated to Mike,
who like myself builds and repairs instruments, but who has bought no
end of bridges from me, saying.... 'I must learn to do this one day!'
So, building a bridge is not too difficult, provided you get things in the right order, and you have a little skill with a chisel and a few tools. First of all, there are two basic types of bridge you might build for a Neapolitan mandolin, the simple bridge, (like a Globo) and the shelf bridge, (like a Stridente). The 'shelf bridge' is more complex, but can suit lower bridge heights, while the 'simple bridge' is easier to make, and can be compensated. I will deal with building each type below..... NB when I build bridges for someone else, I do not have the mandolin to which it is to be fitted to hand, so I leave extra height for fitting. When I have the mandolin to hand, I always begin by fitting the foot, which is much easier to do first, before you have created a lovely bridge with fragile wings only to find fitting the foot takes away too much wood :( |
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| Making a simple Shelf Bridge | Making a simple Compensated Bridge |
| Bridge Repair | Compensating a Bridge |
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| These are my basic bridge making tools; the only specialised item, which is nice but not a necessity, being the graduated saws available from StewMac. However, so remiss of me, I should have added a small selection of files to this photo, and of course the varied selection of sandpaper for polishing and foot fitting..... maybe I'll do it again..... :( | |
