X braced oval hole mandolins.

[David Houchens]

I have been searching (I'm no good at it apparently) for pictures of an oval hole top and the more common X brace placements.
My first mandolin was a hybrid oval hole with elevated finger board. Since then I've built 70 some tonebar mandolins and now I want to try an early/teens Gibson style oval but with an X brace.
The placement and splayment (new word?) at the sound hole is my concern.
Thanks to all who have pictures to share or are more search savvy than myself.

[JEStanek]

You might want to reach out to Bruce Weber. When I was first getting into mandolin and I looked at Folk of the Wood's website and the main X braced instruments there were Webers and Mickey had an article where he discussed the lateral brace and tone bars vs X bars with Bruce.

Jamie

[JEStanek]

I google image searched and got these. Many results will take you to a page where the pattern may be discussed more.

Jamie

[Eric Oliver]

Are you thinking this new one will have an elevated fretboard?

[David Houchens]

Thanks for the quick help Jamie. I had only searched the Cafe. That gives me plenty to consider.
Eric, right now I'm thinking non-elevated. Like teens Gibson. But nothing written in stone yet. Maybe a set. One of each. Would you locate the X differently from the sound hole on elevated vs non-elevated?

[Eric Oliver]

David,
In no way am I qualified to suggest a bracing pattern. I think I have done 3 ovals, one "short-handled" and 2 regular. All were transverse, and the board was on the top.
It would open up choices of arching with the board elevated...
Will these be out of the Possum side of the shop?

[Don Grieser]

Check with Bill Bussmann. He's built hundreds of them and has it figured out.

[Charles E.]

Stew Mac......

https://www.stewmac.com/How-To/Bluep...olin_Plan.html

[peter.coombe]

Try this -

http://petercoombe.com/Construction.htm

[Graham McDonald]

Mine end up with around a 80° angle between them and the braces placed so they are under the adjusting posts of a standard Gibson style bridge. 3/16" wide and they end up around 3/8" high at the cross point. They end around 1 1/2" from the edges. All that will depend a bit on where the bridge sits and the size and location of the soundhole, but as Dave Cohen pointed out lots of times, what you are trying to do is control stiffness and exactly how that is done does not matter so much.

Cheers

[Marty Jacobson]

To Graham's point, I use a transverse brace, like Gibson's but about twice as wide and a little taller. I don't think it does much to the tone, it's just there to bear the load so the top doesn't sink. My instruments don't sound anything like a Gibson because of the way I voice the top and back plates. I leave the top pretty thick and pretty stiff, consistent thickness down the line from the neck to the tailpiece and only graduated to .110 or so at the far edges of the base and treble sides.

[David Houchens]

Thanks to all you for your thoughts and interest. As always I really appreciate the shared knowledge given in this forum.
Eric, they will definitely start in the PossumHead room.
Charles, Thanks for the link. I hadn't known they had an alternate bracing pictured in their plans.
Graham, Thanks for the picture and measurements.
Peter, Thanks so much for all the information you share in this link. I'll be busy looking at that for a while.
Marty thanks for your insights also. Even though I'm building on the early Gibson oval hole design, I'm not looking for that exact tone either.

[oldwave maker]

Single shot of 2005 bracing, evolving to double shot of 2018 bracing, Engelmann tops with red bracing, single foot bridge just back from the x, otherwise like the ancient Scott Antes blueprint!