A case, because I needed one

[sebastiaan56]

One of the issues I have the the lack of appropriate cases for German style Mandolins. So this is a solution. Made from 6mm birch ply, the faux leather is from my sons abandoned car upholstery project, the foam is a $12 exercise mat, the red lining is an old bean bag cover. Construction was straightforward enough. Build a ply box, cover in leatherette, make red pillows, stick them in and add hardware. Im putting the weight at about 3kg which isn’t onerous. But it is tough.

I need to improve my technique with the contact adhesive. I also need to find the correct solvent to clean it up, and I certainly would change the construction order of a future build. Total cost is about AUD70 which is about 12% of an imported case. All in all an interesting diversion.

[ProfChris]

I've made cases for ukuleles and guitars (I build oddball shapes). I've settled on 3.6mm hardwood ply, which is lighter than birch but still strong enough. With care it can be bent over a hot pipe to produce a shape with fewer sharp corners to catch your shins. Because the ply is too thin to take screws, hardware is attached using split rivets.

Building a case is quite time-consuming though, and in the UK it's often as cheap to buy a ready-made case. I recently bought a 3/4 guitar case for my Gibson tenor and it only cost around GBP50 - I'd have spent something to close to that on materials to build my own.

This case looks very nice, though I'd have added a second latch for safety's sake.

[sebastiaan56]

I've made cases for ukuleles and guitars (I build oddball shapes). I've settled on 3.6mm hardwood ply, which is lighter than birch but still strong enough. With care it can be bent over a hot pipe to produce a shape with fewer sharp corners to catch your shins. Because the ply is too thin to take screws, hardware is attached using split rivets.

Yes, that would be how I would attempt another one. I would also go for a lighter weight leatherette. Thanks.

[Tavy]

Cool project, I did that for a Waldzither years ago and still have the case though not the instrument!

Well done on keeping the price down too - it's all too easy to end up spending double what standard case would cost.

[Richard500]

Nice job! Just a general caveat about solvent-based adhesives and mandolin finishes. There have been reported issues, and it is a very much enclosed environment. What vapors damage what finishes isn’t tabulated, but the finishes on ‘better’ instruments are also the least durable, so I would let the case bake in the sun, open for a while, and also check once or twice thereafter that you can’t see an image of the fibers etching into the finish, or some sort of blush.
Don’t know about Australia, but plywood in the US is now very expensive!

[Cheryl Watson]

Resourcefulness is always a good quality to have. Your case looks great!

[sebastiaan56]

Nice job! Just a general caveat about solvent-based adhesives and mandolin finishes. There have been reported issues, and it is a very much enclosed environment. What vapors damage what finishes isn’t tabulated, but the finishes on ‘better’ instruments are also the least durable, so I would let the case bake in the sun, open for a while, and also check once or twice thereafter that you can’t see an image of the fibers etching into the finish, or some sort of blush.
Don’t know about Australia, but plywood in the US is now very expensive!

The instrument is french polished with an adjusted 1704 formula. Im letting it breath for a few weeks before using it. The plan is to take it to Stringmania at the end of the month. Im sure our plywood prices are as bad as yours. I buy off cuts when I can but there is hurt. Thanks!