Plates
The plates were glued up and the outline taken from the ribs. Templates made from the poster were used for the profiles. The purfling groove was cut by hand and the purfling glued in. Hollowing of the plates was done with attention to thickness, and mode 2 and mode 5 vibration frequencies. Finally, the f-holes are cut, the bass bar is added, and the edges chamfered.
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- Gluing the back after jointing. The initail jointing was done with shooting board and jack plane, then touched up by hand with a block plane.
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- The shooting board setup, grante reference block and MDF spacer.
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- Gluing the belly after jointing.
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- Flattening the under-surface of the back, this was done for both back & belly by hand.
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- Preparing to trace out the rib outline to the undersurface of the back.
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- A carefully selected washer is used as a spacer to mark the outline of the back, providing the proper edge-rib overhang.
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- The corners are drawn in by hand.
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- The cut-out back, don’t forget the button!!!
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- Dressing the edge of the back.
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- The back, front and neck ready for shaping.
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- A system of blocks are used to hold the back and front in place while shaping the arches.
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- The shape of the arching is determined by templates, made from the Strad poster.
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- Initial arching.
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- A purfling platform is cut and glue-sized around the edge.
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- The glue-sized purfling platform is now ready for the purfling channel.
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- A cutting block, such as this one, is prepared for cutting the purfling where it meets in the corners of the violin.
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- The purfling channel cut in the back, going into the corner.
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- The purfling channel along the tail area.
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- The completed purfling channel.
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- A close-up of the purfling channel in the lower-right corner of the back.
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- Bending the purfling to follow the curve of the channel.
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- Checking the lenghts and corner fit.
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- The glue-sized purfling platform is cut on the belly as well. The platform here is a bit too deep in the C-bouts.
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- The purfling has been glued in and leveled with the platform.
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- Arching continues, focusing on the long arch first.
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- A depth marker is used to highligh bumps and gage the evenness of the arching.
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- More arching…
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- Sizing the purfling for the belly
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- The purfling glued and fitted in the belly.
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- Progressing on the shaping of the back.
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- A line is traced around the edgeto help with even cutting of the purfling hollowing.
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- Progressively shaping the belly.
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- Nearly completed arching and scraping of the belly
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- Initial hollowing of the belly.
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- Final scraped arching of the back.
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- Final scraped belly
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- Progressive hollwing of belly
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- Rough partial hollowing of the back
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- Overlaying and tracing the f-hole pattern.
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- F-hole layout reference lines.
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- Partial hollowing of the back.
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- Traced f-holes, ready to have the eyes cut.
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- Drilled pilot hole for the f-hole cutter.
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- Preparing to cut the f-hole eye with the f-hole cutter. The pilot hole has been drilled to guide the f-hole cutter.
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- The f-holes (before final shaping and nicks)
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- The base bar is rough cut.
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- After initial fitting the basebar is held in place while the staples are glued on.
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- A view along the length with the staples glued in place.
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- Chaulk fitting the basebar ensures an exact fit between the basebar and the belly.
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- A slight camber is left in the bar (.4-.6mm at each end). Here the bar has been fitted but not glued.
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- The chaulk is removed with a brush and pencil eraser, the the bar is glued and clamped in place overnight.
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- The basebar glued in place.
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- The finished dimensions of the basebar after tuning.
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