With the outside of the back done, we turn to removing wood from the inside and graduating the plate. The first step is to remove the bulk of the unnecessary wood. I use a gouge and take the entire inside down to a thickness of about 6mm.
Next I layout the graduation pattern. Since this is [...]
Now that the purfling is installed, we proceed to finish the outside arching of the back. The arching shape has a profound impact on the final tone of the instrument. Over the years I have settled on a particular arching shape for the Strad model that I find reliably produces an instrument with exceptional tone.
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Now that the aqueous phase of varnishing is complete, it is time to prepare the ground. The purpose of the ground is to provide a smooth base for the colored varnish and to prevent the varnish from penetrating the wood.
The first step is to mix some pumice powder into some clear varnish. This is applied [...]
Now that the outline is established and the purfling platform is made, it is time to purfle the back. Purfling is one of the more demanding tasks in violin making. The purfling channel is cut by hand and must fit the purfling exactly all around the instrument. The purfling strips must be bent and cut [...]
Now that we have the back joined, we need to draw and cut the outline and establish a platform for the purfling.
We draw the outline by clamping the rib assembly on the back and tracing the rib outline about 3mm proud.
The outline is then cut out.
Now, obviously we have an excessive amount of unneeded [...]
The next step for “The David” is to make the back. We start with some quite nice Bosnian maple.
We need to flatten the under side with a plane and then plane the edges which will be glued together. This joint needs to be perfectly flat along its entire length and square to the under-surface. [...]
The next step with the rib assembly is to install the linings. The linings provide additional strength to the ribs and also provide a larger gluing surface for the top and back. When completed the rib assembly will be quite flexible yet amazingly strong.
To begin the process, I split pieces of straight-grained spruce and plane [...]
After developing a beautiful tan, it is time for “The Lyric” to get a bath. This is the aqueous phase of the ground preparation. The first step is to apply a coat of a 3% gelatin solution. I do this to seal the end-grain in order to prevent uneven absorption of the stain color. [...]
I recently received a commission for a new violin. This thread will document the process of making “The David”.
The customer requested a new violin made to my Strad pattern. Together, we went through my wood supply and picked out the wood for the instrument. The spruce is Italian and the maple is Bosnian. Both pieces [...]
“The Lyric” was a great success. The tone is beautiful and it has great carrying power. In the hands of the owner, it is a truly wonderful sound to behold. After much wrangling, I was able to get the instrument back for the varnish job.
The first step is to take the setup down, remove the [...]