OT Violin inside structure

55 50 Ron · Feb 22, 2011

I know not many here are interested in this OT, but for those who are, here are photos of some of the inside structure of a new (and according to violin-making experts) well made violin. One of the things missing from a poorly made violin is the 4 corner blocks that are inside the 4 pointed corners.

RayP(MI) · Feb 22, 2011

Very interesting!

55 50 Ron · Feb 22, 2011

I should add that this is one of about 6 that I and my violin-making friend have in various stages of completion.

rustred · Feb 22, 2011

i take it you repair or build violins , so i should get you to do a rebuild on mine.

55 50 Ron · Feb 22, 2011

Yes we do both. I sent you an email.

PJH · Feb 22, 2011

Nice job, Ron!

Tony Vidlak Sr. · Feb 22, 2011

Really cool, What a talent.
Tony

Anonymous-0 · Feb 22, 2011

do you whittle out the backs & tops by hand? I play with a 89 year old fiddler & he has made 12 or so fiddles, its all in the sound. another guy i play with has made 9 fiddles, 2 guitars & 1 mandolin, this 2nd guy does really great work & they all sound & look good. he is a single man & will spend all winter working on a project. i tell them if i wanted to build my own instruments i would have to weld them together, i could do that. good job, i envy these type of craftsmen.

Lou from Wi. · Feb 22, 2011

I always enjoy photos /pictures of any product made by talented folks. I consider these as great. Regards LOU.

Zachary Hoyt · Feb 22, 2011

Thanks for the photos, that is a very nice looking violin. The joinery looks perfect, and it looks like it must have taken a great deal of time and care. How do you cut the neck notch with the back in place? It looks fiendishly difficult, but I imagine there must be a way. I am working on my first violin and I hope to have it done in a couple of weeks or so. I have just discovered that some of the measurements in the book I am using are mutually contradictory, so I am hoping to find a better book or a full size plan that is accurate. At first I thought I had made the neck too thick or the neck notch too small, but I checked them both and they are what the book specifies. I am using a complete violin as a reference to decide which measurement to follow when they don't agree, so I think it will be okay in the end.
Zach

msb · Feb 22, 2011

Have a friend in Fishers, In . that also builds them and he can't play a lick.

MarkB_MI · Feb 22, 2011

I am very impressed!

Janicholson · Feb 22, 2011

Last December I machined a bending heater jig for Cbouts for Cellos. The blank was solid copper and weighed 80# 9" X 4" X 6" Pretty interesting fixture. and expensive both to buy the blank and to machine the Egg shape. Nice work. (I do not make instruments) Jim

Jaden · Feb 22, 2011

What kind(s) of wood do you use?

Spook · Feb 23, 2011

Wow. Beautiful work.

55 50 Ron · Feb 23, 2011

The top is spruce. The back and sides are maple.
The inside blocks are also spruce.

55 50 Ron · Feb 23, 2011

We purchased our bending jig. It's from aluminum and is heated by an internal electric element.

55 50 Ron · Feb 23, 2011

Well, I can play a few licks, just enough to get myself in big trouble, but wouldn't call myself a fiddler.

55 50 Ron · Feb 23, 2011

Cutting the neck notch:

First we make sure the neck is sized properly at the area where it mates to the body. Then we hold the two together and mark the "V" shaped area that is to be removed from the body. Then using a sharp knife (Exacto or similar) small woodchisel, small rasps and sandpaper just keep working it in small increments and measuring often until everything is in alignment. Our plan tells how deep the notch should be, which if I remember correctly is about 1/8 inch. We have the fingerboard sized and placed on the neck prior to this and it becomes a very valuable aid in correctly positioning the neck. This also provides a way to measure fingerboard height off the body at the bridge end of the FB. We glue the fingerboard in just 2 or 3 small places for this so that it can be easily removed later when we do the finishing work.

We have found the same contradictory problem with some dimensions given in books. We use books from H. S. Wake, H. E. Brown and Henry A. Strobel. I like the Strobel books the best.

55 50 Ron · Feb 23, 2011

We do some by hand and some by machine. A router is used for some of the rougher cutting, then final work is done by hand with
chisels,scrapers and sandpaper. We have templates for both outside and inside curves, which guides where to do the proper thicknesses. Both top and bottom have their own sets of thicknesses which are graduated depending on what part of the piece is being measured. In general the back is thicker than the top.

Zachary Hoyt · Feb 23, 2011

Thanks a lot, I will look for books by those authors. I have a book by Wake called 'violin bow rehair and repair' that I thought was quite helpful. The other two I have not heard of, so it is great to hear form someone who has actually used the books.
Zach

Old Roy · Feb 23, 2011

Beauitiful !!

I'm posting this so people can better appreciate whats involved I do believe Ebony isn't no longer available unless you can get it from unrepairable Violins or guitars.
How ya do it

55 50 Ron · Feb 23, 2011

Ebony is still available, we use it. Thanks for the link you provided. I'm sure you know that it leaves out many steps. We do some of our work differently than what that you tube video shows and "explains". For instance, we leave glue to dry overnight. I'd not want to count on only 4 hours glue drying time.

55 50 Ron · Feb 23, 2011

You can find the Strobel book at www.henrystrobel.com

The Brown books came from International Luthiers Supply in Tulsa, OK but their website is not ready as of today when I checked it. Not even sure if they are still in business as we haven't used them in awhile.

2 other sources of materials, supplies and tools are Atlantic Violin Supply in Moncton, NB and Stewart-McDonald in Athens, Ohio

Old Roy · Feb 23, 2011

I know it would take longer than they show.
They didn't even show the step of how you tune the back and front for the acoustic value. lot of scraping, and tapping to get the sound ya want .

cant just glue a couple boards together.

surprised ebony can still be gotten.

I did Google it and also the prices have jumped dramatically for good quality shaped fingerboards.

Still have to admire someone that still takes the time to build them.

unlike a piece of machinery they are all individual challenges to build correctly.

It's great to see something God grew out of a seed, and with God's help the both of you create even something else more beautiful.

That alone makes something you have to put a price on, priceless.

To those that don't understand it's just fire wood in an old attic in the future.

55 50 Ron · Feb 23, 2011

Roy,

Thanks for all the nice words.

The tap tones are quite the thing to get right or where we want them. I was very surprised when I first was learning that the top and bottom need to be carefully carved to achieve this. And no two violins are exactly the same. Each has it's own personlity, just like us humans!!

Rich'sToys · Feb 23, 2011

Ron,
Very nice work!! I didn't know you were into this. Guess I learn something new every day!

Rich

Zachary Hoyt · Feb 23, 2011

Thanks a lot. I use Stew-Mac for all of my banjo hardware, (5 so far) and I got my violin pegs and fine tuners from them too. I got Violin Making by Bruce Ossman from them, it is the book with the plans that are not consistent. I will definitely look up the other places you mentioned, thank you very much for taking the time.
Zach

Zachary Hoyt · Feb 23, 2011

I know ebony is expensive, I think it is some varieties of rosewood that are no longer legally available as new lumber.
Zach

OT Violin inside structure

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