Violin Making Classes Part 2
Here we take a look in more detail at some of the instruments being made. Several violins and a cello are underway, all at different stages of construction.
This is the second part of a feature article on violin making classes. For more about the classes, see part one and part three. For more on violin making, watch Derek Roberts make a violin by hand.
Work on the belly or
front of a violin. The belly is carved from solid wood, first to rough
measurements with gouges, and then to fine measurements.
Here the student is drawing the contours of the arching of the belly with a pencil gauge. The final contours will be worked with tiny planes and then finished with scrapers.
On another violin front,
the arching and thicknessing are complete. The student is marking
the position of the F holes before cutting them with a fretsaw and
shaping them with a knife.
On the right you can see part of the cradle in which the front is held while it is being worked.
The body of this violin
is finished. The next step is to fit the neck, seen on the right,
to the body. The neck has already been fitted with the ebony fingerboard.
The scroll has been wrapped up to protect it from damage.
At another class member's
bench, the fingerboard has yet to be fitted to the neck. A discussion
takes place on how to proceed. Derek Roberts (right) checks that the
correct dimensions have been achieved for the fingerboard, and explains
how to hollow its underside with a thumbplane and scrapers. The aim
is to reduce its weight without compromising its strength.
The body of a cello
is cramped up to test the fit between the back and the ribs before
glueing. Special-purpose cramps are used for this operation.
Old-fashioned hot animal glue will be used for the joint; unlike modern woodworking glues, this glue has no gap-filling qualities. Therefore it is essential that the fit is very accurate, in order to guarantee structural strength of the finished instrument.
Derek
checks the fit and advises that it is not good enough yet for glueing.
There are some gaps in the area of the corner block. More work will
have to be done on levelling the glueing surfaces with a small plane.
Now read on to part three and part three where we visit a different class, or back to part one.
Are you interested in learning to make a violin, developing your violin making skills or acquiring set up and repair skills? See our choice of short Violin Making Courses held in Derek Roberts' workshop in Leamington Spa.The FAQ will answer some questions if you are interested in joining a class.
For more on the different stages in violin making, follow Derek's progress as he makes a violin by hand.