Violin Making
Day
13
Final arching
This is one page in a series about violin
making by hand in the traditional way. Please see the introduction
for more, and our violin making courses if you
are inspired to make a violin yourself.
| Today violin maker Derek Roberts completes
the final arching on the top and bottom plates, having finished
the purfling in the previous stage. |
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| The external contours of the instrument
have already been roughly carved on Day 6 and Day 7. In this final stage
the contours are shaped precisely and the wood is very finely finished.
The tools used, shown above, are a thumbplane and a selection of
steel scrapers. Also shown are templates and a pencil gauge. |
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Before Derek starts on the final arching, he
carves a narrow flute over the line of the purfling, around the
edge of the instrument. The finished arching will rise up from this
flute. |
| Derek uses the pencil gauge to mark out a contour
line in pencil on the back plate. |
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This and other contours marked with the pencil
gauge will guide the final shaping of the arch. |
| Templates are also used to guide the final
shaping. These templates are made of thin plywood, shaped from measurements
taken from the original Stradivarius instrument. |
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A small brass thumbplane is ideally suited
for work on the complex contours of the instrument.
The first step is to remove the gouge marks
left from the rough arching of Day 6.
|
| Only tiny shavings of wood are removed, compared
with the large amounts removed during rough arching. |
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The next step is to finish the contours of
the plate, using the pencil lines and the templates as guides.
Although the thumbplane can shape the contours
very accurately, it still leaves small tool marks visible on the
plates. A much finer finish to the surface of the wood is desired.
|
| Derek uses a flexible steel scraper to remove
the tool marks together with any other irregularities in the surface
of the arch.
The scraper has a small fine cutting edge which produces
a silky smooth finish, allowing the grain of the wood to show
at its best. Violin makers prefer to use scrapers rather than
abrasive paper for this final finishing.
|
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Scrapers of different shapes are used to suit
the contours being worked on. Here Derek uses a small oval scraper
to blend in the flute over the purfling with the main part of the
arching. |
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In the next stage Derek hollows out
the back plate. |
Are you interested in learning to make a violin, or developing your violin
making skills? See our Violin Making Courses.
Our resources page has recommendations for books
and suppliers for violin making.
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