Violin Making
Day 5 The linings
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 the linings are shaped and glued to the
rib structure which was completed in the
previous stage.
The linings are made from willow, the same
wood as the blocks.
Violin maker Derek Roberts bends one of the linings on the hot bending iron to the required curved shape.
A shaped lining is marked to the correct
length. This one is for a bottom bout.
The linings are sawn to the marked lengths.
The linings are ready for glueing.
A lining is glued to the inside of a C rib.
One of the bottom bout linings has already been glued to a bottom
rib and it is held in place with wooden clothes pegs while the glue sets.
This detail shows how the C lining is morticed
into the corner block. If the lining were simply glued in place
to the C rib, it would tend to come unfixed as the instrument aged.
The mortice helps to prevent this from happening.
All the linings for the back of the instrument
have now been glued in place.
A set of linings must also be made for the top, but these can only be fitted later when the mould is removed.
The addition of the linings has made the fragile rib structure much stronger. The linings also provide a better glueing surface than the ribs alone, for fixing the front and back plates.
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In the next stage, Derek will mark and saw out the back plates and do the rough arching. |
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.
All material on this site copyright Derek Roberts, Leamington Spa 1999, 2000, 2001, 2014