Welcome! You are about to engage upon an adventure unavailable to most persons. Under my direction, you will be building a violin, using the time-tested techniques used and perfected by the Cremonese masters of the 16th and 17th centuries. This process will take you approximately three full quarters to complete up to, but short of the finishing process, which you will complete at home. In addition to the time you spend in class, you will be expected to perform some tasks at home between class sessions.
Naturally, it is assumed that you posses basic shop and woodworking skills. This would include the proper use of the bandsaw, belt polisher, wood chisels, gouges, planes, knives, etc. If you have never had the opportunity to be trained in the use of these tools, it would be advisable for you to take a basic woodworking course prior to joining this class.
As you will note, a fairly substantial investment must be made initially for specialized tools, materials, and your first kit. The good news, however, is that this investment is only required once, when you first start out. . . . . . after that you will only have the expense of your wood and accessories for each instrument that you choose to make in the future. If you have had some prior violin or guitar building experience, it may be that you already have some of the tool requirements, in which case your initial expense will be reduced somewhat. We will go over the tool and material list during our first class session.
I recommend that you order your violin kit and begin to gather your tooling as soon as you can, as your kit and any other tools that may be ordered will probably take 2 or 3 weeks to arrive. During these first weeks you will be busy making your patterns, templates, form, and work cradle, which must be completed before the actual process of building may begin anyway.
I urge you to attend class every session, and work productively while here, as your progress and overall success will naturally be a reflection of your work habits and attendance. I will be at your avail each session, but it is my instruction style to allow a student to work pretty much undisturbed, unless I see where my comments or redirection may be helpful. On the other hand, please don't hesitate to let me know if you require my assistance.
Be advised that I INSIST that each student work in a safe manner and wear safety glasses at ALL times while in the shop. Unsafe work habits cannot be tolerated. If you are unsure about the use of a tool or a particular process, then it is incumbent upon you to come to me for direction BEFORE you act.
CHOOSING A MODEL
It is required that you begin by purchasing the following 3 books by Henry Strobel. These books are available through the author via his website at: http://www.HenryStrobel.com
USEFUL MEASUREMENTS FOR VIOLIN MAKERS
ART AND METHOD OF THE VIOLIN MAKER
VIOLIN MAKING STEP-BY-STEP
Much of your experience while making your first violin will be directed to you by way of these three books. Occasionally, I will ask that you perform certain isolated steps differently than described by Mr. Strobel, however, you will be given specific instructions each time these deviations occur. I expect each student to read and study all relevant material between classes and prior to attempting any tasks in the shop. One thing that will really help me out is for you to know exactly where you are going as it is very counterproductive for me to have students continually coming up to me and saying "OK, what do I do now?" I expect you to know exactly where you are going (from reading and studying class materials prior to class), my task will be to demonstrate these tasks to you and further help you develop these necessary skills. This is where being here each class session will be valuable to each of us; if you are not here for a critical demonstration or lecture, it will be hard for you to get this information second-handed from a fellow student, and it is unlikely that I will be willing to give you a special presentation.
You will note that Mr. Strobel has chosen an A. Stradivari model as the basis for your first violin. I believe that this is to be a wise approach, as the Stradivari model is very well considered by all contemporary makers. I would ask that you avoid unusual or unorthodox models, at least until you have mastered the skills and techniques required of the Stradivari model. In fact, I would suggest very strongly that you resist the temptation to exert your own ideas or creative energies while making your first violins. After you have completed a few dozen instruments, you will have begun to master the routine skills and, as a consequence, begin to acquire some of the wisdom required to be entitled to an opinion regarding violin design and violin making. Until then, I will insist that you follow tradition religiously. AMEN
MAKING YOUR PATTERNS AND TEMPLATES
Your first task will be to begin to fabricate your patterns and templates. If you will turn to pages 39 - 42 in your copy of Henry Strobel's book Violin Making Step-by-Step (in the exact center) you will find your copy of the master drawings for these patterns and templates. Begin by carefully removing this double page from your book so that you may xerox two copies of page 39 and 3 copies of pages 40-41. Hold each copy up against the original to make sure that the reproduction is faithful dimensionally.
From the first copy of page 39 you will be making the following: Neck/Scroll template (side view), Fingerboard / Peg box template, Couliesse template (use flexible plastic mylar) and , the Neck Dovetail template. On the second copy of page 39 you will use the drawing depicting the back of the neck to fabricate a Neck Profile template. All of these templates will be made of rigid material except the couliesse template which is made from a flexible mylar, which I will give to you.
On the first copy of the double page 40-41 you will be making the Inner Form Pattern, the Long Top Plate Profile template, and the Long Back Plate Profile template. On the second copy of pages 40-41 you will be making the Outside Plate Pattern only. And, on the third copy of pages 40-41 you will be making the five (5) Lateral Profile templates for the top plate, the five (5) Lateral Profile templates for the back plate, and the flexible ff-hole template. Again, all of these patterns and templates will be made of rigid material except the ff-Hole template which will be made from flexible mylar sheet plastic.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
My favorite material for making the rigid templates and patterns is a material called mycarta. It is a thin (.0625" / 1.5 mm) reinforced poly-resin material which is easily sawn and shaped with files and polishing media. The modest supply which I have acquired was obtained from Boeing Surplus Sales. Some people prefer to use thin aluminum sheet (.040"/1mm), thin sheet vinyl, 1/16" tempered masonite, Formica, or some other thin durable material which may be easily cut or sawn and easily shaped into precise shapes. Even though aluminum sheet stock works quite well, it is noisy and bothersome to cut with the bandsaw, and requires a special blade made for cutting nonferrous metals. For the two flexible templates, I suggest that you use a thin transparent mylar material. This is the sheet stock often used by technical illustrators.
After carefully cutting out the template drawings (allow an small margin outside the lines), paste the paper cutouts on your template material with rubber cement. Organize the arrangement so that you will be able to easily access each template with the bandsaw or other cutting tool. Prior to gluing, the 5 Top Profile Templates and 5 Back Profile Templates you should carefully separate each "double" template by drawing a straight line through the center of each drawing. Carefully cut the "double" templates in half and paste them about 1/2" inside a straight edge of your template material. This will allow you to use the Top and Back templates independently from one another and reduce the chances of accidentally confusing them with their counterparts later. The extra 1/2" will make each template a little easier to handle and control. If this is not clear, consult with me.
The flexible templates (couliesse and ff-hole) will be carefully cut out with a scissors and razor knife on a cutting board. Once you have all your templates and patterns completed and approved, you are then ready to begin making your form.
MAKING THE FORM
You will start by fabricating a hardwood block to the dimensions: 18" X 12" x 1 1/2" thick. This block of hardwood may be one solid piece of wood or, more likely, may be comprised of a number of individual strips of hardwood to make up the above dimensions. My personal choice of a hardwood would be maple, however, beachwood, mahogany, oak, cherry, and others would be suitable. (You will find that gluing strips of several individual pieces of hardwood will be less expensive than trying to find a single solid piece to obtain these dimensions.)
Once your wood block has been planed to a final thickness of 33mm, draw a centerline down the length of one surface. This is the line that we shall use to position our Inner Form Pattern to obtain the outline of our form. You will do this by aligning the half-pattern along the center line and drilling alignment holes into the hardwood block at the tab locations (2). Your holes will be the same size as the holes previously drilled through the tabs ( .0625"). Drill the first hole, then place a 1/16th inch pin through the tab hole into the freshly drilled hole on the center line. The pin need not be longer than about 1" or so, and the depth of the pin hole should be only about 1/4" into the hardwood block; just enough to stabilize the half pattern when we trace around it. After the first pin is securely in place, position the tab hole over the center line and drill the second alignment hole and push #2 alignment pin in place. (This is the only time you will have to use these holes and alignment pins.)
With the half pattern in place on the hardwood block, carefully trace around the pattern with a sharp #11 X-Acto blade; fill in this mark with a sharp pencil if you like for better visibility. Now, rotate the half pattern and relocate the two alignment pins so that you can trace the other half of the form’s shape. Again, fill-in the outline with a pencil line for better visibility if you like. At this point you should end up with a precise outline of the form.
Our next task will be to carefully remove the wood surrounding the form. This we will accomplish by cutting a series of "piercing cuts" up to just short of the outline. I have prepared a drawing indicating the locations and angles of these piercing cuts. After you get this drawing from me, pencil-in the locations of these cuts on your hardwood block and proceed to make the cuts with the bandsaw. It is important that you make all these cuts carefully, because you will be using the individual pieces outlining the form to make your Garland Clamping Blocks.
After you have finished making the piercing cuts, proceed to VERY CAREFULLY cut around the outline. When you do this, make your cuts 1mm outside of your scribed lines; don’t get too close to the line! What rough edge remains will be sanded smooth with the belt sander later. The same goes for the rough surfaces on the inside of what will become your Garland Clamping Blocks. After this step is completed, trim off the extra material. Next, you will smooth all rough surfaces on your form down to the scribed line with the belt sander (for the outside radii) and the drum sanders on the drill press (for the inside radii). Make sure that the drill press table is absolutely level when this step is performed to assure that the sides of our form are perpendicular!
The next step involves graduating the thickness of your form so that it is exactly 31mm at the top (nearest the neck) and 33mm at the bottom end (nearest the end button). It is important that this taper is gradual and the edges are not "rolled over" in the process. The best way I have found to do this is to sand the face of the form on the belt sander with the belt in its horizontal position (where the whole form is able to be sanded at once). Move the form back and forth on the sanding belt and apply the greater amount of force on the upper portion of the form. Measure frequently at all quadrants, and make sure that the form’s taper is precise, concentric, and gradual.
Now you will layout the fourteen 7/8" clamping holes; mark them with a center punch, but don’t drill them out just yet. Proceed to layout the 4 tangential corner pockets and 2 end pockets. (If you will note, the dimensions are given to you on the drawing.) It is important that you take great care in laying out these pockets. Carefully draw a line down the center of one surface of your form. measure down 68mm from the top edge and make a mark on the center line. Measure up 80mm from the bottom of the form and make a mark on the center line. You will now draw a straight line from each of the two upper corners and intersect the center line. Do the same with the lower corners. These lines will be used to reference the 4 tangential corner pockets. The dimensions of the upper pockets are 28mm wide by 20mm deep. The lower corner pockets are also 28mm wide, but are 23mm deep. You will want to make very clear and accurate lines directly on the form so that you will be able to use them as reference lines when bandsawing the pockets out. Layout the upper and lower block pockets at this time. Both pockets should measure 52mm wide and 15mm deep. Center punch the locations for the eight 1/4" dislocation holes; one at each of the four corner pockets and 2 at each of the upper and lower block pockets. Once you have confirmed all your measurements and locations, you may drill out the fourteen 7/8" holes and eight 1/4" holes. Backup your form with a piece of plywood to avoid pushing out material. When all holes are drilled, cut away the pockets. Try to remove as much wood as you can without crossing over the lines. Following this step you will precision shape and dress the pockets with a wood file; make sure that all edges remain perpendicular!
Gently chamfer the (12) sharp corners on each of the 6 pockets, and follow this step up by applying paraffin to all exposed edges OTHER than the inside of the pockets. This will prevent the sides from sticking to the form after they are glued together forming the garland. You may put the form aside for now.
Next, you will rough-cut the shapes for the 10 Garland Clamping Blocks and paste each of the 12 cutouts on top of their respective rough-cut blocks. Remember, the inside face of these clamping blocks will have to be trimmed (sanded) past the dark line a bit to allow for the 1.25 mm rib thickness that will be present around the form when it is used later. Later on, you may want to line the faces of the finished blocks with felt or other soft material to make each clamping face a bit softer. Number each clamping block so that you know exactly where it will be placed. You should now have your form and your clamping blocks completed.
MAKING YOUR WORK CRADLE
The work cradle will be used to stabilize the top and back plates as you carve and profile them. In as much as you will be using this cradle on only one specific model, the overall fit will be easier for you to establish than if the cradle were to be used to hold plates varying slightly (i.e. as in a repair shop environment). The cradle that the repair technician is likely to make and use must be able to be adjusted over a range of sizes, whereas the builder may make the cradle to fit the model or models that they use.
The materials you will require will consist of three pieces of wood. This wood could be inexpensive particle board or solid wood, whatever is within your budget. Two pieces will be cut to the dimensions 10" X 16" X 1/2" thick, and the third piece will be 10" X 16" X 1/4" thick. One of the 1/2" slabs will remain as is, while the 2nd 1/2" piece will have its center portion removed to allow for clearance when the plate is placed face-down in the cradle (concave). The third piece of wood which is only 1/4" thick will be relieved of its center to the precise shape of your plate, with an additional margin of exactly 1mm larger than the outside (which translates to 2mm overall; i.e. 1mm beyond the outline). This extra 1mm will allow you to keep your plates slightly oversized until after the majority of carving and profiling is completed. All this will be explained later.
Begin by drawing center lines lengthwise on the surface of each board. Next, using your back’s outside template (the one with the neck tab), carefully trace an accurate outline shape (using this center line for reference) on one of the 1/2" thick slabs. Try to center-up the shape, with equal distances above and below your tracing. Do likewise on the 1/4" board, making sure that the outline is placed identically to that which is on the 1/2" board (they will be glued together later). The next step will be for you to draw a "guitar shaped" line approximately 3/8" inside your outline on the 1/2" slab. This inner line will be located at approximately the same place where the ribs of your violin would reside, and as a result, will be guitar-shaped (eliminating the corners). This will be the line along which you will bandsaw later. This 3/8" margin will be the ledge which will support your plates when place in the cradle. Next, carefully add 1mm to the outline on the 1/4" board; this will be the line along which you will bandsaw to relieve this board of its center wood.
Now, bandsaw out the center of the two plates. Pierce each board at the top center and carefully relieve each slab of its center wood. Tight areas may be dressed up later with small files and smoothed out with sandpaper. Before gluing the three slabs together, dry clamp them together and check the fit using your outside back template. If you already have a plate cut to size (preferably the back plate), this would be the ideal way to check for the relative fit. In any case, you may adjust the fit to a degree after the boards are glued together. Once the cradle is assembled (glued together) you can adjust the final fit as necessary and line the inside surfaces with felt or foam to protect the plates.
On the cradle that I use, I have adapted its backside, where I have inserted two 3/8" brass locating pins along the center line, each exactly 120mm inside of the upper edge and the lower edge respectively. Each pin is rounded slightly for ease of insertion, and will exceed the surface by approximately 8 or 9mm’s (but no more than that!).
After I have trimmed my top and back plates outer edge, I will locate and drill two 3/8+" holes (no more than) 10mm deep, such that the rough plates may be placed and secured over the two brass pins, thus stabilizing them for carving and profiling their outside surface. When I am required to use the other side of the cradle, I merely turn it over, where upon the two pins fit neatly into two corresponding holes (predrilled) into my bench top; it is really quite convenient.
Now, with your templates fabricated, your form complete, and your cradle ready for use, you may begin the actual building process. Alas!