Violin Society of America Convention

There are only a few days left before I leave for the Violin Society of America (VSA) convention in Cleveland, which I will be attending all next week.  I'm looking forward to learning a lot, seeing a lot of people again, and meeting a lot of new people there.  I will be posting updates from the convention for those who are interested.  More information about the convention can be found here.

Lord Wilton - Top Plate Graduation and FF Holes

I have just about completed graduating the top plate and refining the f-holes on my Lord Wilton model -- just some final adjustments and cleanup to go:

Lord Wilton - Rough Cutting the FF-Holes

Before graduating the top plate, the ff-holes must be marked and cut.  To do so, the center of the top is roughly thicknessed -- in this case to about 5mm thick (unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so these somewhat low quality photos are from my iPhone):

 

Then, the f-holes are measured and marked out in pencil on the top -- here, my f-holes are inspired by the original Lord Wilton, which has a slightly smaller f-hole on the treble side:

To cutout the f-holes, the eyes are cut first with a circle cutter:

Then, a handsaw is used to roughly saw out the rest of the f-hole, staying well inside the marked line for later cleanup and refinement after the top has been graduated, which is the next step:

Lord Wilton - Graduating the Back Plate

To graduate the back plate, guide holes are drilled to specific depths in different areas of the inside of the plate that show how much wood should be removed in each area -- basically, when you reach the bottom of the guide hole, you have reached the desired thickness of the plate.  I am leaving this plate quite thick, at least in the first instance, to allow for further adjustment.

Here is inside and outside of the graduated back plate -- only final adjustments remain:

The next steps are to graduate the top plate and cut the ff-holes.

International Violin Competition of Indianapolis

I'm back in the shop and ready to continue work on my Lord Wilton violin after spending a few very enjoyable days attending the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis!  We posted some photos from the event on the Alf Studios blog.

Lord Wilton - Refining the Arching

Using a gouge, thumb plane, and scraper, I have cut the channel and refined the arching on the top and back plates:

A few more finishing touches on the channel and arching, and it is time to hollow and graduate the plates.

2010 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis

I am excited to be attending the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis with Gregg during the week of September 20.  The Indianapolis Competition is one of the top competitions for violinists from around the world.  For more information, see the competition's website, blog, and Twitter account.

Gregg has once again selected to participate in the "Spotlight on Today's Makers" exhibition during the competition on September 25-26 and is busy completing several instruments that will be available for competitors and attendees to play.  More information and some "in process" photos are posted on the Alf Studios blog.

I'm looking forward to meeting a lot of great people, seeing a lot of great instruments, and hearing a lot og great music!

Top Plate Purfling and Making Scrapers

I have now completed installing the purfling on the top plate of my Lord Wilton violin, using the same process as was used with the back plate:

Now, it is time to cut the channel on both plates, refine the arching, and finish the surface.  Before doing that, however, I took some time out to make some scrapers to use in the process.  I had traced several useful scrapers from the shop onto card stock, and I used the metal from other scrapers (and a Stanley #80 scraper blade for one thicker scraper) as the material.  To start, I traced the shape from the paper template onto the metal with a Sharpie marker and used a cutoff wheel on a Dremel tool to roughly size the metal.  Then, I used a bench grinder to shape the metal close to the traced line (being careful not to overheat the metal by giving it frequent "water baths"):

I then refined the shapes right down to the line and corrected inaccuracies in the curves on a Tormek wet grinder:

Then, I used various grits of waterstones to get the final edge:

Now, with some new scrapers made, I am ready to finish the arching on my Lord Wilton plates.

Lord Wilton Purfling- Part Three

To finish installing the purfling on the back plate, I bent purfling strips (which are made by gluing three very thin strips of veneer together in a "sandwich") on a hot bending iron to fit the channel that I had cut in the plate, being careful to form the mitres in the corners as carefully as possible:

Once the purfling had been dry fitted, it was time to glue it in, which is done by inserting hot hide glue into the purfling channel with a syringe, pushing the purfling into the channel, and using a small hammer to make sure that the purfling reaches the bottom of the channel.  Because the wood purfling has been compressed and expands quickly upon contact with the hot glue, this step must be done as quickly and efficiently as possible.  When the glue has tried, the excess purfling protruding from the channel is removed with a gouge.

Now, I repeat the purfling process on the top plate, before carving the channel and finalizing the arching on both plates.

Lord Wilton Purfling - Part Two

After several hours of this . . .

. . . the purfling channel on the back plate has been cut, and is ready to glue in the purfling tomorrow:

Lord Wilton - Purfling Part One

Before beginning the purfling, the shape of the corners must be refined -- I did so using a file. Here, I also used a compass with a pencil to draw a line 4mm from the edge of the plates to help me visualize how the purfling and corners would look:

Then, using a purfling marker set to the appropriate distance from the edge and the appropriate width of the purfling, two lines are scribed onto the plates where the purfling channel will be cut out:

Then, the process of cutting the purfling channel begins -- the goal is to not widen the channel and to keep the walls of the channel as straight as possible --here, I have just begun the back plate around the lower bouts -- much more to show in a future post:

Lord Wilton - Rough Arching the Top Plate

Much like with the back plate, I have completed the rough arching of the top plate starting with a large gouge and then turning to toothed finger planes:

Now, the plates are ready to refine the shape of the corners and install the purfling:

Lord Wilton - Rough Arching the Back Plate

I have begun to roughly carve the arch of the back plate of my Lord Wilton violin. The first step is to mark the edge height -- I initially left the edges a bit high:

Then, the beginnings of the arch are carved with a large gouge, and a flat platform is carved around the edges, which is where the purfling will be installed:

Then, the edge heights are finalized with a gouge and file, and finger planes with toothed blades are used to get the arching close to final:

The next steps are to refine the shape of the corners, install the purfling, carve the channel, and finalize the arching.

Lord Wilton - Cutting Out the Plates

I'm back from San Francisco and back in the shop working on my Lord Wilton violin. With the rib structure done and the plates joined, it is time to cutout the outline of the plates. To start, the rib structure is clamped to the wood for the top and back:

Then, the outline of the rib structure is scribed onto the wood, and then a washer is used to draw another line 2.5mm from the rib line (for overhang). This outer line is the outline of the plates, although the corners are left rough at this point and shaped later:

Once the outline is drawn onto the wood, the plates are cut out:

Now, it is time to do some rough arching of the plates.

Classical Revolution

I have posted several times on this blog and on my Twitter account about the classical music performances that I often attend at the University Musical Society in Ann Arbor, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and others.

Recently, I began attending performances of Classical Revolution in Ann Arbor, which describe themselves as "a group dedicated to taking chamber music out of the recital hall and into the community, in the process dissolving the boundaries between audience and performer, professional and amateur." In Ann Arbor, Classical Revolution plays regularly at a local coffee shop.

The Classical Revolution concept began at the Revolution Cafe in San Francisco's Mission District, and has since spread to several cities across the country. I have had the opportunity to spend several days at the University of California - Berkeley over the last week, and I decided to experience the original Classical Revolution.

The exterior of the Revolution Cafe, where the performances are held, is a far cry from the typical concert hall:

The evening began with a solo viola performance:

And soon merged into a string quartet (with an Oboe for some pieces) playing Haydn, Brams, and Beethoven quartets:

All with smoke wafting and the general noise associated with bar patrons, and even with a large dog wandering about and mingling with the quartet at times. A very refreshing and enjoyable experience.

Lord Wilton Ribs and Plates

My law practice has been extremely busy lately (in fact, the office is moving to an expanded location), so progress on my Lord Wilton model violin has been slower than expected. Nonetheless, progress has been made. I have shaped the blocks and bent the ribs:

I have also bent and glued in the linings:

Here is the almost completed rib structure -- only trimming the ribs to height and some cleanup work remain:

I have also joined the wood for the top and back plates of the violin:

Next steps are to trace and cut the outline of the top and back plates, and then to start arching the plates.