| Handmade Violin, Part 3: Completing the Rib Structure |
From "Handmade Music"
episode DHMM-201 |
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The top plate of the violin is made from fine-grain spruce, specially selected for its tonal qualities.
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In this episode of DIY's Handmade Music, viewers witness the first steps in the creation of a violin from scratch. Those initial steps consist of building the ribs -- or the sides. In the previous segment, the rib structure began to take shape with the bending of six thin strips of maple to match the curves of the violin form. Now violin-maker Becky Elliott prepares to complete the rib structure.
The final step of that critical stage is gluing the ribs to the blocks. Thus far, violin-maker Becky Elliott has glued two of the six strips (figure A). She has also trimmed the upper and lower curves of the blocks -- including the c-rib (figure B). She's now ready now to complete the step.
- Now, Becky applies the hide glue to both the ribs and the blocks.
- She then positions the ribs in their respective locations. This is a two person job. The clamping should be done while the maker holds the ribs to the blocks with both hands (figure C).
- Placement of the hide-glue is critical (figure D). It only contacts the ribs to the blocks -- never to the form. The form is not actually part of the violin, and it will be removed later.
A curved caul is used to prevent the clamps from damaging the spruce ribs. The two remaining ribs are glued and clamped to the form (figure E).
After drying overnight, Becky checks the structure on a flat surface to determine how much adjustment will be necessary to make it level (figure F). She will need to flatten the ribs and blocks on both sides using a plane. She must plane carefully (figure G) since wood can be removed from the thin ribs much more quickly than the solid blocks. She planes in only one direction to minimized the possibility of breaking off a corner.
Any high points detected by the marble slab are planed away until both surfaces are level (figure H).
The first stage of violin-making is nearly complete. We've seen how the rib structure is built. The next stage readies the ribs for the top and back plates. In the segment that follows, the ribs are enhanced with wood linings to prepare them for addition of the plates.
RESOURCES :
The Art of Violin Making
Authors: Chris Johnson and Roy Courtnall
Published by: Robert Hale & Company (1998)
ISBN: 0709058764
Order this book from Amazon.com.
Violin Making: A Practical Guide
Author: Juliet Barker
Publisher: Crowood Press [UK] (2001)
ISBN: 1861264364
Order this book from Amazon.com.
Violin Making: A Guide for the Amateur
Author: Bruce Ossman
Publisher: Fox Chapel Publishing Company (1998)
ISBN: 1565230914
Order this book from Amazon.com.
Useful Measurements for Violin Makers: A Reference For Shop Use
Author: Henry A Strobel
Publisher: Henry Strobel Publisher (5th edition - July, 1989)
ISBN: 0962067326
Order this book from Amazon.com.
The Violin Makers of the Guarneri Family, 1626-1762
Authors: William Henry Hill, Arthur F. Hill, Hill Alfred Ebsworth
Publisher: Dover Publications; (Reprint edition - October, 1989)
ISBN: 0486260615
Order this book from Amazon.com.
Antonio Stradivari, His Life and Work, 1644-1737
Author: William Henry Hill
Publisher: Dover Publications (2nd edition - June, 1963)
ISBN: 0486204251
Order this book from Amazon.com.
An Encyclopedia of the Violin
Author: Alberto Abraham Bachmann
Publisher: Da Capo Press (March 1975)
ISBN: 0306800047
Order this book from Amazon.com.
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