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Handmade Violin, Part 4: Rib Linings

From "Handmade Music"
episode DHMM-201

The sides, or ribs of the violin are made from thin strips of maple, shaped using a specialized hot iron and assembled around a wood form. The form is used only for assembly, and is not part of the violin.

In this episode of DIY's Handmade Music, we visit Chicago School of Violin Making. DIY's five-part series focusing on violin-making gives viewers the opportunity to watch the evolution of a single violin. This first episode focuses on the curved rib-structure.

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 this segment, violin-maker Becky Elliott enhances the ribs with wood linings to prepare them for addition of the plates.

In this episode of Handmade Music we've discovered there are really four basic stages of building a violin:

Constructing a rib structure.
Fabricating a top and back plates.
Carving a neck and scroll and adding a fingerboard.
Finally varnishing, assembly and set up will complete this violin.

The focus of this first episode in our violin series has been on the first stage -- the rib structure. Although most of that stage is complete, it's still necessary to enhance the ribs to prepare them for the addition of the plates. That's done by adding linings (figure A) along the edge of each rib. Linings add a thicker gluing surface to the ribs.

The linings insert into mortises that Becky cut into the blocks (figure B). They're cut from spruce and are fashioned into quarter-inch wide strips that span from block to block along the edge of the ribs.

Figure A

Figure B
Like the ribs, the linings are bent against an iron until they hold the shape of the violin's outline (figure C).
The key is to make sure the linings fit snugly. That means there's plenty of test-fitting and trimming before any glue is used (figure D). Loose linings cause buzzing when the violin is played, so this step's importance should not be underestimated.
After hide-glue is used to attach the linings, a plane is used to level them with the maple ribs.

Figure C

Figure D

Figure E
When that step is complete, the focus shifts to the front and back plates.
As seen in the cross-section (figure E), the blocks and ribs are basically sandwiched between the plates. You might also be surprised at how thin the plates are. But their strength is just as surprising.

Figure F

Figure G
The top (figure F) is made from spruce and the back from maple.
Each plate's evolution begins with selecting quarter-sawn book-matched stock (figure G).
Selection of the wood is critical. For the top, fine-grain spruce is used, quarter-cut in a pie-slice shape. The light weight and strength make spruce the ideal choice, allowing for a true transmission of tone.
When a slice of this wood is held lightly and sharply tapped, it makes a signature ringing tone. A clear bell-tone is indicative of a piece that will provide optimal sound. For the back, flame-maple is used both for sound and a visually beautiful grain-pattern.

Figure H

Figure I
After selection, Becky planes the glue joints for both plates, shaving tiny ribbons from the stock (figure H). Rather than running the plates across a jointer, the specialized plane is set up and the plates are run across its blade to provide a spring joint. This leaves a small, hairline gap in the center, but is closed on the end. "This actually creates a vacuum," says Becky, "and we do what we call a non-clamped joint [in which] the perfection of the joint and the glue itself holds the wood together as strongly as if it were clamped."
The planing process is necessary for both the maple and the spruce plates. The technique is the same for both types of wood, and requires precise technique and measurement (figure I).

That essentially completes this first critical phase in the creation of the violin. In later episodes, students create the neck and varnish the instrument to a beautiful finish.

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.

ALSO IN THIS EPISODE:
	Handmade Violin, Part 1: Blocks and Shaping Form
	Handmade Violin, Part 2: Bending the C-Ribs
	Handmade Violin, Part 3: Completing the Rib Structure
	Handmade Violin, Part 4: Rib Linings