Hi,

Today I've been turning file handles from pitch pine; I've got lots of engineers files in the workshop but have used these on metal; new hobby so a good excuse to splash out on new files and I bought £52 worth which should get me going; I made six handles and have been looking around at tools and machines I'll be using;

The selection of  new engineers files as bought.

I was taught never ever to use a file without handle because so many have ended up in A&E with a file tang having gone through the palm of their hand and I've adhered to this safety warning for a lifetime but then I've always filed metal.

I wonder if I can rig up a frame to hold the DTI (Dial test indicator) then I could use it to check thickness of the plates as I work; digital vernier calipers with fret and coping saws; I have a good selection of blades to fit these.

The fully restored Garduate woodturning lathe and Wilmac bandsaw both will be very useful; I've got lots of woodturning tools so might be able to use gouges I already have.

My home made saw bench which will save no end of arm ache it cuts to 4" with a 4hp motor so for sawing wedges it will go most of the way through by flipping the wood over then to finish the cut I have a selection of other saws.

The fully rebuilt industrial drill press with back gear; I'll be using this to drill the plates saving lots of worrying about going too thin.

My home made 2" belt grinder I use a lot for tool grinding; the grinder I made from offcuts but the assorted belts cost a fair amount.

My fully restored Wolf double ended 6" bench grinder and my home made 4" belt sander; I like to buy scrap machines and fully restore them often they are then much better quality than modern tinny machines.

My second but smaller woodturning lathe; Bron kindly bought me this brand new many years ago whilst we had little money it costing at the time £200 as a Christmas present a week later these were on sale at £100 which indicates the kind of luck we enjoy.

Turning the file handles before parting them off.

I admit I'm a tool and machinery junkie but every tool and machine I have owes me nothing due to the work they do. I'm adding details of my kit because I've no intention of doing this project just using hand tools which I could do but it would take considerably longer and I'm already always chasing time.

Making a violin from scratch will allow me to use lots of the kit I have and which I enjoy playing with; if I find I need a tool I need but don't have I'll either buy or make it; I've also got a fully restored very rare expensive Lorch Schmidt precision engineering lathe that I fully restored and this too will be very handy; I'm thinking of using this Lorch to make violin clamps but I'm getting ahead of myself.

I'm getting fully sorted before jumping straight in to make a violin; sometimes it pays to go slow and I think this is one of those times; a bit of patience often works wonders.

It's been another very busy day and I've just enjoyed practicing playing my violin again; time now I think to settle down to some quality time with Bron.

Kind regards, Colin.

Hi,

Many thanks Peter for your kind welcome and file information.

I couldn't agree more regarding files which are bent; I have a number of these and as you rightly say they are so useful. I use modifield engineers files for woodturning these being cheap and can easily be ground to the profile needed. I normally buy aero space quality files and drill bits from a stall inside the big hanger at Rufforth Auto Jumble near York (UK). The jumble is held first Saturday of each month and the weather was so bad I gave it a miss hence I bought the new files through eBay; I was also going to buy round nosed end milling cutters to try out for drilling the plates as thickness guides; I'd thought of doing this but since have seen YouTube videos where standard twist bits are used; you'll understand what I was thinking Peter being involved in metalworking. I like to buy top quality tooling which is the cheapest long term; the stall at Rufforth has just about every kind of drill bit ever needed and at much reduced prices. I've had a cobblers flat file/rasp for a lifetime; everyone had these when I was a kid.

I'm unsure at the moment as to what tools I'll need but I'm gathering tools which I think will be handy stocking the new studio before winter kicks in; it's a real pain having to keep popping down to the workshop if I've got to wrap up well against the weather. I've got lots of scrapers and wood chisels etc which I need to bring up to the studio; I've already dug out my traditional hide glue double cast iron pot and I have a single plate electric hob to heat it with also I've bought a kilo of pearl glue; it's surprising the amount of time involved to get everything together; I've bought 144 spring wooden pegs and a 1/40 reamer for the peg holes so I'm moving forward nicely; having introduced my machinery I'll show any other smaller tools as I use them.

I'd like to make it clear all the kit I have isn't needed to make a violin after all the great makers didn't even have electricity; it's not a case of if you've got it flaunt it but my workshop has been evolving since my first shed before I was 15 years old; there are lots of videos showing violins being made solely by the use of hand tools so please don't let me put you off making a violin in fact I'd encourage anyone to have a go; I like playing with all my toys.

I'm watching lots of YouTube videos showing violin making and I've also bought a book entitled Violin Making. A guide for the amateur by the author Bruce Ossman.

I don't have any patterns/templates yet regarding marking out and I'd be obliged if any member could offer advice as to a really nice violin to copy together with source of patterns; both my violin's from different makers appear to be clones regarding shape; please excuse my ignorance as I ask what could be regarded as silly questions but by asking this is how I learn so much; also any particular tool which is deemed essential; by asking I could possibly save lots of time and expense. I've a lifelong habit of making every mistake possible and falling down all the holes before getting it right and I even make the same mistake many times; possibly because I'm not the sharpest tool in the kit but I make up for this with determination to succeed so I don't know what's ahead but I'm sure going to find out.

The only sure way to fail is never to start and the number of times I've been told by people looking at work/projects I've successfully carried out "I can't do that" if only they realized how right they are.

Kind regards, Colin.

Hi,

Thanks @Jim Dunleavy for your good wishes; with winter imminent now would be a good time to do as I'm doing and get stuck into making your first violin after all you're already ahead of me having cut a new bridge and fitted pegs; I'd like company along along the way. We're only about 100 miles apart; Bron and I are in West Yorkshire; if we lived in America this would make us next door neighbours.

Thanks Peter for your reply and amp picture; did you ever wind your own transformers; I used to have lots of kit including AVO and German Aumann coil winders; vintage radio restorers were always scared when the mains transformer primary went open circuit because it cost so much to repair often the repair costing more than the radio was worth. The bottom fell out of the vintage radio market years ago but I was only in it as an hobby; I never trust anything with a circuit board or batteries but then I was brought up with reliable steam power and coal fired Lancashire boilers.

It's becoming increasingly difficult to use my computer; logging onto my emails and even this forum means I now have to play computer games with I'm not a robot; then pictures of taxis; cars; cycles; fire hydrants etc; these pictures are of poor quality and small; it took seven attempts with the Capcha before I could log on plus entering my details twice; as I say not just this site but increasingly other sites too; possibly because I use a VPN and also have an ad blocker?

I've received an email saying the book will be posted Monday so I should have it early next week; I'll update once it arrives because I've a feeling it's going to be an important asset.

The wood I've bought is one piece each for the plates; I believe one piece costs more due to the size of the tree involved these needing a larger diameter tree.

It's been another busy day doing small jobs but this evening I'll enjoy my regular half hour violin practice and now I'll do a bit of browsing of the links Emily kindly posted.

Kind regards, Colin.

Hi,

Thanks Peter for your interesting reply; I grew up with the likes of Mallard this obviously steam whereas the Deltics were diesel; the sound of the Deltic was something else; I'm sure you and I could ramble on forever having similar interests but back to violins.

Next week should bring a bit of positive progress; the wood for the violin is due to arrive tomorrow unless held up due to the current shortage of drivers; it's coming via UPS. The violin making book together with violin plans should also arrive next week so once I have these I can seriously make a start which I'm looking forward to. I think a good place to start is to make sheet aluminium templates so I hope the plans with the book open to full sized violin and where better to start making a violin than with Stradivarius patterns; I don't want to complete making the violin quickly rather take it nice and steady and enjoy the experience whilst learning as much as I can.

Can any UK member please recommend a good supplier of violin quality wood and anything I'm likely to need because I waste considerable time at my keyboard; the clock is ticking and just the wood I bought was ordered and paid for in full on 15th Sept; days used to fly by when I was working full time but now in retirement it's years which are flying by; I've been retired 20 years and wonder where the time has gone.

Many thanks once again Emily for all the links you kindly posted I've enjoyed looking through them all.

Kind regards, Colin.

Hi,

Many thanks Peter for the link which I've just been looking at; one thing about making a high quality violin it's not going to be cheap but you can't skimp on materials for a best job and given the many hours work involved in making a violin and the pleasure derived from it the cost of materials soon fades away. I'm informed by the seller of my wood in Poland the figure of the wood isn't the best but the sound should be excellent. I hope I can make a good job of my first violin then use the newly aquired skills as a stepping stone. I'd like to stop talking about it and start doing.

What a shame I don't live so near a supplier otherwise I could visit for advice and to choose my wood; I'm heading in the right direction though and I've just enjoyed another short violin practice the third today.

Kind regards, Colin.

Hi,

Many thanks Peter for your continuing interest. You're light years ahead of me regarding instrument making but I think you could be right in making my first violin won't be the only stringed instrument I make. I've seen many YouTube videos of violin makers/players who have racks of what appear to be violin clones; I've only just started with violins and already have two but I want to make my first stringed instrument and it's got to be a violin but as you suggest I'll be interested in making other instruments and I'm ambitious if nothing else because I'm also interested in Russian Balalaika's,

https://russiapedia.rt.com/of-.....balalaika/

I've said a number of times my burning desire is to play "Lara's Theme" on a violin I've made myself but tied into this is a balalaika; I was so moved by the movie Doctor Zhivago many years ago it's haunted me especially the music;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.....ago_(film)

Many years later I still feel very emotional every time I hear this music and never tire of hearing it/

Bron and I have just returned home; first job for me was to check our front porch but the wood hasn't yet arrived so I've looked online and UPS has the wood out for delivery today. Making the first violin will of course prove the most difficult in many ways; not just in making but pulling materials; tools and information together; it all takes so much time.

There's so much to learn at one go but I'm not new to woodworking and have cabinet making experience; there are differences in terms used though between cabinet making and string instrument making; as an example "stringing" is used on cabinets but "Purfling" is used on stringed instruments; identical though regarding making my own;

TV cabinet I fully veneered using home made stringing with crossbanding.

Cutting the stringing; I've still got the cutting tool which I made so it will prove very useful.

Being a cabinet I could create the stringing grooves using a router but seen here I made my own router cutter to match exactly the width of the new stringing.

The glued veneers; I wasn't aware heating could be used to form these as I've now seen in violin making videos.

The new stringing roughed out using a bandsaw.

Here are the softwood formers used.

Contrasting veneers used for making the stringing.

I used hot hide glue throughout all my restorations so I'm off to a good start knowing how to make purfling and use hide glue.

Will you be making the proposed full sized electric upright bass this coming winter as a project Peter?

I'm passing a bit of spare time before dinner is ready; I think I can squeeze in a bit of violin practice.

Kind regards, Colin.

Hi,

Thanks Peter; I think I'm in for some fun fitting the purflings once I reach that stage but I've a fair way to go and lots to learn first.

You sound like you need more hours in a day with your endeavours; I find in retirement the days; months and even years get shorter; I've blinked and 20 years of retirement shot by.

At last my new kit form flat pack violin has just arrived via UPS; I can now say the wood is from Drewbas Tone Wood; location Stronie Slaskie, Poland. I ordered and paid for it on 15th September but with my usual luck there was a shipping problem but Konrad has been very decent indeed rapidly replying to my messages and to make up for the delay Konrad has generously included a second set of ribs totally free. I'm happy.

The wood is marked "AA" and not the cheapest wood to experiment with so I'll practice with cheaper pine to stock up our neighbours woodburner.

Now I need the violin book to arrive with plans; it's all coming together and what I'm experiencing I'm sure all those making their first violin must also experience too.

I can already see my first real challenge; it being to cut the wedge; my big sawbench cuts a 1/8" wide kerf and this being the first wedge I've ever handled appears to be quite thin at the narrowest part so accuracy of cut is demanded; my bandsaw won't cut deep enough.

Kind regards, Colin.