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after 2 days work. started out of a plank of oak. only using angle grinder with a flap wheel, jig saw and a palm sander so far. rough graduation done. we'll see.
I'm not really going off of any pattern, but the top taps at an F#. they both need cleaned up some, but i'm extatic so far.
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That is hard core. I really look forward to following your posts.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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I love the idea of using oak. I wonder why it isn't used more often. It's certainly easy to get. I hope you'll keep us up-to-date on your progress.
I've learned so much from my mistakes that I've decided to make some more.
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I hear that scraping is far preferred over sanding. How do you feel about that?
"If you practice with your hands you must practice all day. Practice with your mind and you can accomplish the same amount in minutes." Nathan Milstein
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Will the whole thing be made of oak? Somewhere I saw a video of an oak fiddle being played. The tone was quite high and whiney with very little projection. Of course I can't find it now...Will be interesting to see what yours sounds like 
Mary in Springfield, Oregon http://www.thefiddleandbanjopr.....dpress.com
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first, to the scraping. well, i don't have a scraper and i have a palm sander. I don't have gouges but i have an angle grinder so,,,,,, that's the reason behind the tools.
As of now, everything will be oak. With this being my first attempt, i wanted to make it as cheap as possible so my choices were oak or pine.
as far as the tone, i have an idea... my thought is that oak doesn't resonate all that well so the high tones just get thrown out and the lower tones just dissipate. So I have to get the base tones into the wood somehow. Just have not vigured out exactly how to do it. it will be trial and error. a lot of error.
Well eojo2, if all else fails you can always block off the f holes, add a pick-up and turn it into electric.
There's no sense in wasting all your time to lay it aside.
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In a way, it's cool that you will be making a non-conventional fiddle. To compensate for the lack of flexibility maybe a thinner top?
I don't know.
One thing is certain, if you want a conventional violin there are plenty out there.
As far as tools are concerned, I guess you realize that having the right tools makes or breaks the ease and precision of doing the job.
I'm a lot like you though, if I don't have the right tools I make due with what I have......
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
New Fiddllemaking Project! From zero!!! Love it!
How did You define that the top taps at an F# ?
I have seen violins made of Oak, Redwood, Cedar and all sorts of wood and materials. May I suggest you use a piece of pine for the top and then you have anoter back to make another violin with. Don't buy a neck. Making a scroll seems difficult but give it try. It is actually very easy to do. Keep us informed. I started a topic for people to show thier violins and work in progress so maybe you could keep us up to date by posting pictures there also.
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well, the tuner came up Gb twice. so i stopped. however, the tuners battery went completely dead, so. i ended up finding the matching sound on the piano. that doesn't really matter now, it's a higher pitch now. have not really bothered figuring it out . That is really the last thing i'm worried about now.
i understand the reason behind spruce, however, i heard a chestnut violin that was ok.
anyway, i don't really care. this is more of an experiment. i don't expect it to sound as good as maybe even cheap violin. if it has any resonance, i'll be happy.
Than go for it. The one I'm building is not by any means like a Strataveri but I enjoy doing it and experimenting.
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ok, day 3. the top and bottom are pretty much done.??? I have pieces of oak glueing up for the neck.
now i have to get the mold made for the sides.
to address the sound issue, i plan to take the bass bar and hollow out a channel down the side that is against the top. on the bridge, i am trying a couple of things.
1. i am drilling a small hole through the feet up into the bridge.
2. if that doesn't do anything, i might put a real tiny dowel coming out of the bridge, through the top and into the channel in the bass bar.
there has to be a way to get the sound out of the wood. you just have to find it. spruce is used mostly because it's easier to get the sound. look at the balsa fiddle online. it sounds great.
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kind of made a scraper out of a piece of steel i had laying around from a motorcycle project. hmm, i do like the results better than sanding.
I roughed out a neck and scroll. It won't be as pretty as the scroll on other violins due to the difficulty of trying to carve it with a 1inch chissel.
I like the idea of the pine front. i actually thought of that before making this one but changed my mind for some reason. The experimentation of this interrests me so this entire piece will be oak. I'll even try to make the tailpiece out of oak.
The arch of the top and back are deeper, hopefully to give a little more air room.
my biggest concernes right now are ribs. just not sure how i'm gonna do them with the tools i have but i'm sure i will figure something out.
I made a bending iron from some pipe and an old heat gun. It works pretty good. I'll take a picture of it or find it on the web again if you would like.
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That is really cool Kevin. You are really creative. Thanks for the post.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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yea, i've thought about trying something like that, but i'd have to buy a heat gun and some pipe. i'll figure something out.
but thanks for the idea. its great to see
If you even have just one piece of 1 inch pipe it can be put into a vise and a torch run inside of it or just heat the pipe on your stove and then use it. There is another way from a book where you use 3 pieces of thin laminate and put them over a form and glue the two together. Once the glue is dry they stay in shape.
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Although I can really relate to your excitement and general attempt at hurrying to get this project done in record time, I'd like to suggest a break in the process to read an article about violin plates and their 'tuning' as it relates to the old masters' violins and the new ones that have managed to copy the tones and harmonics of the old ones.Making the front and back, or belly and back of a violin isn't just about hacking an old board into a shape and grinding out wood to look kinda like a violin, on the contrary... it's about shaping the wood, thinning and caressing the inside and outside to produce a resonating plate of quality.
Please read this article, it is very informative and if you can understand what is being presented, you will no doubt make a violin that will sound incredible...if you can apply those concepts and understanding to your project.
[So many people today don't completely understand the physics nor the acoustics of the body of the violin and take so much for granted since the old master luthiers built such incredible musical instruments without modern science or tools that they seem to think anyone with a modern tool shed should be able to do it in their mind without any long term education of such principles.]
“The Acoustics of Violin Plates,” by Carleen Maley Hutchins
I have included both the file and the link for your convienence below.
This article is just one of many on the subject and part of the reason that I personally have NOT made my own violin (yet). I feel I would need to study, learn and understand in a quantity & quality of education not unlike a potential luthier student would need who has studied the art for a yar or more in order to properly construct a viiolin worthy of being played. When I have reached that level of understanding, perhaps then I will attempt the construction of a violin.
Enjoy the article, it is very enlightening.
http://www.platetuning.org/Article_by_CMH_on_Violin_plates.pdf
Also, enjoy the detailed information for the amateaur violin maker on the parent site...
"If you practice with your hands you must practice all day. Practice with your mind and you can accomplish the same amount in minutes." Nathan Milstein
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