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I think (my 2 cents) that more wood dampens the vibrations and gives less power. When my colleagues and searched for a new instrument we always looked for the violin that would project the most. We would test them in a large hall and seek the violin that could project over the orchestra as well as the one that had the sweetest tone.
The secret to a powerful sounding instrument is to carry as many vibrations down to the belly - sound-post - back as possible. Seems that thinning out the bridge gives us more power too. Trouble is when they are too thin they lack longevity. There is also a balance of how dense the wood should be vs the density of the violins top. I don't have all the answers but I don't think (could be wrong) you could make a violin louder by alleviating any of the carvings.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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@oliver @DanielB @Uzi @Fiddlerman
Hi guys
An update on the topic
i've been talking to a tonewood supplier in our state of Tasmania and they are sending a piece of Australian Blackwood as it has similar properties to European Maple
It will be large enough to make 4 bridges.
Will keep you posted
Seen it all. Done it all. Can't remember most of 
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Look forward to seeing and hearing that. I sometimes wonder how much experimenting has really been done lately with new bridges. How about composite materials? What would be the chances that wood and maple in particular would be the absolute best solution? Who knows........
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
Honorary tenured advisor
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@Ferret Very cool. I'm most interested in your experiment and looking forward to your results. You have inspired me to order a few bridge blanks and do a little experimenting of my own. I am also interested in which of the tone woods transmit vibration the best or as fiddlerman points out, which substances. I'm guessing that since there is a several hundred year history of bridge making, that maple is going to turn out to be the best of the European woods, but it may be that there are African, Australian, South American or Asian woods that are superior.
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. ~Herm Albright
I think bridge resonance is much like rubbing your finger around the top of a wine glass. The wine glass is thinner than (let's say) a drinking glass and allow's the glass to resonate more. I believe the more wood / material in a bridge the more it mute's. Like clipping a clothes pin to a bridge, it stops the vibration's.
Just MPO.
Ken.
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Fiddlestix said
I think bridge resonance is much like rubbing your finger around the top of a wine glass. The wine glass is thinner than (let's say) a drinking glass and allow's the glass to resonate more. I believe the more wood / material in a bridge the more it mute's. Like clipping a clothes pin to a bridge, it stops the vibration's.Just MPO.
Ken.
@fiddlestix
Ken
I'll go with the 'conventional' measurements and 'tune' things from there.
There must be wood that works other than the maple.
If nothing else, it will be interesting 
Seen it all. Done it all. Can't remember most of ..... What was I saying????
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Could be right Ken, in which case I'm sure that we could develop a better material for that. There are composite flexible and less flexible materials as well as stronger materials available. Perhaps it's not that good for the violins top to have a material that is too hard. In any case I see a possibility for a better solution.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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