Tag: Violin Scroll carving

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A Custom 5-String Fiddle Progress Report

My Neck and Scroll process

When I first began making instruments, I laid out the scroll with a pencil and simply started carving. That was extremely labor intensive and not very accurate, either. It was very easy for me to lose track of where I was going, and ruin a scroll by carving away wood I really needed. (That is a “bitter pill to swallow,” having to scrap a scroll and start over.)

Learning from a Better Maker

So, what has changed? I observed how a viola maker in Brazil (Luis Manfio, of Sao Paulo) carves his scrolls, on a photo-essay he once posted. He used a fine saw to cut “tangents” to the scroll pattern, and then used the same saw to follow the side surfaces of the scroll and remove the scrap wood. It was a much better way than I had been attempting, so, ever since then, I have followed that path.

Here is what it looks like, using the current commissioned instrument as an example:

Five string scroll blank, handmade in Oregon by Chet Bishop, Luthier
Five String Scroll blank, laid out for carving.
scroll blank lyout for five string fiddle handmade in Orgeon by Chet Bishop, Luthier.
Volute and pegbox layout.
Cutting scroll outlines for five string bluegrass fiddle handmade in Oregong by Chet Bishop, Luthier.
Cutting tangents to the scroll curves.
Cutting volute on 5-string fiddle scroll handmade in Oregon by Chet Bishop, Luthier.
Cutting the volute lines, to remove the scrap wood.
Scroll blank for 5-string bluegrass fiddle handmade in Oregon by Chet Bishop, Luthier.
The resulting scroll blank still needs more tangents cut.
Five string scroll in progress, handmade in Oregon by Chet Bishop, Luthier.
This is how the final tangents look. (Notice, too, an “error” pilot hole. It will be plugged befor the real peg holes are drilled.)

Then I carefully cut away the waste wood from the center area of the scroll, using small gouges.

carving a five string fiddle scroll
Using a small gouige to remove the rough wood from around the scroll “eye.”
carving a five string fiddle scroll for a five-string bluegrass fiddle handmade in Oregon by Chet Bishop, Luthier.
Undercutting the turns of the scroll, using a small curved gouge.
rough-carved scroll
Rough carved pegbox and scroll, front view.
Scroll in progress for a five string bluegrass fiddle handmade in Oregon, by Chet Bishop, Luthier.
Rough-carved scroll and pegbox from side and back.
back view of scroll for a five-string bluegrass fiddle handmade in Oregon by Chet Bishop, Luthier.
Closer view of rough-carved back of scroll.
Side view of five string fiddle scroll in progress.
Treble-side view of rough-carved scroll. (Notice that the “error” hole has been plugged.)
Bass side of five string fiddle scroll in progress,
Bass side of rough-carved scroll.

Installing the Fingerboard

Once the scroll is close enough to correct that it will not be changing much, I trim off the excess wood from the sides of the “handle-portion” of the neck, and temporarily install the fingerboard.

scroll with fingerboard
Fingerboard temporarily installed and being shaped along with the neck.
shaping fingerboard and neck on a five string fiddle by Chet Bishop, Luthier.
Shaping the fingerboard and neck, and perfecting the scroll.

The next step is to install the neck into the neck-block on the instrument.

We will talk about that later.

 

Thanks for looking.