We talk about materials, grain orientation, templates, and tools. We make a template for the actual scroll. Check out www.violinwoodworkshop.com for some supplies Sorry the videos are so long-- so much info to try and pack in there!
Real lovers of this craft/art will never tire of watching and listening to you slowly and perfectly explain each step, purpose and advice. ❤ Thank You so much 😊
I've fallen behind on this series, I'm just amazed at how quickly you are turning these out and how well you explain the process. Huge, HUGE thanks for putting this together.
That means a lot, Geek. I have a LOT of hours into this video series. I really appreciate the compliment-- I get sick of hearing myself talk and worry I am not concise enough. So much goes through my mind and I try to narrow it down!
@@grandpasmountain Well, you really have such an pleasant and authentic delivery, that even if the video is long, it's enjoyable throughout and all the info and your personal tips and insights are super valuable.
@@GeeksWoodShop That is very kind of you. You know, I really enjoyed listening to YOU working on your rocking chair prototype-- and seeing your daughter in the shop. I am big fans of both....rocking chairs...and daughters. Most of my kids are gone and I'm Grandpa now. I miss the days you're living more than you could know. It ends all to quick and suddenly the house is quiet and no one needs you. I miss the kids coming into the shop for advice...relationships, cars...whatever. I really enjoyed your videos.
john this was the first video of yours that I watched shortly after I watched the rest of the series. this was back in march of last year and I just finished my poplar and cumaru fiddle. thankyou for all of your help.
Thankyou. It's not really hard! The scroll shape was the easy-peasy beginner shape one would learn back in the old days when wood carving was necessary. It is a fun little project!
Another amazing video Jon. Not only are you skilled at the craft but your ability to explain the process is truly excellent. No apologies needed for the length. I'm finding your videos riveting.
Thankyou, Linton -- I feel like I do alot of talking -- there is so much going on in my head and I try to limit it! I remember when I was beginning and would have loved to see how things were done, so I try to be thorough..... I get pretty sick of hearing myself after a couple hours of editing video!
Rest assured Jon...you are not over talking from my point of view. You are super informative and you shouldn’t change a thing. Many thanks for doing this. I’m so excited to see how it turns out. I wish I could be there to test drive it myself. I’m liking your fiddle tunes as well.
@@lintonmeyer I really appreciate the encouragement-- thankyou. The series has been a lot of work -- my wife says it has been basically a full time job lately. I don't get anything out of it, other than the satisfaction of sharing something that most want to charge $$ for. I know I'm not very good at playing, but hope that it encourages the beginners and gives a little hope to the guys or gals building their first fiddle. Thanks again!
Great series and I sat down with a bowl of popcorn and watched this one, much better than TV.. I build Acoustic guitars and other plucked instruments but a Viola is on the horizon so this has been very interesting & helpful!
Jon mangum, can't wait for the finishing video. It's the varnish stage that has got me stumped on my fiddles. It has never come the way I wanted and never dark enough. I did one with shellac and the other with a golden brown oil varnish. 🎻👍
@@gilbertwilliamson7782 well, I hope you aren't disappointed! I am no finishing genius. My darkest finish that I liked was with a dark shellac I made. I am doing some experiments with varnish. I don't want to darken my Cherry at all, but I want the top darker to match better
Sorry my bad English but I live in Norway. I must say that you are very easy to follow for us who do not have English as our mother tongue. Your explanations are so clear and easy to follow ... and I have a great sense of your humor. This is one of the best educational videos on youtube. Thank you very much .... you have been a great inspiration
I've been loving the series... I have no actual plans to build a fiddle, but watching the videos are fun and entertaining none-the-less. Also, I wanted to comment because you made mention of electric guitars with laminated necks. It's funny you mention that, because I used to own a Peavey with a thin neck (thick necks are actually my preference) and it was made from a two piece maple blank with no added fret board. It had started to split near the heel, which is something that now make me leary of laminated necks, but maybe I just didn't have a good one, or the neck held too much bowing pressure from the truss rod. Not sure. Anyway, keep up the great work, love your videos.
Thankyou for the compliment. Sounds like a poor glue joint. Your laminations sound horizontal instead of vertical. Laminated beams, for example, are much stronger, too.
@@grandpasmountain This picture illustrates the style neck my peavy had. This is from the same series. This is of a t-60. Mine was a t-15 I believe. www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiHovWhu5bgAhVLMd8KHWL_D4sQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.samuelbarker.net%2Ft60mafia%2Ft60funfacts.html&psig=AOvVaw1hykcFPvNq8bPxMHrQ9oDH&ust=1548970590293455
@@andrewsmith1520 I couldn't tell from the web site what the necks are made of. I was surprised at how they cranked out the guitars with basically no human interaction. Robots, essentially. Kinda makes me sad-- but they could produce a guitar for next to nothing that way. Can't blame them.
Thanks so much. The whole violin is amazing. Every part has a job. I can't imagine how it was invented. It is so complex in function, yet simple in form.
I appreciate all your videos. You hva great tallet at making violins. Congratulations! Best wishes, Anderley (From João Pessoa, Paraíba, northeast part of Brazil).
Yes! It's not hard. I show it on one of my videos....I made a fingerboard out of rosewood to match a guitar when I made a matching set. Hope the videos are helpful. Thanks for writing!!
Hey mate - loving the uploads - just a quick question: apart from watching videos from people such as yourself can you recommend any learning resources i.e. books that someone starting out would greatly benefit from. Books with a particular focus towards making violins?
Thankyou! Sure -- I only use 3 gouges. 1/4" 1/2" and 1". It doesn't take many. I also use a chisel here and there and have the usual set of 1/4" - 1" chisles.
I live in Florida and have acquired a rafter load of Cyprus lumber. Very clear, nice tight grain and seems easy enough to work with. Question is: What is your take on such wood as Cyprus? Would think it would make a nice back and scroll?
I looked up the mechanical properties of Cypress. It is a soft wood, and close to red cedar in strength. It compresses easily, and is not a very strong wood. Generally fast growing woods in wet environments yield poor quality for instruments. I would definitely consider it for a belly or top plate for a fiddle. Quarter sawn, of course. I have never worked Cypress--- so the decision is really yours. The fact that you already have the wood is a good enough reason to explore the uses in an instrument. I think I might cut a piece down to size, thickness a piece to 3 or 4mm and see how it felt in my hands. Tap it and listen to the tone. Your hands will tell you alot. Bend and twist it. Feel its strength. Compare it to a piece of maple cut the same size (maple is the standard, we always compare to it). The comparison in your hands will tell you alot.
@@grandpasmountain Thanks Jon. Wow, good advice. I will check and compare cyprus to maple and do the other steps you described above. Coincidently I have a HP laptop like yours and had loaded Audacity and Adobe Audition for ACX ebook narration, so I am familiar with audio tracks etcetra. But I love the setup you've created to test and vibrate plates using tea & pepper. Something else for the 'back burner' LOL. Thanks again.
I ordered the Titian 1715 a couple of months ago and got it in about a week. It is a nice poster, even tho it’s a bit pricey with shipping from the UK. I hope to start my first build this Spring. John here is nothing short of inspiring.
U usually do a curved cut with a japanese saw instead of ising the chisel to chip out the little pieces, i feel less anxious of chipout, maybe if someone is as anxious as me can take this route
@@grandpasmountain with the backless saw you follow the fishtail line and since you have already made the square cuts at some point you meet them and the pieces jump away, there are many vids about this method mainly in Italian, i'll link you one, images will speak instead of words.
ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cSxSJThBsok.html here is a similar but not identical approach to mine, the part we talk about its around the min 6.30
I’ve heard some people recommend thinning the glue when fixing the belly to make it easier when and if it has to be removed. Do you think it’s necessary?
I don't know. I am not sure how thin is too thin. Btw-- I HAVE been able to take my fiddles apart-- I took one apart to change the bass bar. It wasn't too bad.
Jon Mangum That’s what I thought, in the past when repairing old furniture and dismantling a mortise and tenon joint I used methylated spirit in a syringe that dissolved the glue.
