Jerry Lynn

Exactly! I seem to attract broken buttons, the vast majority of them have been safer to go from the top down rather than to remove the back.

If you really do want to work back in your old stomping grounds for a while, I do have a guest bench.... not sure how much work we would actually get done though.

What Julian said about what Tommy said.

This is my take on the idiot stick. I make it from rib stock for violins, and thin plywood for 'celli.

I use it too to start on end grain if the top is healthy. If you can sense the purfling channel is cut deep it's best to avoid it, other wise you are looking for a piece of edge on the other side of your shop . Speaking of JP, I think triangle has an article on top removal written by Greg Tracey. Probably worth checking out.

Did you "red up" your workshop today?

Agreed!

I've developed a flair for the dramatic I guess. I blame Rozie and Jacoby. Your hinge theory is right on. The main job of a cleat is to keep the plate from flexing in a localized area. I seem to recall something from the pro narrow parchment crowd that it's providing a barrier to humidity swings for the crack on the inside, like retouching does for the outside???

Linen used on the top and back for reinforcement is often a hot button issue - zealots on both sides of the argument usually come out in force. Maybe they're too tired to go another round? I believe that there are past discussions on it here. In my experience, I've removed way more than i've installed (removed=lots, installed=0). I've removed it because it's been rather wide and caused localized buckling along the split. Perhaps as Christian says: "If they are not wider than the thickness of the top, there should be no problem." All of the stuff that i've removed has been considerably wider than the thickness of the top. I've also seen my fair share of stable linen/parchment/silk reinforcements that was quite old. For me, I know I can install cleats that work, and I won't have to keep thinking about them after I install them. So, I stick with cleats for table and back repairs, and keep linen for ribs. He also lives in Ann Arbor, right? You really can't swing a cat around your head with out hitting someone in the trade there..

You’re totally right, “neck attachment” would have been a better term. Calling it a mortise is a force of habit. While working for a larger firm, I was assisting in the procurement of Scottish violins to sell to a market of Celtic music enthusiasts. One of my favorite attachments found on a few was a screw under the board, through the neck root, into the block.

This thread reminded me of an instrument a colleague and former coworker of mine was trying to remove the neck on. The neck mortise below is by James Omond, Stromness, Scotland. By the time he brought me in to consult, the tip of an opening knife had been broken off in the mortise. He had been told to chop out the upper block - which had an original label on it. I suggested an X-ray to see what was going on. He eventually ended up managing to wrestle the neck out. The pins coming up from the button are blind and do not poke through the outside. As far as we could tell, the neck had never been removed before...

We've had people in from Vienna before, as well as many other parts of Europe, and Asia. Far is really only a state of mind. This year we've got a strong showing from Mexico. If I remember correctly, Maximillian I of Mexico was the younger brother of the Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I... you could rekindle diplomatic relations.

Happy Birthday David! You really haven't changed that much. Probably getting in just as much trouble now as then.

I've got no idea.

As David said, if you want top-notch, it's expensive. Also, you'd be amazed how quickly you can burn through a hundred hours when someone is expecting it done to extremely high standards.