scordatura

Yes this is the problem when working from CT scans. You have to do the arching correction which means bringing down the soundpost/treble side and then mirroring over to the bass side or the opposite if you work from the bass side. It depends on how tight (New York setup) the post has been and the vulnerability of the plates to distort. Splitting the difference between the high treble and low bass seems to make sense to me.

I would suspect that the channel issues are due to the arching from an Andrea Guarneri (Comte Vitale) viola or similar instrument as the Andrea Guarneri violas are particularly revered. Definitely not Strad or del Gesu like. I could be wrong though...

This is quite a statement my friend. Know I know who I am dealing with LOL

I don't care moving on...

No Perlman. The reason being that was a selling point when I bought mine. "Perlman has one". It is a Vuilllaume made by Voirin. Perhaps he does not use it. Up to you mate.

I have also heard from a reliable source that Perlman owns/uses a Voirin.

Another element to add to the Rhino 3D story. There is no native CAM in Rhino. You need a plugin to run CAM. RhinoCAM is $1425. Ouch! FreeMill is free but is described as an "entry level" CAM engine. So my plan now is: Model in Rhino Export as .3dm from Rhino and Import into Fusion 360 for CAM. That is provided that the import goes smoothly. I am hoping that there are less steps and issues with working with .stl or .obj files. Converting meshes to a body is tricky. For those who do not know, it is difficult to select faces to generate cutting paths on .stl files. There are Mesh face limitations when converting to BRep in fusion. Sometimes converting to quads from triangles solves the problem but can lose the surface integrity. The other work around is to cut up the body into different pieces. Before you say just work in Fusion 360, at this point I am sold on the curve network command in Rhino. I might change my mind though as I just installed Rhino. I'm on the 90 day trial. When that is up, I am educating young musical minds so Rhino would be $150 for a single educator license. Fun isn't it. Most would just say " fool grab the hand tools"!

Yes the mega quick feed rates seem to be for commercial production setups that are cranking through milling. No doubt pro level machines that are beyond the reach for most of us. This why when I went from the guestimation formula to a more "evolved" calculation I thought the feed rates are just nuts. As someone I read put put it, when someone is hand routing, they are going by the sound and feel of the process to guide their feed rate not a calculation.

Interesting article on chip load: http://talk.dallasmakerspace.org/t/understanding-chipload-and-the-cnc-router/7893

Always go to the auction in person and/or have someone that has expertise go for you. Otherwise caveat emptor!

Spindle speeds during CAM seem to have two schools of thought. The fastest for the cleanest cut or slowest for heat and wear. I realize that the feed rate is the other variable and the two are interrelated. I find the calculators that are available (e.g.http://www.cutter-shop.com/information/speed-and-feeds-calculator.html) are fairly aggressive in terms of feed rate...My feeling is to have a higher spindle speed (mine goes to 21K) and slowish feed rate. That being said one is supposed to take into account the chip clearing rate for each bit. One can hear when the machine is cutting if everything sounds happy. Far less calculated but seems to verify if you are on the right direction. Thoughts?

I would also add carbon fiber which would be laying material in a mold. I have played the Luis and Clark instruments. They are good but for the discerning player have an unusual tonal characteristic. Being a formula 1 fan, I am amazed what they and aerospace are doing with these materials. I also have a few carbon fiber bows that are pretty good. My favorite being the Rolland Spiccato.

Hey you are in good company. That is what Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees hear when fans meet them.

Very cool idea as I have outgrown the number of slots on my wooden holder. I am verging on being a gouge and chisel junkie. They say the first step to recovery is recognizing the problem.

That is what I suspected.