Brad Dorsey

I don't know what template material they use, but I find vinyl/plastic sign material useful and easy to work. Go to a hardware store and look for the signs that say "No Parking," "For Sale," etc. But perhaps this material is too flexible for something as big as an arching template?

"Viola Making, Step by Step" by Henry Strobel.

I have had a lot of experience with bows, and I don’t recall ever seeing one just like this. It does not look like a high-quality bow, but it does look like a variant of frog mounts that occasionally are seen on very cheap bows. It has been damaged and repaired. Someone shortened the mortise because the hair was too short, and the mortise was later filled to repair the damage. A Hill-style frog mount has a different shape and was done with a lot more skill and precision. What does the stamp say?

Lately I’ve been using poplar for blocks, for two reasons: 1. It grows around my house, so I save out a few chunks that would otherwise become firewood. 2. When I split it for firewood, I notice that it is a lot harder to split than spruce, and resistance to splitting seems like a good block characteristic. I have some willow strips that I use for linings on the rare occasions that I make linings. And if I didn’t have the poplar or the willow, I would use spruce for both. .

You could weigh the wood before and after immersion. The difference would be the weight of the water absorbed, from which you could determine the volume of water absorbed. But I like some of the other suggestions better than dipping it in water.

You would need to know the weight and the volume. The weight is easy. But I don't know how you could get the volume of an irregular shape like this other by immersing it water or some other liquid, which would not be terribly accurate because some of the water would soak into the wood.

I live in a town adjacent to Concord, and I have been collecting information about New Hampshire makers for over 30 years. The only New Hampshire-made cello that I have seen was made in Manchester in 1909 by J Warren Batchelder (1852-1924). It was very nicely made. I have otherwise never heard of this maker. I'm afraid I don't know where you might go to find old New England cellos. You should be aware that "church basses" usually have non-standard measurements (over-sized bodies and short necks) that make them unsuitable for playing as cellos.

What sort of restoration do you think it needs? I don't see much wrong with it. Since you like the sound, I suggest that you have a luthier assess the condition.

What about this photo suggests a through neck to you? I see the end of the neck extending in past the top edge, which usually indicates — to me, anyway — that the neck is set into a separate block. Usually, a through neck ends at the top edge.

What are those? Where can I find them?

They can be seen using these planes, first on the outside then on the inside, starting at around 2:44 in this video: The making of the Stentor® Violin - Bing video

I think that laws requiring the labelling of imported products with their countries of origin are more rooted in government import tax revenue collection than in any psychological need.

Through necks pre-date the violin. According to Karl Roy's book: The lira family of instruments, dating mainly 1450 to 1600, "are the predecessors of the violin family." The lira de braccio had ribs "inserted into the neck." Lirae de braccio are shown in artwork dating 1390 to 1534, and they were still in use after 1600. (pages 83-86)

It should be gold if you wanted the replacement frog to be as close to the original as possible, and if you could afford the additional cost of gold mountings. It is normal for the frog and button to be mounted with the same metal. But the type of metal does not affect the performance of the bow; it is entirely cosmetic.

That is unlikely, because you bought at retail, and you will probably sell at wholesale.