nathan slobodkin

I have also not seen many people using side mounted chin rests. In general I prefer over tailpiece Guarneri style unless some one specifically asks for something else or I see abnormal positioning of the instrument. Have any others noticed improved sound with side mouints?

indeed.

My own experience with those blades was not good. I processed maple logs with the narrow blades and had much better results than with wider, thin kerf blades. I also use the 1/4” hook blades to slice 3 mm cello ribs with no problems.

Hogo has given some great advice here. I would definitely make sure you get the best top plate possible out of the billet first then you should easily get a bass bar or two and then cut blocks if you have enough left over which you will if everything else goes well. With as much length as you have you might be OK to cut one slice off one end just long enough for blocks before resawing if you need to. A couple of suggestions regarding resawing on the band saw: Cupping or wandering cuts are due to either a dull blade or more likely a blade which is not clearing saw dust properly. If you are using a small saw such as a 14” Rockwell I would not use a “resaw” blade. The extra width creates too much drag for the small motor causing the blade to be pushed through the cut rather than pulled which makes the blade bend in the cut leading to cupping. A Regular 1/4” or 5/16” hook or skip tooth blade will not drag and will clear the dust much better. Also check the beginning of the cut carefully to make sure the resawing cut is perfectly centered and marked on both the top and bottom of the billet before proceeding with the cut and then feed the billet slowly watching the line and correcting even the slightest deviation before advancing the feed. The slow cut allows the blade to clear the dust properly. Remember that there will usually be a bias to the blade which will make it cut at a slight angle (lead) which you should not try to fight but let the saw cut as it wants to.

Interesting! I will try that also. In my experience paper or cloth will puncture from the sharp larger pieces and leak coarse gritty pieces long before the fine dust that I am looking for is achieved.

I will try that.

Anybody have a source for finely powdered rosin or a satisfactory way to make it? I used to be able to buy Geipel rosin in a shaker can but no one seems to have it now. When I try to make it myself with a mortar and pestle rosin gets all over the shop and when it finally gets fine enough the powder starts sticking together and packing itself into a solid again! Help!

I have used either the same wood as the back or sometimes plain maple. I tried to find the closest thing to straight quarter sawn in every wood shipment and save that for ribs.

Could just be for matching frog to stick. How about pictures of the bow?

And while you're at it, what recycling center do you go to?

I have made about 100 cellos using slab cut wood mostly willow or poplar. I haven't seen any cracks yet. i have posted before about this and reccomend putting the inside of the tree to the outside of the cello so the sound post pressure is not in the weakest radial direction through the back. When working with maple I would add .3-.5 mm to the grads on a violin and .5-1 mm on a cello. I am not a big fan of slabbed ribs however.

Me too. The gloves which used to be used for handling photographic prints are perfect. I bought a case of them years ago. I am not sure where to get them now.

Thanks. This is my guess as well and I assumed Saxon but as I said the rib corners don't have the hollow feel I usually associate with B.O,B. . Just another off script fiddle I guess.

Could you make a guess at the time period? This seems pretty old (19th century?) but the rib corners seem very short and blunt for a b.o.b instrument. Definitely doesn't have that feel of a hollow or pinched rib construction.

Sorry for upside down photo of back. Not sure how that happened.