Michael Jennings

So........ an engineer a philosopher, and a lumberjack walked in to a bar.......................

Good for you! Enjoy!

I think I'd have a go at setting it up as built, maybe fudge the bridge and post a bit north and see what you have.... 3mm ain't a mile. Try what you have before doing anything drastic. Split the difference with bridge [ heck the feet are gonna be 4.5mm wide on their own] Finish it set it up and use some "wiggle room" experimentation. I've played fiddles with everything from 327mm to 332mm string length and you'd be surprised how well your ears and fingers together will compensate to make it sound right [intonation]. It's one of the real advantages to No Frets!

Perhaps if you were to provide us with and actual name and C.V. we would be a bit more likely to take you seriously........ no...probably not... Might I suggest you get a new computer chair? one without the sharp broken spring protruding?

I have a 19th century trade fiddle that is the Cannone's doppelgänger ..... at least as far at the bulging rib is concerned. Mine is at the lower base bout where a traditional chin rest used to live. Jacob's observation of the purfling having the same distance from the edge as the rest of the fiddle was my personal BFO ["blinding flash of the obvious"]..... when I first noticed the "defect"..... and wondered if it might be "edge wear". The belly of my fiddle has obviously off the corpus in the past for repair and I suspect that some of the overhang issues have resulted in a slightly imperfect alignment when it was re-glued to the ribs... as there are a few other areas where the overhang varies but the distance from purfling to edge does not. Wood indeed moves..... and some seam separations remain quite tight and challenging to find.

^^^^^ Could be a photo of my younger brother, Tim, when we were growing up in W. Texas.... FWIW.... the abrasions and resulting calluses lasted well after his legs had lengthen a bit...... hard ass though he was he has mellowed.

One "classical" way of "calculating" the fret positions on a guitar requires only two measurements; 1. the exact overall scale length desired. and 2 the calculated distance from the nut to the first fret, a straightedge and a pair of dividers.

del Gesù ^^^^

The main conundrum of understanding any history from the point of view of the actual participants, is the necessity of removing from our consciousness any and all progress of knowledge [ cultural, scientific, mathematical, structural, etc., etc.] since the time of the participant in question. Practically impossible, I would think from our point of view. But a necessary exercise to avoid our natural conformational bias, or to have any organic understanding.

Yep.... perhaps the photographer isn't a tool person? I haven't used it yet on a fiddle, as I have yet to start one... I have used it for marking a purfling line [with single blade] on a few guitar and Mando builds.

Just checked... Item# T-243 @ $85.00 International Violin Co.... so someone did clone Jacksons original tool. In hand now and no indication/marking regarding where it was made.

I have the same tool.... if I remember correctly, purchased from International Violin Co. The blades, as delivered, only cut in one direction and do need to be reground to work best.

" Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought " JFK

Naomi ?

Jim, I'd say that is "close enough" to FP technique for gubmint work, especially on the small irregular surface of a fiddle neck. On all the fretted instruments I've built Ive finished the necks with a hand rubbed London Oil gunstock finish as much for the playing feel as the looks and protective factors. The bodies of the instruments I've made have bellies finished with FP Shellac [ also use Everclear (only way it'll hurt you is if you pour it down yer neck)]. Backs and ribs/sides are either FP or oil varnish or a combination depending on wood species. I swear that I'm actually going to try building a fiddle soon.