Nick Allen

But are we sure when it hasn't been sandbagged into something that someone else has found to be "ideal"? Or is there enough consistency between examples of each maker to draw a thread?

No pictures of the rest of the cello?

I've seen it done well with a very thin palette knife and some warm water and occasional alcohol, carefully applied.

Is there any danger of crazing or islands or pinholes with Japan Dryer? I have a whole bunch and I've been hesitant to use it because I haven't really experimented with it.

I mean. There's not that much at stake here other than a ruined top block. I've cut hundreds of small pieces with a stop block with this exact miter saw and haven't had any problems. Just don't lift the blade back up while it's still spinning.

Yus.

Also, that neck and scroll template looks like the one from the J&C book. I stopped using it a little while ago because the throat is very quite closed off, as if the scroll has just "sneezed", if you can imagine what I'm talking about.

It looks like you put the step for the fingerboard and nut too far up to where the fb and nut converge. At least to my eyes. If so, we've all probably done it at some point, and is an easy fix. But you could probably leave this one be.

Once I fully understand the method, I can expound on it more. Basically it involves centering everything in the barrel of the arch, and gouging straight to the edgework from a tangent of the central cylinder.

Just set the neck. It looks good, albeit deeper than I'd go, but still fine so long as you're not compromising the upper block depth. No more dilly-dallying. Just make another violin if you're not satisfied with this one.

Yup. I was so tired of wasting time sculpting the arch. This method makes you take very deliberate and large gouge cuts. It also eliminates the need to correct the arch with a scraper. Is there a "standard" method?

So I learned a new arching method that I really like. It's colloquially referred to as the "sausage". But I like the results. It takes all of the noodling out of arching. The job can be done in about an hour from dawn out plate to ready to finish scrape.

I really like this guitar. It has a certain feel to the look that's usually hard to capture. Great work man! Keep it up.

Such an inexact craft at times, violin making. I've taken to just flexing the plate about in my hands. I'll weigh it too, and note the density, if I remember. But I haven't made enough violins to make any kind of authoritative statement. That's just what vibes with me and has had some nice results. I'm sure that my working method will produce a turd once in a blue moon, but hopefully will one day produce consistently good violins.

I think this sets the record for necropost?