Craig Cowing

I know that some people's blood pressure will rise, but try eBay. I live about 20 minutes from where Stanley planes were made and they are a hot item here. Lots of people collect them and there are a lot of resources.

What that means, of course, is that he has been browsing the internet for much of that time amassing "evidence" on his own. As others have noted, all it would take, I assume, is 10 minutes with a recognized expert, and a chunk of change.

In reading old writing I've sometimes taken the image and adjusted exposure, saturation, anything that will highlight the handwriting.

Agreed. In the BC (before COVID) world the only justification that you needed for doing something, whether it was travel or whatever, was if you could afford it. If you could afford it you could do it regardless of the impact environmentally or in any other way. We're having to re-evaluate that as a society and I think that's a good thing.

I’ve turned it. It’s pretty dense and I had to sharpen my tools frequently.

Shagbark hickory is common here in CT. The mature bark peels up in strips from the bottom, giving it the name. It's a beautiful wood, sort of golden in color. And hard and dense.

This tree came down in one of our many storms this year. A neighbor had it cut up into boards. I'm not set on it. I'm just curious.

Not a church bass. A CSO wall hanger, I suspect.

I know I'm taking a chance and I'll duck when the experts throw projectiles at me. Any thoughts on shagbark hickory as a tone wood for a viol? (Ducking now.)

The Klemm brothers were importing instruments from the Empire as early as 1818. They had cellos that had "patent brass screws" (ie geared tuners) as early as 1818 so this would fit with your estimate of age.

Not quite. I couldn't get a picture because of the angle. The block comes in and tapers but is wider at the bottom than here. It doesn't have the supporting blocks to either side either. I would hazard a guess that its origin is similar to mine, perhaps a bit older. I'm interested in the back of the scroll with the punch mark design. I wonder if that could help in determining the origin of the instrument? Or, was it probably a less expensive instrument and didn't have the carving go all the way to the back, and someone over here added that for effect? Interesting. My cello has a wonderfully rich, sweet sound, and despite its detractors who have not heard it played, is a gem that bears the marks of successive owners, as this one does also. My cello is not a museum piece. It is worn but completely playable and is a treasure. I'm sure this one is also. To my mind the history of an instrument and the wear that it shows are testaments to the love bestowed upon it. Instruments that are 200+ years old are not going to be pristine. For them to be pristine would also mean that they were not loved. I will take a well loved and well used instrument over a pristine one every day and twice on Sunday. I hope the customer enjoys this gem! I hope that you will rebush the peg holes so you can keep the pegs.

When I restored antique reed organs in a previous life I used to find stuff like this all the time. I even had a display board entitled “A Reed Organ’s Chamber of Horrors” with samples from derelict organs including severe mouse damage, mud wasp nests, moth damage to felt, etc. I brought it whenever I had a display at a craft fair.

I hang them along pipes in the basement but not in traffic areas. Near the wall.

Sure. If the note written in 1911 says that it is known to be 130 years old that would date it to 1781. Ish. From what I have gathered, the use of beech instead of maple for the back and ribs (in my case, the entire thing is made of beech except for the top) and the lack of purfling is an indicator that it was a less expensive instrument. Perhaps yours was shipped over her for resale in the American market like mine.

I have one with a back just like this one. I have concluded that it was imported from Austria or southern Germany ca. 1820 and sold through a Philadelphia music store. Photos in this thread: Ignore various snarky comments.