Chris Knowlton Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 Here are a couple of photos of my first scroll attempt. I haven't completed the fluting yet. This is a practice scroll with only a little flame. I have a higher flamed piece that I'm hoping to use on the violin. I'd like to get some constructive (or otherwise) criticism. At this point I feel the chamfer is too wide, and I'm not sure if I've started the undercutting, near the throat, correctly. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Janito Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 Sweet! A suggestion... Next time I would suggest that you carve out the pegbox before fluting the back of the scroll. In this way you are less likely to damage the edges on the back of the scroll when you apply pressure within the pegbox. Have a look at Manfio's scroll pictures - he flutes the volutes early in the process, but leaves the scroll fluting till after the pegbox is finished. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
M_A_T_T Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 Cleaner looking than mine. You have nice smooth walls. I agree that the chamfers are a tad wide though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
iburkard Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 Every maker has their chamfer width preference I suppose. I'll hold off on my comments until I see the instrument put together... it's going to be nice! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tim McTigue Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 Chris, did you see Manfio's recent thread about carving a scroll? If not, just look back a page or two, I'm pretty sure it'll still be fairly near the top. He covered the topic really well. Your scroll is looking really nice - great start! I really like the look of it, but as iburkard says, it's not so much what it looks like in isolation, but the total picture of the instrument all assembled. I wouldn't worry too much about the amount of flame, if I were you. Yes, I did choose a nicely-flamed back, but next time, I'm not so sure I would. At least I wouldn't automatically reach for the flames. One thing I'm coming to know, is that making a violin does (or can) change one's perspective regarding aesthetics. I think I've undergone a bit of an attitude shift over the past year. One of the most challenging aspects, I'm finding, is the constant shift between micro and macro. I'll get really involved in a tiny detail, like the purfling, or the channel (I wear bifocals, so I find myself taking my glasses off to do the close-in work), then I need to remind myself to put the glasses back on, step back, and look hard at the work from a bit of distance, or change of perspective, change the lighting, etc. Otherwise, you can get lost in the details... Anyway, I wouldn't worry, your scroll is looking really nice. Very cool. Hope mine looks as good... [edit] I will say, I think digital photography is one of the most awesome tools we have. It lets you look really close at the details, in different lighting conditions, and you can see stuff you might otherwise miss... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NewNewbie Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 quote: Originally posted by: Tim McTigue Chris, did you see Manfio's recent thread about carving a scroll? If not, just look back a page or two, I'm pretty sure it'll still be fairly near the top. He covered the topic really well. Your scroll is looking really nice - great start!IMG] Here it is for those that will look for it in the future, one of the all time best posts ever made here at Maestronet. "http://www.maestronet.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=4&threadid=317301&highlight_key=y&keyword1=neck"> MANFIO's Neck Pictures Keep up the nice work Chris! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chris Knowlton Posted March 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2008 Thanks for the input everyone. It's certainly an enjoyable challenge. Janito, Thanks, that's an important point. I was anxious to try the fluting and didn't think about the implications. I should have known that you can't jump around when building a violin. Tim, Newnewbie, Janito, I did enjoy the scroll post my Manfio but I could not see/open many of the pictures. I often get a little white square (with a red "X" in the middle) where the picture is supposed to be. I thought it was a posting error but on a business trip last week I used the hotel computer and all of the photos were available. It is a great post! Tim, I agree the process of making a violin changes the way you look at everything. Even in my early stages of the build I don't believe I'll ever look at an instrument the same way again, certainly not a violin. The project continues, I jointed the front and back plates and glued the front plate today. It took me hours to get it (what I hope is) right. I never realized how physically hard it would be to push the maple along a shooting board! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tim McTigue Posted March 30, 2008 Report Share Posted March 30, 2008 Chris, you want physical... wait till you're carving the back (inside or outside, take your pick). Congrats on getting the joints done, I know what you mean about the feeling of trepidation. I started carving out the inside of my first back today, and the good news is, it looks like the joint will be good on both sides. Whew! Also, you might want to check out this thread where Seth Leigh shows a really nice fixture for jointing - WAY better than a shooting board, and you move the PLANE, not the wood. Works really well. I had tried just about everything to get the back joint right, and had planed off about 3/4" of wood in the process (at least!). No luck, till Seth showed me his way. I had the joint done the next day... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chris Knowlton Posted March 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2008 Hello Tim. It's got to be better pushing the plane past the maple instead of vice-versa. I made a setup today using my jointer bed (the only really flat thing in the shop). The planer has a little rabbit on the side. I clamped the plane in the rabbit (with a little strip of wood to protect the blade). This allows the lower part of the plane blade to be below the bed of the planer. It was nice, strong and stiff. I clamped a block in front of the plane just like violin88 wrote about in the post (this thread) you showed me. It worked perfectly on the spruce but it was difficult to pull the maple past the plane without lossing contact or chattering. I finally got it. I was pulling .002-inch (.05mm) shavings. (I don't know if thats good or not but It worked for me). By the way, I used the jointer (under power) to get most of the work done, but I really wanted to get that super flat surface using the hand plane. It just makes you feel good. I'm glad to hear you got a good joint. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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