Bridge blanks

[actonern]

Does anyone know how bridge blanks from the major suppliers are cut out? I imagine it's done with CNC high pressure water jets or something along that line... just curious.

E

[Guest erich_zann]

.

[Ken_N]

I asked for bridge blanks for Christmas and got ONE. It was a very nice blank though. From International Violin, they are Despiau Surperieur for $9.50 each. I don't remember the feet being cut as much as the one you show in your picture. Probably better quality than I deserve. But it was fun to cut it up. Here are the results.

Ken

[Craig Tucker]

Here are the results.

Ken

??

Please post a picture if you get a chance - I'd love to see a hand cut bridge - wich I rarely, if ever, have seen other than crude garage made fiddle stuff..

[Ken_N]

That's a hand cut one there. Thought it was obvious. oOops where's the photos?

Ken

[Guest erich_zann]

.

[Oded Kishony]

I've found it useful when cutting a bridge from a blank, like the one above, to use a drill to remove some of the cut out.

Oded

[Melvin Goldsmith]

It takes about 10 minutes to cut out a bridge....quite often I wish the bridge supplier would be more happy to sell blanks.

[DarylG]

It takes about 10 minutes to cut out a bridge....quite often I wish the bridge supplier would be more happy to sell blanks.

Despiau sells bridge blanks with no cutouts. However, they cost nearly as much as the regular ones. Cheers,

[DarylG]

Does anyone know how bridge blanks from the major suppliers are cut out? I imagine it's done with CNC high pressure water jets or something along that line... just curious.

I believe at one time Despiau was using a laser as the edges were blackened but this doesn't seem to be the case anymore. My guess would be a router, either CNC or pantograph. Cheers,

[DarylG]

double post...guffaw!

[Bacon]

It takes about 10 minutes to cut out a bridge....quite often I wish the bridge supplier would be more happy to sell blanks.

I assume you mean commercially. I have done many and it takes me considerably longer than 10 minutes.

[Geoff-UK]

It takes about 10 minutes to cut out a bridge....quite often I wish the bridge supplier would be more happy to sell blanks.

I think you must have a Dr Who Sonic Screwdriver for that speed...!

I've just made some cello bridges - mainly because I bought in some really nice old wedges of bridge wood from a local maker.

But since I've found Depieau three star untreated on the Dick shop attached to Violin Bridges @ for 8 euro each I can't be bothered !

ps - I don't see a hand cut bridge should be any different when finished than for a bought blank - all aspects of the outline are trimmed anyway during fitting ?

Geoff Bristol

[Guest erich_zann]

.

[viola_license_revoked]

i make my bridges from scrap maple collected in the building process... is that lame?

VLR

[actonern]

No question... that's why your license was revoked...

[viola_license_revoked]

No question... that's why your license was revoked...

[Geoff-UK]

I've got some very old Bosnian neck block material that would be fine for bridges. Very close grained and little flame in places. Most 'normal' maple for back and ribs is too soft - but that depends on what you are using. I wouldn't want to carve a back from wood that was suitable for bridges - it needs to be hard and dense and no flame at all.

No flame for strength - no runout going sideways through the bridge thickness.

Geoff

[Ken_N]

I do what Oded does. Drill right size holes in just the right spots, then saw out. A table with a slot in it would be nice for sawing, but just holding it close to the edge of my Workmate and using a coping saw works fine. A lot less work with a blank than from scratch. You don't have to plane it square to the medulary rays and bring the thickness down. I always have fun doing it. Adjusting them is another story. I haven't been trained, so it's like nobody leading the blind!

Ken

[Melvin Goldsmith]

To Melvin:

Hey, if it only takes you 10 minutes or so to cut out a bridge, how about

doing a video for the slow people like me.

I, for one, would love to see how you do it.

Your violins are gorgeous, so your bridges would have to be too !

Hmmm.....on the violins of yours that I have seen, did you cut the bridges ???

(I'll have to find my cd's and take a close look.....)

E.

.....................................

Hi Erich,

I did cut the cello bridge, but the violin bridges were Despiau.

Like Oded and Ken I use a drill bit of the requisite size in the right spots. I then cut the bridge out on a power fret saw with a fine tooth blade. If it was not for the power fret saw I would take a much longer time! I agree that a video of someone cutting out a bridge by hand in ten minutes would be worth watching!

I often cut out my own cello bridges. This is because I have a preferred Belgian bridge pattern that does not quite fit with any commercially available cut blanks. One day I will probably get one of the bridge companies to cut bridges for me on this pattern but their minimum order criteria is understandably rather large. I normally cut out baroque and period bridges myself. I was cutting out normal violin bridges for a period of time when I had a batch of bridge wood from a tree that I felt worked particularly well for me back then.

Tastes seem to have changed a bit in bridge wood over the years. If I recall correctly I remember learning in a communication with violinbridges.co.uk that old Hill etc bridges used to often be tight growth but quite unfigured in the medullary ray dept compared to modern taste. I suspect that offcuts were probably used to make bridges in Strad's time.... someone better qualified than me would need to confirm that though.

[Sore Fingers]

I've been cutting my own bridges lately. Can't do it in 10 minutes but it takes less than an hour (without a power fret saw, which I wish I could afford).

I start with a picture of a good bridge, scanned into the computer, which is then sized so it prints out at actual size. Glue the print-out to a blank of maple (if you have a 2inch X 2inch piece of maple with the grain in the right direction, you can cut plenty of blanks in no time and they're virtually free). Then use the drill-press as Melving and others have said and drill strategic holes for the heart, kidneys and on each side of the ankles. Next, saw the thin line from the outer edge to the base of the kidneys and saw the arc at the bottom of the heart. After that I use a rat-tail rasp to shape the heart and kidneys and a coping saw to get the outer edge 'close', finishing the outline with files / sandpaper / knives / or whatever else seems appropriate. Thicknessing is done with chisels and a sheet of sandpaper glued to a plate of glass. Finishing of the tapers on the edge and the center of the heart or bottom of the kidneys (I'm not sure what these areas are called) is done with micro files or small chisels or knives. I know it sounds tedious but it really doesn't take that long. And I know I only save a few dollars but where else could I have this much fun for a few bucks?