Lining/Blocks; materials and grain orientation.

[polkat]

I've never thought about this too much, but are willow and spruce the primary woods for blocks and linings? And what is the proper grain orientation for these parts? Thanks!

[Bill Yacey]

I've heard someone mention basswood as well for linings; I think it would be too soft for blocks though.

Proper orientation depends if you live in the Northern or Southern hemisphere.

[Mountain Luthier]

I've been selling blocks and linings on eBay for two years.

Preferences have emerged. As straight as possible with grain

radiating outwards toward the points and ends.

I had thought end blocks with grain parallel with the ends of the form

would prevent splitting and would resist compression from the end pin.

[Craig Tucker]

Proper orientation depends if you live in the Northern or Southern hemisphere.

Ha ha ha!

Sorry Bill, I don't mean to be anal about this, but I believe the rule is: if you flush your violin down the toilet in the Northern hemisphere, it will spin in a counterclockwise direction, and in the Southern hemisphere - the other way around....

(Wait... I might have that backwards - anyone here from Australia have an extra violin lieing around?)

I prefer the linings with the quarter showing on the outboard surface, so that they are perfectly lined when installed. and the blocks exactly as Mountain luthier specifies Perfectly quartered with the grain lines radiating out from a center point...

I do have a big demand from the block material - and that has to do with a dead straight split - so that they will split vertically with the gouge or chisle... I hate having to flip the rib assembly over and over so that the blocks will not split inwards when they are shaped.

I'm not convinced that there is a great deal of functional difference (except as has already been noted - the end pin might be a consideration with the bottom block.) but I like the look of logically oriented blocks and linings.

[Craig Tucker]

I had thought end blocks with grain parallel with the ends of the form

would prevent splitting and would resist compression from the end pin.

Did I read you right, that you actually sell the end blocks with the grain perpendicular to the ends of the form? (as in, traditional orientation?)

[fiddlewallop]

For linings, I much prefer willow to spruce. Much easier and more enjoyable to work with.

[robertdo]

For linings, I much prefer willow to spruce. Much easier and more enjoyable to work with.

I noticed that recently. It seemed to me much easier to trim the lining afterward when I used willow. I couldn't see much difference in bending it though. It was easy whether it was spruce or willow.

[MANFIO]

I've been using black willow from Michigan to my blocks, it is light and more difficult to split than spruce, I think. Recently I started using

Brazilian cedar (Spanish cedar) for linings, it is quite light and easy to bend.

[fiddlewallop]

I used weeping willow. I have never tried black willow.

I heard that there is a man selling black willow in Michigan. I tried giving him a ring but didn't hear back. Luckily a willow toppled over due to Irene and the property owners were kind enough to let me keep some of the wood. It's green, and I'm air drying right now. If the air drying process works (doesn't rot instead of dry) I will try using it for blocks in instruments next year.

The linings are so thin that during the bending process the moisture evaporates so I figured it was OK to use for linings. I figured you soak the spruce lining in order to bend anyways. Although, I won't use the willow for blocks until it has properly air dried next year.

[Bill Yacey]

When I use spruce blocks, I Iike to laminate the bottom block in two pieces with the end grain radial lines 90 degress to each other to prevent splitting.

[Guest]

I like Red Alder split on the quarter for linings...it bends and trims-up very easy

[Nicolas Temino]

I started using

Brazilian cedar (Spanish cedar) for linings, it is quite light and easy to bend.

And smells nice!

I have also used cedar for my Op.2, nice wood to work with.

[Bernhard Ritschard]

Jacob Stainer sometimes used walnut for the linings, but not for the blocks.

I tried it and it worked fine on a Stainer model, but for cremonese models I still prefer lighter woods like willow or spruce.

Grain orientation as usual: perpendicular to the outline.

[MANFIO]

Yes Nicolas, it smells good, some say that its bitter taste keeps the woodworm away from it.

[RogerKugler]

Can I clarify something here? The blocks should be cut so the end grain is against the back and table, correct? Or to say another way, the grain of the blocks are transverse (perpendicular) to the form? .....my first instrument...

Thanks,

Roger

[Craig Tucker]

Can I clarify something here? The blocks should be cut so the end grain is against the back and table, correct? Or to say another way, the grain of the blocks are transverse (perpendicular) to the form? .....my first instrument...

Thanks,

Roger

Yes, and that is why they (the end grain is showing...) must be glue sized before the plates are glued to the rib assembly.

[Brad Dorsey]

Can I clarify something here? The blocks should be cut so the end grain is against the back and table, correct? Or to say another way, the grain of the blocks are transverse (perpendicular) to the form? .....my first instrument...

Thanks,

Roger

Correct. There sometimes can be some confusion because the word "grain" is used to mean different things. For example, when Mountain Luthier said in post #3 of this discussion: "As straight as possible with grain radiating outwards toward the points and ends." he was not actually referring to the grain; he was really referring to the annular rings. In a growing tree the grain runs vertically from the ground up towards the sky. The annular rings run in concentric circles around the center of the trunk.

[RogerKugler]

Got it! Thanks! I'm a woodworker and not all the terms are the same....

Thanks again,

Roger