self made useful tools or templates for violin making/repair

[Andreas Preuss]

I was just cleaning my shop putting back tools in places where they are supposed to be and realized that quite a few are self made and still in useful service.

Enjoy!

If there are any questions, feel free to ask.

Would be my delight if other MN could post their self made useful tools.

Edited October 1, 2020 by Andreas Preuss
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[TJ Fuss]

Okay, I'll play... self-made (or customized) plus a couple made as gifts from my brother.

Customized tote and fence for my Record plane, panel marking gage, crack clamp, cam clamp, sharpening paddle, brace jack, peg shaper, longer frame for Herdim clamp, spool clamps, bow saw, bench hook, spokeshave and soundpost gage.

[Brad Dorsey]

Here's some instrument-related stuff that I made and use:

And here are some bigger items:

And here's some bow stuff:

[Andreas Preuss]

@Brad Dorsey

this looks interesting. Or let's say I couldn't figure out its purpose.

Edited October 2, 2020 by Andreas Preuss
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[Brad Dorsey]

https://maestronet.com/forum/index.php?/topic/330995-new-bridge-planing-fixture/

[Andreas Preuss]

Ok! 

Sometimes the most obvious doesn't come to mind.

[Andreas Preuss]

@TJ Fuss

Though you named all your tools, I couldn't figure this one. Does the acrylic glass part belong to the clamping(?) device above?

(I wished I had a brother making me tools)

 

[Andreas Preuss]

Yesterday I didn't have time to write explanations for some of the tools:

1 this is a device to measure the distance BETWEEN strings at the bridge. (The line to mark the distance is scratched on the plastic and not visible on the picture)  is sThe cutout is to measure the string crossing angles. 

[Andreas Preuss]

Next

A small self made saw to cut the insertion for the lungs into the corner blocks in Cremonese style.

Maybe not absolutely necessary but I found it easier working with this saw than with a chisel. The blade has of course just the width of the linings minus alpha. (This was the reason I made it myself because saws with such a wide blade are not sold anywhere.)

[TJ Fuss]

7 minutes ago, Andreas Preuss said:

@TJ Fuss

Though you named all your tools, I couldn't figure this one. Does the acrylic glass part belong to the clamping(?) device above?

(I wished I had a brother making me tools)

 

It's a crack clamp - more typically used on guitars to cleat a crack when you're not going to open up the box. Tie a thin wire or monofilament to the clear part and thread it through a cleat and then through a very small hole in the top to the mounted guitar tuner on the ourside. Turning the tuner tightens the wire, locates and holds the cleat in position while the glue dries.

 

My brother made the four sided sharpening paddle and the bench hook. I made him a panel gage (that turned out better than mine). We've been doing handmade Christmas gifts for many years... we still haven't run out of ideas!

[Andreas Preuss]

1 minute ago, TJ Fuss said:

It's a crack clamp - more typically used on guitars to cleat a crack when you're not going to open up the box. Tie a thin wire or monofilament to the clear part and thread it through a cleat and then through a very small hole in the top to the mounted guitar tuner on the ourside. Turning the tuner tightens the wire, locates and holds the cleat in position while the glue dries.

 

My brother made the four sided sharpening paddle and the bench hook. I made him a panel gage (that turned out better than mine). We've been doing handmade Christmas gifts for many years... we still haven't run out of ideas!

Brilliant idea for Christmas gifts! 

(I know the studding technique from cheaper violins. But as I have never used it I couldn't figure out the use of it. )

 

[TJ Fuss]

13 minutes ago, Andreas Preuss said:

Brilliant idea for Christmas gifts! 

 

Fortunately, we have a family of rather creative and handy people.

[Andreas Preuss]

Here are 4 tools. 

The wooden panel is my device to hold violin and viola bridges. The blanks are stuck on the aluminum fixture at the cut in of the ears. (Don't know if this explanation can be understood)

the acrylic glass template is the transparent fingerboard for drawing the fingerboard position on a neck graft to center it to the head.

the small metal plate on the right with orange paper on it is my 'bend a sandpaper' for some jobs where I need a small sanoaper file have a certain shape (and eventually adjust it while using)

the last is a self made arching channel gouge. It's made from an old file and is one in a set of 7 I have made so far. 

[Andreas Preuss]

Next is one of the more sophisticated tools I made already years ago. It's a self made precision purfling cutter. It is used when top and back are assembled on the ribs. Usually a purfling cutter has only one leg as a guiding device. I made two to stabilize the cutting direction and additionally extended it long enough to reach the other plate si that it can't tilt during the cutting. 

The screw from the top (visible on the right cutter) serves to regulate cutting depth. 

The only disadvantage of this cutter is that it does not keep the same distance from the edge on the arrow curves at the corners. 

Somehow I abandoned this tool because the purfling was looking too clean. 

(In between the cutters is a sandpaper file to make strad type f hole points because I didn't want to buy the tool which is available from some suppliers)

[Andreas Preuss]

Two more simple devices

A sandpaper file to finish a bass bar  and a knife to cut the purfling channel holding the handle vertically. The later one is my first self designed tool which I made when still at Tokyo Violin Making School.

[catnip]

On 10/1/2020 at 3:12 AM, Andreas Preuss said:

I was just cleaning my shop putting back tools in places where they are supposed to be and realized that quite a few are self made and still in useful service.

I too have made quite a few tools and jigs when I first started but now 15 years later I hardly use them and even forget what its purpose was sometimes.  Here is a example of a tool to clean out the purfling corners... that I do not use now.  It was made from a fine tooth hack saw blade and has curved ends.

But I do use my homemade pasta maker to squeeze the purfling from 1.2 mm to 1.0 mm which makes inserting the purfling quite easy.  It has a taper so the the final thickness is controllable by using a wooden block spacer

[Jim Bress]

This is my most used jig. A basic shooting board. 

[Mat Roop]

3 of my favorites... which I also sell  The first two are great time savers, and the third is soooo safe to undo stuck pegs.

[Andreas Preuss]

@Mat Roop beautiful! 

The third is to undo stuck pegs?

looks like glue to me.

[Jim Bress]

2 hours ago, Andreas Preuss said:

@Mat Roop beautiful! 

The third is to undo stuck pegs?

looks like glue to me.

From Mat's website, moisture absorbing silica beads.  Pretty neat idea.  I can't figure out why ice cubes are needed when microwaving to remove moisture from the beads.

[Mat Roop]

1 hour ago, Jim Bress said:

From Mat's website, moisture absorbing silica beads.  Pretty neat idea.  I can't figure out why ice cubes are needed when microwaving to remove moisture from the beads.

Jim...You are right... The problem I had was that the usual cobalt blue indicator beads are toxic if you try to dry them out either in a regular oven or microwave. This orange one turns to deep green when saturated, and contains no toxic materials so drying it out for reuse is safe. 

 The reason to put Ice cubes in the microwave is simply out of an abundance of caution, as I would not want anyone to burn out their microwave oven if they leave it on too long ... but, without ice cubes, the moisture boils out real quick.

[Jim Bress]

3 hours ago, Mat Roop said:

Jim...You are right... The problem I had was that the usual cobalt blue indicator beads are toxic if you try to dry them out either in a regular oven or microwave. This orange one turns to deep green when saturated, and contains no toxic materials so drying it out for reuse is safe. 

 The reason to put Ice cubes in the microwave is simply out of an abundance of caution, as I would not want anyone to burn out their microwave oven if they leave it on too long ... but, without ice cubes, the moisture boils out real quick.

That makes more sense. When I worked in a lab we recharged these desiccant beads in the microwave by themselves. Of course we didn’t care if the crappy microwave broke. I’m sure your customers would not agree. 

[Andreas Preuss]

6 hours ago, Jim Bress said:

That makes more sense. When I worked in a lab we recharged these desiccant beads in the microwave by themselves. Of course we didn’t care if the crappy microwave broke. I’m sure your customers would not agree. 

Now I get it. Actually I got confused by the amber color. 

In Japan those silica beads are used in many food packs, mostly for foods which have to stay crispy in the packing, but as a matter of fact they are always white.

[David Beard]

Here are some of the things I either made or highly modified.

 

[Andreas Preuss]

@David Beard

Almost as I would have expected. And it reminded me that I forgot to post on my photo the thickness punch marker. 

It seems that your Cremonese violin making recreation got spiced up with a Japanese tool! 

But what for gods sake is this? (See picture below) Those sticks with some markings on it?