How long does it take you to fit a bass bar?

[Brad Dorsey]

I remember the first time I tried to fit a bass bar guided only by Heron-Allen.  I was baffled by what seemed to be an impossible task.  I estimate that I have now fit something like 100 bars.  I have developed a procedure that works well for me, and I am always surprised at how fast it seems to go.  I fit a violin bar yesterday and I decided out of curiosity to time myself.  Here's what I got:

Laying out the bar position on the top - 12 minutes

Mounting the top in the frame - 3 minutes

Planing the bar wood to thickness and cutting it to length - 7 minutes

Rough fitting - 18 minutes

Chalk fitting - 32 minutes

Total time from start - 72 minutes

Gluing - 34 minutes

Shaping - 47 minutes

Total - 2 hours and 33 minutes

Does this seem fast?  Does it seem slow?  How long does it take you?

Of course, the question presents itself:  How well and how closely is my bar fit?  The only answer I can give is rather vague and subjective:  It is fit to my satisfaction, and I don't know how I could fit it any better, even if I spent a lot more time on it.

[Mark Norfleet]

Is this on a new instrument, or something you’re repairing?

[Brad Dorsey]

I have never made a violin, but I have regraduated and rebarred a lot.

[FiddleDoug]

That doesn't sound too unreasonable to me. It's been a while since I've done one. I actually enjoy fitting bass bars.

 

[Strad O Various Jr.]

9 hours ago, Brad Dorsey said:

I have never made a violin, but I have regraduated and rebarred a lot.

Nothing to be proud of

[GeorgeH]

28 minutes ago, Strad O Various Jr. said:

Nothing to be proud of

Actually, being gratuitously insulting like this is truly nothing to be proud of.

Brad Dorsey does nice work.

[Mark Norfleet]

1 hour ago, GeorgeH said:

Actually, being gratuitously insulting like this is truly nothing to be proud of.

It's a not infrequent feature of the posts from this member.

[Dave Slight]

It’s not a job I feel the need to time. For new making, fitting the bar is pretty easy and straightforward.

When it comes to restoration,  it can be quite a different story. I spend the time it takes to get it right, rather than watch the clock.

[arglebargle]

My record is 10 minutes to fit. New instrument. It was a good day. Doesn't include prepping the bar, setting up the layout, and shaping.

My first one, over 25 years ago, took a day and a half to fit.

[Don Noon]

I never wrote down times, but for rough&chalk fitting a squared bar to the top, between 1/2 hour and 45 minutes is what I recall.  

[Andreas Preuss]

Depends really on the surface of the interior top plate. For fitting the bar I made a frame device with a guide which holds the bar always in the desired position. 
if I concentrate on the fitting without getting disturbed I usually get a very clean and almost tension free fit in 60 minutes almost regardless the surface. Without chalk on a clean surface (new instrument) altogether maybe 80-90 minutes. Because the frame has a counterpart for clamping already attached glueing takes about 5-10 more minutes. 
 

i usually trim several bars at a tIme in a bulk ready for fitting. 

[JacksonMaberry]

I think inside 3 or 4 hours is respectable for a well fit bar. I usually fall in there somewhere. I only do about half a dozen a year, so I'd like to think I could get more efficient with time. I fit them in my lap, with a little bit of spring (on new instruments). 

[Strad O Various Jr.]

Regraduating and replacing integral bass bars is a colossal waste of time and a major disservice to the maker/makers who put way much more work into it deserve to have their contributions preserved, if you don't like how it is built make your own violin, you can graduate it however you like

[violins88]

Who are you?

[Strad O Various Jr.]

Who are you?

[Jim Bress]

Most folks that have been here a while know John (violins88). He makes darn good knives for makers. Well, that’s half the introduction. 

[James M. Jones]

2 hours ago, Strad O Various Jr. said:

Regraduating and replacing integral bass bars is a colossal waste of time and a major disservice to the maker/makers who put way much more work into it deserve to have their contributions preserved, if you don't like how it is built make your own violin, you can graduate it however you like

If the maker were alive and cared At all , I might agree … for the most part from the some  of the ones Ive seen terms like” thick as a brick “ , and “ heavy as lead “could well be the best  applied … unless one is intent of preserving a record of  the downfall of classical instruments in favor of mass production, re barring and graduation is the only viable option. Many of the ultra heavy violins are actually made of decent materials and model , made for catalog sales in places like America they didn’t need to have Strad tone , mearly the appearance of quality in its description. 

[Bodacious Cowboy]

19 hours ago, Brad Dorsey said:

 

Gluing - 34 minutes

 

How can gluing take 34 minutes? 

[Wood Butcher]

34 minute epoxy?

[JacksonMaberry]

One could easily spend a half hour preparing the space and room, laying out glue brush and spirit lamp, dry fitting, etc. Or you could spend the same amount of time flaming/trolling under a pseudonym on the internet, like a coward.

[Brad Dorsey]

On 5/11/2022 at 4:49 PM, Bodacious Cowboy said:

How can gluing take 34 minutes? 

34 minutes included the time for the glue to heat, the time to clamp a protective strip on the varnished surface, the time to do a test clamping and the time to glue in two locating cleats.  I’d guess that brushing on the glue and putting on seven clamps took about a minute.  Most of the 34 minutes was taken up by cleaning off the excess glue after the bar was clamped.

 

On 5/11/2022 at 4:55 PM, Wood Butcher said:

34 minute epoxy?

Thanks.  That made me laugh out loud.

[Bodacious Cowboy]

50 minutes ago, JacksonMaberry said:

One could easily spend a half hour preparing the space and room, laying out glue brush and spirit lamp, dry fitting, etc. Or you could spend the same amount of time flaming/trolling under a pseudonym on the internet, like a coward.

Oh, get over yourself, man.

[Jeffrey Holmes]

3 hours ago, Strad O Various Jr. said:

Who are you?

The tone of your responses kind of reminds me of a member who used to post here in the past... Lyndon, is that you? 

[Strad O Various Jr.]

sorry, wrong guy, I'm against altering original violins, a lot more people are today, the terrible practices of the past such as routine french polishing  etc etc need to die a quick and painless death so we can preserve these instruments for what they are or pretty soon, nothing will be original

[Jeffrey Holmes]

2 hours ago, Strad O Various Jr. said:

sorry, wrong guy, 

Funny.  Same town too. Has nothing to do with ethics of re-graduation... everything to do with communication style... think I'll need to monitor your posts for a bit.