Will Turner's bench

[Will Turner]

A new learning maker.   Aged 57, so unless I meet master level in the next decade, my golden period will be well after 70.    My spouse, who is the light of my life, encouraged me to develop an expensive hobby for retirement.

My last instrument, which I should have photographed more in the making.    I'm documenting each step for each new instrument ongoing, missed the photos of the garland and plate carving, my current build I'll be showing that.

My garland and lower plate with a shellac & fuller's earth treatment.   I really need to learn how to write better so my labels don't look so... amateur.  Had a stroke two years ago, so perhaps I should be thankful I can write   No worries, significant lifestyle changes has reduced the risk significantly.  What's the opinion on a laser printed label?  I feel handmade helps with authenticity, but my writing is not so good.

Carefully measuring and marking the soundpost location.     Based on information I read and training videos from Edgar E. Russ.   I've also been following and watching Davide Sora's videos.   

After gluing the body together, I did a similar sealing of the spruce.    A shellac cut with ultra fine pumice and fuller's earth.     

I really should have photographed each step of the scroll.    Henry A. Strobel's "Violin Making Step by Step" (you can see the copied paper templates used.

A fine knife used to clean up the scroll and pegbox.   A flat chisel was used as a scraper.

A japanese pull saw was used to finish trimming to correct dimensions after tack gluing fingerboard briefly.

 

Cutting mortise and hot hide gluing to ensure end grain soaks up the glue before a final scrape and fitting.

Final fit with a 27.5mm neck projection.   It was recommended to add just a tiny amount to adjust for any falling post setup.

I'm not so happy with my saddle, I need to work better on the gaps, but the finished instrument you don't notice those.   Yeah, I need to do better cleaning up my glue, I notice it more in the photo.

My gym equipment has been under utilized, makes a great UV closet.    I put a sign up on the door so family knows not to upen and look at the fascinating lights.    I need to make a legit cabinet at some point.

Scraping the scroll for the tempura paint.

My bridge with an experiment of the stradpet titanium protector.  

Final results post varnish, french polishing (perhaps too polished?) and setup.

You'll notice that I have a small bushing on the E peg.   Accidentally reamed more than I'd prefered to have the pegs match in length.   Reamed a little more and used a boxwood bushing.

Thank you for any opinions or recommendations to focus on for my next build.

[Will Turner]

Start of the next build is based on the Herdim 1716 Mediceo templates.    Was gifted an inner mold that matches up.

After a sharpening, the blocks cut like butter.

Planing down of the rib materials.

Too thin or just right?   Camera angle with wide angle lens distorts the thickness, go by the guage.

\

I prefer to do the ribs with the least amount of joints as possible, fortunately when asking I found that this is a preferred method for structural reasons and preventing my poor knife cuts from ruining the appearance of the lower block.

And yes, I've not trimmed the points yet.  

[Brian in Texas]

Looking cool so far! What kind of varnish did you use on your first one?

[Will Turner]

@Brian in Texas  Thank you! 

Joha Oil Varnish.   I believe it's the "standard" Joha Oil Varnish at the International Violin shop.

The ground coat was Joha Oil "ground clear" in which I mixed in fine pumice again.

Followed by two coats of Golden Yellow and then two coats of Red Brown.

In some lights, you see the golden yellow show more and in others more of a pumpkin spice look.

[MikeC]

looks good.  I like the wood color,  I guess that's from the fullers earth?     As for label,  I printed mine on a regular printer but then signed my name in black ink,  with a quill pen.   

[Will Turner]

On 3/12/2025 at 3:39 PM, MikeC said:

looks good.  I like the wood color,  I guess that's from the fullers earth?     As for label,  I printed mine on a regular printer but then signed my name in black ink,  with a quill pen.   

Yeah, the fuller’s earth helps with the wood color.   Good idea on the label, a way to have better writing but my unique signature.   

[Will Turner]

My latest purchases to help with the making.   A great resource book by Stewart Pollens I found used.   Will provide updated information besides the Simone F. Sacconi book I found a few months ago.

The clamps work with blocks I carved to match my C bout block cuts.   Will help keep the rib work cleaner, I hope, than my prior builds.

[Will Turner]

Any “must have” reference books to recommend are always welcome!

[Brian in Texas]

10 minutes ago, Will Turner said:

Any “must have” reference books to recommend are always welcome!

I picked up a copy of The Art of Violin Making by Johnson and Courtnall and Violin Making: A Practical Guide by Barker. If you can only get one, the latter is still pretty great despite the cheaper price. But the former is absolutely worth the money to pick up a used copy as well.

[Will Turner]

Linings next.

The flames are nice

[Will Turner]

On 3/14/2025 at 12:56 PM, Brian in Texas said:

I picked up a copy of The Art of Violin Making by Johnson and Courtnall and Violin Making: A Practical Guide by Barker. If you can only get one, the latter is still pretty great despite the cheaper price. But the former is absolutely worth the money to pick up a used copy as well.

Picked up the less expensive one to read cover to cover.   Trying to source a gently used copy of The Art of Violin Making.   Otherwise I will get it next month to spread it out budget wise.

[Brian in Texas]

Excellent! You’re well on your way.

[Will Turner]

Ribs lining and removed from inner form.

Accidentally cut my lining too short, used a small scrap piece to fill the gap, once cleaned up, it is barely noticable.

Bottom block is single piece with no joint/seam.

Top is also a single piece, no joint/seam.

Corner examples

[Will Turner]

Back plate join, with macro photo of the join.   Rough planned to let a closer examination of the joint/seam to be performed.

Macro closeup to show the join.   

Followed Davide Sora's techniques using his videos from here: https://davidesora.altervista.org/videos/belly-back/

[Will Turner]

21 year old spruce.

[Will Turner]

Marking out the f-hole locations and using compass to confirm notch placement.

[MikeC]

That's a lot of compass circles for two notches.   I do things like that to though.  You should see the markings on the inside of my back plate when I was working on the thickness.  

[MikeC]

Tell me more about the fullers earth, I kind of like the look of it in your pictures.  I see numerous adds for it on Amazon and the ingredient seems to be bentonite clay.  Is that the kind you used?  or where did you get it and what's the ingredients in it?  

Here's a tip you might find useful for cleaning up glue after gluing the top and back to the ribs.  In a darkened room shine a black light on it and any hide glue will glow white.  Makes it easy to find any glue spots that you might have missed.  I did that on the last build.  

[Will Turner]

7 hours ago, MikeC said:

Tell me more about the fullers earth, I kind of like the look of it in your pictures.  I see numerous adds for it on Amazon and the ingredient seems to be bentonite clay.  Is that the kind you used?  or where did you get it and what's the ingredients in it?  

Here's a tip you might find useful for cleaning up glue after gluing the top and back to the ribs.  In a darkened room shine a black light on it and any hide glue will glow white.  Makes it easy to find any glue spots that you might have missed.  I did that on the last build.  

Thank you for the hide glue cleanup suggestion.   I'll need to purchase a black light.

The brand I use off of Amazon is https://a.co/d/h97JdCk MB Herbals Fullers Earth Powder is 100% Pure Multani Mitti, sourced from Rajasthan, India.  Yeah, i believe that's also bentonite clay.

I tried this after researching a number of different grounds.   Ran across this https://www.violinresearch.com/ground_009.htm

I found that if I use a dull scrapper before the sealing/ground work, the winter growth is cut but that the spring growth will return after wetting.   The fullers earth then fills the grain to enhance it's appearance.   David Langsather (sp?) seems to believe in his research that it helps the accoustical properties, but I don't see it mentioned elsewhere.   

[Will Turner]

7 hours ago, MikeC said:

That's a lot of compass circles for two notches.   I do things like that to though.  You should see the markings on the inside of my back plate when I was working on the thickness.  

Started to go wild with that compass.   Inspired by this video,  

More circles than is needed for sure, but I started using circles at every point.

[MikeC]

3 hours ago, Will Turner said:

Started to go wild with that compass.   Inspired by this video,  

More circles than is needed for sure, but I started using circles at every point.

I've watched his videos also, interesting stuff.     

[Will Turner]

Plate carved and graduated to excellent tape tone results.   

Using a bass bar mounting frame and clamps, I temporarily placed patches on the joins to ensure my pressing wouldn't damage the join.   Marking the centerline with pencil, I then measured top and bottom bouts and determined the length from center divided by 7.   Then using a compass, marked each measurement to confirm placements.   85mm was the centerline to edge of upper and 105mm was the centerline to edge of the lower bout.

Temporarily clamped bass bar (rough cut with 3mm washer) in place and used repair clamps to glue the little spruce blocks to ensure proper placement during chalk fitting and trimming for perfect match to the top plate.

Blocks in place, and view of the bass bar fitting frame and clamps to level plate during work.

Doing the chalk fitting, with constant checking and trimming.

The fitting done, the final hot hide gluing.    Slight tension applied.

Blurry photo of the template I'll use for the final shaping of the bass bar.    I did 3mm, 10mm and 13mm, 10mm and finally 3mm.

 

 

 

 

[Will Turner]

Top plate, with the bass bar shaped to the template (angle doesn't show the height well).    Signed and a black paint dot used to mark the suggested sound post location to allow for easier resetting if the post where ever to fall.    The plate is then sealed with casein/calcium mixture and scrubbed back off.

[Will Turner]

Bottom plate and rib assembly also treated, but pigment (amber and fullers earth) added.    Hand drawn label on the maple and then a label affixed over that (the drawing on the maple is if the label ever fell out during repair or intentionally removed that my signing is still present).   I also sign portions of the ribs on the interior as well as the top and bottom blocks.

 

[Will Turner]

Scroll time.    I wish I'd taken more photos but once started got into the groove.   I do want to thank Brian Derber for his excellent manual on making violins, the section on the scroll for example.   Details about his book can be found here: https://newworldschool.cc/the-manual-of-violin-making-book/

Top view, you can see where I had it clamped while cutting and shaping the scroll.    Marked with template and compass to ensure centerlines.   

Start of the radius work on the neck.   Still left material where the button will be to allow to shape once mortise to the body is completed.

Fingerboard temporarily glued on to allow fitting to the violin body.