Violin Forum/Message Board

DonLeister · Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2011 11:51 pm Post subject:

Thanks Dave. It's a thrill, the article I mean!
I see what you mean that a finer grade sandpaper leaves a better finish. I'm too impatient and I'm also sanding and leveling the endgrain of the blocks which sometimes there is a lot to remove so I like the coarse so it will last a good many fiddles, and go quickly too.
The floor sanding paper will be in the paint/finishing department at Lowe's, near the big cans of sealers and polyurethanes.

John Cadd · Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 4:19 pm Post subject:

Med has mentioned the kind of plane he used. That type of plane has a very gentle curve across the blade edge. That needs to be a straight across edge. No curve at all. The edges of the boards need to be square and flat. Then look up images of a Shooting Board . All the guitar people use them.You just have to arrange for some wedges glued under one board to level the flat faces so they are horizontal during planing.Plane both boards together , one on top of the other . Use the plane on it`s side as in the photos . If anything wobbles work out how to clamp it in place. It`s important to make yourself work out how to solve problems . Courses are important too ! Look for daylight between the edges before using any glue.

medstudent · Junior Member Joined: 21 Nov 2010 Posts: 11

Great ideas everyone! This site has become quite invaluable.
I wondered about my plane. It seems as though it shaves nothing off the wood or a lot. Does anyone have any recommendations for a decent plane for this job that is not terribly expensive?
I will have to figure out this shooting board business. But that is probably also part of my problem.

John Cadd · Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 10:16 am Post subject:

With all the varying angles of a violin you need to impose a Datum line to work from. Sometimes you need to have that Datum line in your head too. Planing needs a straight line imposed on it by a reliable flat surface and a plane blade to make the square cut.
I thought it best to mention the Shooting board in case a casual reader wanted to make a table and happened to be reading this. Hey --make a table first and see what you get. Or make a board to slice your bread.

L P Reedy · Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 3:45 pm Post subject:

I think that's what I need: a Datum line (whatever that is) planed in my head. I'm sure it would make the next fiddle easier or something.

Dave Chandler · Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 12:12 pm Post subject: planes

I picked up a nice old 14" plane at an antique shop, paid about $25 and it has worked great for me. Don't know the brand, but is American made.
_________________
Dave in the Blue Ridge
Southern Violin Association

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to the next with no loss of enthusiasm" Winston Churchill

"I took the road less travelled, and now I don't know where I am." Marco Polo

John Cadd · Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 12:09 pm Post subject:

LP When I looked up Datum Line to see what the net had to say I came upon the subject of Aircraft Balance. The section about Helicopters is hair-raising. The centre of Gravity needs to be not too far from a Datum Line for it`s balance. Worth a read in itself. With a Violin a Datum Line would be right down the centre from the scroll ,along the fingerboard ,between the sound holes ,crossing the bridge centre and ending at the endpin . A string stretched end to end should have all that lined up evenly. You can make it easier if you use a compass and measure from the central Datum Line on a drawing. Something fixed ( a line ) that you can measure from to link all the odd shapes and sizes together so they work properly.

John Cadd · Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 7:16 am Post subject:

If you are new to hand planes you may not know how bad some can be. The bottom surface needs to be flatter than a very flat thing. Get some plate glass and wet and dry abrasive paper to make it really accurate. Then the blade can just peep out of the sole and make fine thin cuts.