Violin Forum/Message Board

[rs]

What is the best equipment and approach for such an endeavor?

Thank you
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Randall Shenefelt

[Andres Sender]

There are basically two approaches.

First is simply to learn the skills of wood turning on a small scale. All the relevant techniques are discussed in the many books on the subject. You can do it on a large lathe or on a very small wood lathe. The main difficulty here is consistency and efficiency, i.e. coming up with ways to quickly transfer and check dimensions as you work. Lyn Elder, a maker of viols, lutes, and heaven knows what else, used to make pegs this way.

The second approach is to make a small metal lathe into a pattern-following lathe by taking the screw out of the compound slide and setting up a template holder and follower. You'll have to work out the geometry for best cutting (typically a parting blade is used), and if you want to do Hill-style pegs you will have some difficulties from what I understand-the cutter will have to reach into a very narrow space at a rather small diameter, so it has to be cantilevered somewhat, and to a degree of thinness vertically that directly impacts the strength required for the occasionally high stresses of that kind of blind cut.

The pattern-following process is discussed in an article by lute maker Robert Lundberg which was part of his lute making series in the magazine American Lutherie put out by the Guild of American Luthiers. Those articles are now collected in book form and I believe that is the only way to access the article now.

Oh, back when I was making pegs I made my own pattern-following lathe, which is a fairly straightforward process with bearings and so on, if you have more time than money.
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You can only connect the dots that you have.

[rs]

Thank you, Andres.

It is interesting that you commented on the inset under the Hill-style thumb piece. That is particularly what I was wanting to know about.

Thanks for the Elder and Lundberg references.

Best wishes
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Randall Shenefelt

[tomigv]

Hope this helps, I found an interesting website called mike/s oud forum . The author goes into great detail on how to make a peg for an oud. It is about the size of a viola peg . Lots of good ideas and info
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I am very interested in violin and bow making. Have quite a few interesting bows and a large cache of pernambuco. I like to experiment using local midwest hardwoods,

[rs]

Thanks, tomigv.

I had not thought of checking that kind of site. And with all those pegs on an oud, an oud maker ought to be pretty good at making pegs!

I mostly want to turn my own pegs because I think the custom made ones look a lot better than the cookie cutter kind. Especially when the bead/band on the collar is really pronounced. It makes for a very elegant side view.

Maybe that is just me, though.

I guess after making all the other parts, the only thing left to custom make are the pegs and strings. There are a LOT of cats around my house, so if I don't make pegs, I might just start making my own strings instead!
_________________
Randall Shenefelt

[Andres Sender]

Mrow?

Baa-a-a-a-a.
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You can only connect the dots that you have.

[tomigv]

Paco i am in asuburb of Kc There are some Mo woods that can be turned for pegs. I have tried hawthorne, bradford pear , ornamental dogwood and osage orange , the density is close to brazil rosewood and makes nice pegs and tailpieces. I have also made a double bass tailpiece from figured red locust hard heavy and tough. There are a lot of great hard woods in MO
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I am very interested in violin and bow making. Have quite a few interesting bows and a large cache of pernambuco. I like to experiment using local midwest hardwoods,

[rs]

Thanks, tomigv.

I agree, Missouri has its fair share of fine wood. (The Tigers did not fair so well today, though !).

I am right now wanting to use boxwood and burn it with nitric acid. My main reason for wanting to shape my own is to be able to exaggerate the bead just a little more than is common. The ones I have seen done this way are very chique.

Your work sounds very nice. Maybe soon I'll make a trip down to see it!

Best wishes
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Randall Shenefelt

[tomigv]

hi paco . yesterday I bought 3 large chunks of eastern hornbeam, it is hard, tough and dense, used for tool handles, mallets and european plane bodies. I believe,haven/t tried it yet, that it would make a hard dense peg similiar to boxwood. I would be extremely cautious about using nitric acid, it is highly flammable and dangerous. I used it to stain pernam bows . I would recommend an intense NGR dye stain for the boxwood. available from woodworking suppliers. The hornbeam would make a very similiar peg IMO to boxwood .It grows right here in a suburb of KC called grandview. I don/t know what part of mo your in . But your welcome to visit the shop.
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I am very interested in violin and bow making. Have quite a few interesting bows and a large cache of pernambuco. I like to experiment using local midwest hardwoods,