Violin Forum/Message Board

[hillyer43]

Hello to all and I'm new to this (excellent) forum. I'm an amateur maker with 3 violins completed and now building no 4 . The body is complete and I finished and fitted the neck (but hadn't glued it in). I suppose the neck, scroll and fingerboard work took 40-50 hours. Well, I had an accident....slipped on ice whilst carrying the neck assembly, fell on it and the scroll snapped off and the pegbox broke into 3 pieces....... A professional maker has looked at it and concluded that it isn't worth trying to repair it.

As you will imagine this is quite a setback!....particularly as I'd got the fit and all of the neck angles spot on....and rather better than I'd ever achieved before. So I'm starting on another neck and my problem is that the neck block mortise has been exactly shaped to final dimensions for the now ruined neck no 1. How do I set about fitting the heel of the new neck no 2 to an already shaped mortise?.....thanks....John

[pmccombs]

[actonern]

I was once turned away for a second to get a knife and make a small cut on an almost finished in-the-white cello, that was sitting erect on a bench.

I turned back, to see it slow motion go over and smash on the concrete floor.

It really hits you in the gut and I know how you must have felt!

I don't think you'll find it that difficult to fit a new neck into a finished mortise... you'll certainly work slower, and in "reverse" but it should work out fine.

And when its all varnished and no trace of the accident evident, you'll smile and notch up one more disaster under the belt.

(I was always amazed at the stupidity of makers that cut out the back plate without a button... and then I did it!!!)

[rs]

Fill the hole with a fit piece of spruce and re-cut the mortise to fit the new neck.
_________________
Randall Shenefelt

[pmccombs]

[FiddleDoug]

Same way you do when doing a neck graft. You leave the body end of the neck large, and very slowly, by a fraction of a mm at a time, adjust the three angles, the length, and the overstand, until everything fits. Not a fast or easy task.
_________________
Doug Wall

www.wallindependent.com

[hillyer43]

Thanks to all for replies. As Fiddledoug says..."it's not a fast or easy task". I'm going to have to be especially careful at the shoulder faces of the ribs where they join the new neck sides as there's no more rib to remove (or hardly any) for the new neck fitting process....once the new neck is made. It's going to be another steep learning curve......John

[Michael Darnton]

If you use basswood or some similarly grainless wood to fill the hole, it will be easier to cover up later.
_________________
new blog at my site! http://darntonviolins.com/blog
my work sites: http://darntonviolins.com and http://darntonhersh.com

[hillyer43]

Thanks Mr. Darnton for the basswood suggestion. I have some and will use it....John

[hillyer43]

Well, I'm getting on fairly well with the new neck.....the scroll is underway and the pegbox is 80% excavated. I'm still looking at the broken-off scroll from the first neck though, and something ought to be done with it. I initially thought to put it in a small display case for the "rogues gallery" section of my workshop notice board....... But perhaps it would be more use converted into a handle on the bathroom light switch cord......or possibly a drawer pull on my tool chest....

A lot of hours went into it and seems a shame to do nothing with it.
Anyone have any better ideas?

[Jacob]

[johngia]

Jacob,

Really enjoyed seeing what you have done with your scrap wood. My name is John. I am a wood hoarder. I have every piece of cutoff wood from 20 violins. My Grandson has built several art pieces similar to those you show. Funny I should read your post today. Had decided just this morning to clean up my shop. To cluttered. Was going to throw away the many boxes of scrap taking up too much room. I am now reconsidering. (P.S. Your link did not work as posted. Had to go to http://www.briscdisc.co.za/violins).

hillyer43

I cut the heel too far back on my first attempted neck. It is now displayed prominently on a shelf in my shop.

[Jacob]

Sorry, I've fixed the link: http://www.briscdisc.co.za/violins/woodpile.html

Just for the record, it's not what "I" did with the scraps, it was somebody else. I was just an innocent bystander

[johngia]

Jacob,

To clarify (I'm trying to improve my communication skills )

I enjoyed seeing that you provided your scrap wood for those creative young people to express themselves.