MIMF

I'd buy just the head and make my own handle. I would be using it for my canoe building and I need a light hammer as I use it for several days at a time when I'm making a new canoe. I've developed a specific handle for my needs, one where my hand does not slide up the shaft too close to the head. I'...

Damn, Matthew, now I really want some of those hammer heads!

Thanks Paul! Yes, your essay helped a lot. I did do a few alterations from the described method, but nothing of consequence. Mostly I didn't use the jointer table for the hand plane but instead made up a shooting board for jointing the sides of the staves. I haven't been on for awhile, either, or I'...

I wish that I had found this prior to my own efforts at making a viol. I can't tell if the approach described is 100% authentic, but the results from the efforts seem consistent with the extant instruments.

https://www.academia.edu/149099/The_Geo ... lish_Viols

This is a wonderfully attractive instrument. I've watched your progress on this off and on. Remind me when you began? About 7 years ago! There has been a lot of other work that has had to be done during that time. A lot of research, a lot of living, and a few setbacks. Its ironic that, now that I a...

That's pretty spectacular. Is there no carving of the top? Or is it "assembled" and then carved? This is a bent stave soundboard. Slip matched pieces of spruce are bent, then glued together, then carved. The pieces are each no more than 1cm thick and the carving goes pretty easy compared ...

This just knocks my socks off! That scroll is amazing. Your wife is one lucky lady. So, is this similar to the arpeggione, for which Schubert famously wrote a sonata? The arpeggione was made by Stauffer and was, essentially, a guitar played with a bow. A hybrid instrument, actually. Six strings tun...

Thanks everyone!

Once I get the bow made, and the case, I can return to some guitar making.

Its a lot of work making these, I made this one for love. Next one, if there is a next one, is for cash!

The scroll and other details

A good number of you have been very interested in the viola da gamba that I've been building. Well, it is finally finished! The biggest hurdle in building this bass viol was the research. All of the learning that was required to understand the instrument and its construction was significant. Compare...

Stephen Faulk wrote:Douglass, Douglass Douglass, That first gamba was not enough for you?

Shou'nt you be out scraping cargo canoes?

Pretty much, pretty much...

Hi Carl, I am just about finished making a bass viol as well. I am at the point of getting all of the frets tied on, and then that's it. I know all too well that absence of information for builder of viols! I am happy to share whatever I can because we vio makers have to support one another! One pla...

Phil, for classical building get in the habit of using metric as the world of classical guitar making uses it universally. There is a strong argument that back in the 19th c. an inch based system was used, but that won't help you now. That Ramirez guitar isn't so popular these days. the scale is lon...

With the Rubner's you can trim the barrels.

He used LAZER beams!

Beth Mayer wrote:Beautiful, Doug! Any updates?

Oh, yes! Stay tuned.

I'm detailing the surfaces now in preparation for finish.

If you can swing it, a 24' x 30' would be nice. You could have a 24' x 24" work and storage room, and a 12' x 24' clean room/office/display/visitor room, etc. I'd be inclined to arrange the tooling centrally and have various specialized work stations arranged around the perimeter.

I just finished a spalted maple/Elm Thinline. I'm also working on a bass viol, usually called a viola da gamba. I just finished the fingerboard and tailpiece inlays and border.

At long last I have the borders for the fingerboard and tailpiece for the viola da gamba done!

Time, now, for the next step, which is to get the inlay on the front and back repaired. I had some serious setbacks last summer due to exceptionally high humidity overnight for a few too many nights.

I'm not overlooking all of the useful technical input here, but I'd like to add to the comments regarding string choice. EJ-45 strings are nice all-round strings. However, on these older designs I have found that suing something like Aquila Nylgut makes a rather dramatic difference in how the guitar...