An American in Mirecourt, Part Two

Violin Construction as Learned by an Apprentice to René Morizot

by Paul Schuback

from his 1995 GAL Convention workshop

Originally published in American Lutherie #65, 2001 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013

See also,
An American in Mirecourt by Paul Schuback

Roughing Out the Insides of Plates and Cutting f-holes

After the outsides of the plates have been carved and scraped to their finished shapes and the purfling has been installed, the next step is to trace the f-holes onto the top. The f-holes will be cut out after the inside of the plate has been roughed out and the plate is thinner, but this is the time when you establish their positions. Measure 19.3MM from the edge of the plate at the neck end to find the bridge position on the centerline, and locate your f-hole template by referencing off of the bridge position and the centerline of the top. You can play with how they are angled to suit your own tastes. Trace the f-holes onto the top, and check to make sure that they end up an equal distance from the edges by measuring with a divider.

The French always carve little hollows where the lower wings of the f-holes will go so that those areas will be recessed on the finished top. So after you have traced the f-holes, you gouge, plane, and scrape the wing areas out a little bit. In the process, you will cut away parts of your lines, so you will need to retrace them.