Posted on July 7, 2024May 9, 2025 by Dale Phillips It Worked for Me: Low Cost Emergency Lathe It Worked for Me: Low Cost Emergency Lathe by Gerhart Schmeltekopf Originally published in American Lutherie #29, 1992 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Three, 2004 Most luthiers probably don’t have wood lathes, so I submit this low-cost, emergency lathe setup for the times you might want to make a music stand, washtub bass, or baseball bat for the local luthiers’ picnic. I bought commercial turnings to make a student harpsichord stand. They were “sanded and ready to finish,” so I knew that they would need to be sanded before finishing. They are too long for my lathe, so I rigged this temporary reciprocating or “pole” lathe to spin them and sand them. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 3 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on June 13, 2024May 14, 2025 by Dale Phillips Violin Bridge Holder Violin Bridge Holder by Alan Carruth Originally published in American Lutherie #7, 1986 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 Thanks to George Manno for some feedback on his experience with bridge tuning. Bridges on good violins do tend to be quite similar, but I still like to work them up individually. And he is certainly right about fitting the feet! One dimension he seems to have left out is the thickness of the feet at the bottom of the bridge, generally given as 4.5MM (3/16"). If this is too heavy it can make the instrument sound “closed.” If you don’t want to thin it anymore a bit of wood can be removed from the end of the leg without affecting the stiffness too much. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on June 6, 2024May 9, 2025 by Dale Phillips Banjo Fifth Peg Press Banjo Fifth Peg Press by John M. Colombini Originally published as Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #207, 1982 and Lutherie Tools, 1990 Procedure: Make a bushing from a 3/4"×3/8" piece of steel or brass round by drilling a 7/32" hole and countersinking one end. Round off the bottom of a 4" C clamp screw so it seats in teh countersunk hole in the bushing centering the clamp. Cut a hardwood block 2"×1 5/8"×1 5/8" cutout to fit the banjo neck. I use a contour gauge or my actual size templet. Apply 1/16" piece of leather to the cutout using contact cement. The drawing should explain the usage. The important part is to be sure the bushing is longer than the shaft of the tuning peg. Add spacers between the bushing and the peg shaft if you should come across a longer shaft or make a slightly longer bushing. ◆
Posted on June 6, 2024May 14, 2025 by Dale Phillips It Worked for Me: Veneer Scraper It Worked for Me: Veneer Scraper by Eugene Clark Originally published in American Lutherie #73, 2003 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 In the first episode of my two-part article on Spanish rosette construction (American Lutherie #71, Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six), I described how important the sizing of the veneers is to the whole process, and showed the veneer scraper that I currently use. It uses a Stanley #90 bull-nosed shoulder plane. My first veneer scraper was a plane blade with a simple wooden holder, which, as I mentioned, is the type of tool that one might find in a Spanish shop. Jon Peterson had some questions about that tool, so I made one to show him. The anvil block, opposite the cutting edge of the blade, needs to be hard and stable. I used a scrap of seasoned maple with the end grain (which is harder than long grain) towards the blade. The base and the blade holder are scrap softwood, but any solid, stable wood could be used. The anvil block is screwed to the base and can be removed when it needs to be resurfaced. The larger of the two blocks that hold the blade is glued and screwed to the base. The narrower block is then clamped in position with the blade in place, pilot holes are drilled and screws are installed. The fit of the blade will now be too tight, but by backing out those screws a little, the blade will slide freely, yet very little tightening of the wing nuts will hold the blade firmly. The width of the gap between the blade and the anvil block is adjusted by tapping with a hammer on the end of the tool or on the exposed end of the blade. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on August 11, 2021May 16, 2025 by Dale Phillips Applications of the Silicone Heating Blanket in Violin Making Applications of the Silicone Heating Blanket in Violin Making by George Borun Originally published in American Lutherie #34, 1993 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Three, 2004 In American Lutherie #25, Mike Keller describes how he uses silicone heating blankets for bending guitar sides, and mentions an earlier article in Fine Woodworking. The potential of these devices for use in violin making became obvious to me, and with some experimentation and adaptation, I’ve developed specific applications for the violin maker. Silicone heater blankets, also called flexible heaters, are available from two sources, with a number of standard sizes in stock at each company: Watlow Electric of St. Louis, Missouri (www.watlow.com) and Benchmark Thermal of Grass Valley, California (www.benchmarkthermal.com). Watlow markets through distributors. They have a large selection of stock sizes up to 35" long. Benchmark has a smaller stock size selection, but their prices are considerably lower. They will make any size you wish, but that adds to the cost and delivery time. Stock maximum length is 20", but this is more than long enough for violins. In bending bass ribs, I use two 10" wide blankets for the longer pieces, and only one for the center bout. The best units are 4W/sq.", rather than the 2W models. This type will get up to 500°F in a couple of minutes. Product catalogs are available which list the various sizes. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
