I always sit and look at the amount of waste created by cutting the perfect neck blank from a big lump of timber and reflect on the fact that the prices charged by Mark and other suppliers really isn’t that…   Read more»

tv101 I haven’t made a lot of new violins as there isn’t much demand but that’s not unusual. I’ve spoken to full time professional makers who only do repairs or take part made Chinese instruments and rework them for a…   Read more»

@tv101 Interesting that you should post a pic of the inlaid fiddle. It’s a very old technique that was used on instruments in the 16th & 17th Centuries (typical on Baroque instruments). It involves scribing out a groove, with a…   Read more»

tv101 Another bench would be great but my garage has a finite amount of space and also has a motorbike and two bicycles. I was hoping to add on a conservatory in 2020 but Covid has made it difficult to…   Read more»

Reference the discussion today about sealing the inside of instruments and why it’s done on carved arch tops and not on flat tops. I’ve got some background in violin making and it’s a topic which is frequently talked about ie…   Read more»

James I wouldn’t get a planer. If you buy your wood from instrument suppliers it will be near to the finished size just leaving margins to work with. Thickness machines don’t usually have a very wide capacity unless they are…   Read more»

@robin It looks good and I think you’ve made a good choice with the scale length. Keeping to what you are comfortable with makes designing worthwhile. I’m thinking of something similar as my 4th finger is bending in as I…   Read more»

@boo When I priced up flip paint from a panel factor a few years ago it was £200 per half litre so not for the amateur, but I’ve always wanted to try it. I’ve got a green bronze electric fiddle…   Read more»

@tv101
My situation is the same as I live alone and for a lot of last year had no daily contact with anyone, so it was only the live streams that kept me going. Plus I learned a lot. 

@boo
Do you have any experience of spraying paint that changes colour as it moves around the light eg green to bronze. I think it’s called transitional paint.

@darrenking
Looks like a great design. Maintaining torque is a big factor in any turning machine as inconsistent speeds can cause differences in the finish. Wish I had bench space for another machine but don’t know what I would throw away.