This has been my favorite tool discovery of the year, I ordered on a whim and found my self using them a lot. Corradi Rasps are very nicely made, quite straight, with consistent curves. The teeth are set to give a random scratch pattern, they are very sharp and...
This Tononi cello rib has megatoothed plane-blade marks on the inside. The marks also show pretty liberally on the outside of the cello providing…
Four uses for LED lights in the workshop
For those who like to do the edge work and purfling after closing the box. It took me a while to figure out how to hold the body. This works for cello too, though I have to stand on a box to reach around the lower bouts Andy iPhone
For holding violin plates for carving and bodies for purfling and edgework, I have a purpose made jig and a similar one for cello. I've never got around to making one for viola but this works very well
When putting a new neck into a cello the mortice is cut precisely so that the fingerboard projects out to a specific height above the cello top ( the neck projection, or pitch is usually about 81mm measured at the center of the bridge). It is often the case that the neck projection, which was correct just before gluing, comes out higher than intended.
A letter from Stradivari to a patron blames the lack of sunshine for his inability to fill an order for instrument in a timely manner. Oil based varnishes require ultra violet (UV) light to cure and apart from being evidence that Strad’s varnish was probably oil based, Strad’s message is also a comment on the unreliability of the sun as a UV source.
This violin holding jig caused a deal of interest in the Robertson's shop. It's a dynamic version of one I saw used by Malcolm Siddall at the Welsh school. Its essential feature is that it holds the work at both ends and there is enough space beneath the work to take...
By far the best peg shapers that I’ve used are those by Alberti Designs. They make a set of 12 blocks to cover all sizes of violin and cello pegs.