In the summer of 2006, I finally decided to complete the violin I started. In fact, I started on 2 and have all the wood for 3.
About 17 years ago, I acquired the birds eye maple from Al Savina of Antigo, Wisconsin. His wife Jeanie bought a 2" x 10" slab at a garage sale and it ended up in his garage attic. After hearing that I wanted to build a violin, he offered it to me.
click on pictures to see more on Violin #1
Birds eye slab. 5/8" thick
Started - October 2006 Completed - April 2007
It wasn't long after I got back from the trip to Wisconsin that I glued the 2 piece back together, cut the back out, and cut out the shape of the neck .
Around the same time while visiting the Savina's in Antigo, I stopped in to see Ed Schroepfer and he gave me a leftover completed back that his father John made. This would have been the last violin that John started and never got to finish due to the stroke he had prior to his death in 1957.
click on pictures to see more on Violin #2
Schroepfer Back
click on picture to see more on Violin #3
Click here to see how I prepared the plate joints and glued them together.
My workshop consists of a table in the basement, the kitchen, and the power tools in the garage.
It took me this long to find the time to work on it and get all of the tools.
These are the hand tool I use. Some gouge chisels, scrapers, needle files, thumb planes, bending iron, purling cutter, graduating caliper and other assorted tools.
Purchased most from Luscombe Violins Inc.
Power tools consisted of a table saw, band saw and an oscillating spindle sander.
