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With full credit to the OP of a thread over at fiddlehangout, here's an interesting link to a "The Strad" magazine about carving violin plates inside first....

It's a hoot the way people keep coming up with a new "secret"!

Where does it leave Stradivari's cleverness that (as mentioned above) his violins only got to the top of tree after major changes by...

In these "tune based" traditions I'd suggest it's important that we listen to other instruments as well as the ones we play.

At risk of being mildly controversial I'd suggest that although there...

"Cherish the Ladies" do a beautiful version of Yeats' poem "Ballad of the Foxhunter" to a slowed down version of Foxhunters' slip jig.

It's funny, I instinctively think "what about the vibration" when it comes to carrying an instrument on the bike, but hang on, vibration is what instruments do best!
Perhaps there's a need to tune...

I've done this with an acoustic guitar, refitting four strings into the middle four "slots" leaving the outer ones vacant in order to keep the neck "balanced." #It was quite useful as a no-cost...

Very interesting question, lots of good thoughts.
Do you play fiddle, Glenn, is your fiddle judgement at the same level as your mandolin judgement?
Comments above about the influence of bow and...

It's one of those things where time, skill and money are relatively interchangeable!
If you're going to be working from a book, they all seem to start with a list of tools, though they always seem...

Might there be a risk of pushing a "religion" of "no theory"? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
Different strokes for different folks.
Theory is a tool in the...

According to the safety data sheet Cascamite/Extramite is a "urea formaldehyde resin glue."
Resorcinol is "resorcinol phenol formaldehyde resin" glue.
!
(I'll leave the difference to the chemists,...

It's reckoned to be a good boatbuilding glue, being very waterproof!
I used to use it a lot for general woodworking, I tend to think it dries rather brittle. Personally I wouldn't be tempted to use...

There are so many tunes in the Irish tradition the ones to learn are the ones that are played by the people you want to play with, but there's a discussion running here :-...

I think it bears saying once in a while that the methods "the pro's use" are not necessarily best for amateur builders. The parameters are completely different, whether you are doing a job once a...

Depends on the limiting resource, time or money! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
One can cut nice binding channels using a craft knife, a sharp broadish chisel and...

I bought a copy of the A plans from Elderly, following Bill's link. Yes they're by Scott Antes, 1983, subtitled "after early Gibson style A-2 c1921"
There didn't seem to be any images at Elderly but...

Have to say I look for a "bong" rather than a "bonk" Dave http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
(Strictly within the terms of reference of this discussion, of course.)...

But here's one that suggests this top was symmetrical in other modes.
I wouldn't want to suggest I was taking these patterns too seriously!
Interestingly, with the A5 that followed this one, I got...

I think a couple of people have wondered whether the points etc have an acoustic effect. Here's an image from playing about with Chladni patterns on an F5 top that suggests they might... (Whether any...

Loar surely signed the F's because they sold for more money (as discussed above.) I'd be very surprised if an objective assessment of tone quality came into it.
Tom

No criticism intended, just a different way of doing things, but from this side of the Atlantic it makes me cringe to see pictures of table saws in the US without crown guard/riving knife etc. Over...

Many thanks for that plane series John, much appreciated.
Tom

"How many Luthiers does it take to change a light bulb?"

"Just one, and it'll be done in, er, about July?"

Try these

thesession.org #- Search on sets

Tom

My only bandsaw is a little "tabletop" Delta 28-185. It's done me good work for years and continues to do so. Although I'd "like" something bigger that hasn't turned into "need." Cutting out plates,...

Since Loar was signing off instruments made by other people one might assume that some failed that quality control. What happened to them?
In the violin world there are "collectors'" instruments by...