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STEPS 3-6 |
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| Marking the outlines with a scribe | Marking out the second winding width | ||
| [3] Having clamped the template to the neck block, I mark the outlines
with a scribe, which gives me a clearer line than a pencil. Also, I poke
through the little holes to show the volute, which will serve as a sawing
guide. The really important part of the volute markings is the eye. All
the other dots will be sawed away soon, but the position of the eye
in relation to the outlines may be each volute's most important feature. With this outline now on both sides, including a close shape of the neck, I saw the neck block out on the band saw. Afterwards I cut a chamfer on both sides to the line, making it is easy to finish the outlines by removing the surplus wood between the chamfers with chisels and rasps, the block clamped into the vice. [4 & 5]With the outlines now nearly finished, the centre line scribed and the relevant widths for pegbox and head marked, I can start sawing. This is a fun part, because I can quickly see the scroll taking shape. First I saw the sides of the pegbox using the coping saw and then around the volute using my Japanese saws. Once I've sawed 360 degrees around, I mark out the second winding.This is a width from the front view and measures 22.8mm on the poster. Because it is difficult |
to mark this out from the top of the head I do this from the eye, the
widest point of the front view. In this case it is 8.95mm, derived from
the total width of 40.7mm minus the 22.8mm divided by two. Now I
can make another saw cut from the chin to this mark, which is almost
parallel to the centre line, and from the marking up towards the eye. Working with horizontal and vertical saw cuts, I remove as much wood as possible before carving. To get the volute placement correct in relation to the head outlines I use my measurements A-D, put them in the Vernier callipers and make a pencil mark. [6] I start using the gouges to cut almost right to the line, leaving just a little extra clearance to blend all the curves together later. I continue in the same manner with measurements E to I. Now I can give more importance to the flow of the curves, which is in fact only one continuously winding line that starts at one eye and turns along the windings of the volute around the head and the back of the pegbox, around the other side to the second eye. Because I work on both sides at the same time for a better sense of the whole, I find that files and rasps come in handy. |
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| Marking out A-D | Using a rasp on the curve | ||