On Wed, 25 Feb 2004 03:15:31 GMT, Howard wrote:

My first career was playing my violin with the El Paso Symphony.

I would like my last career to be *making* violins. I have only the
rudiments of a shop, and some hand tools.

So, what could I do to move incrementally toward my goal of making
wooden acoustic musical instruments? I have a budget of maybe $1000
per year.

Well, you already have one HUGE advantage over most people who might
want to delve into violin making: you know what a good one sounds like
and you can play one you make well enough to verify its tone and
perhaps be able to make adjustments to improve on that.

I saw a TV show once about a violin maker who was in exactly that same
position, and it made it abundantly clear to me that no matter what my
woodworking skills might ever become, there was no way I could close
the deal, so to speak, on the best configuration of my product. On
accounta no fiddlin' skills, you see.

A couple of things you'll probably want that the average maker of
sewing cabinets and entertainment centers don't have are a steaming
thing (for bending wood) and a bunch of those nifty little clamps for
gluing the top and back onto the curved sides. I also think violin
makers use tiny planes and scrapers, too.

It probably wouldn't hurt to get in contact with actual violin makers
and pick their brains. I would think with the contacts you must have
made in the symphony it wouldn't be hard to scare up a couple of
possibilities. All else failing, do a search on the internet.

I am envious of musicians of your caliber.

Good luck.



- -
LRod

Master Woodbutcher and seasoned termite

Shamelessly whoring my website since 1999

http://www.woodbutcher.net