What's on the Workbench?: Archive

Old 1/4 size violin

This nice old 1/4 size violin came into my workshop to be re-set up. It belonged to my customer’s great grandmother, and was the one she’d first learned on in 1895! Two things were immediately interesting about it… First the photograph of the original player and label that had been affixed to it back in the late 1800s… Second, that it’s neck was not morticed...

Nov 23rd

Old English violin repair

A man brought in this old violin, which has been in his family for 3 generations. It’s rib was broken at the bottom and the bottom block cracked in half. Some sort of repair was attempted on it in the last 50 years according to the owner (please don’t do that if you have an old violin that’s broken - take it to a professional luthier!) When I took the top off to start the...

Oct 30th

Fine Strings Featured in The Strad

I’m honoured to have been selected to have my workshop appear in the November issue of The Strad magazine on their My Space page. You can download a pdf of the article on my workshop by clicking HERE.

Oct 27th

Upper Canada Village

The Wood Lover’s Weekend at Upper Canada Village was beautiful both in terms of the work displayed and the weather! It was good to see the work of some fellow luthiers and other wood workers, including my musician and boat building friend Al Ridgway - who’s beautiful boats can be seen here: http://alridgway.com/kayaks-canoes/

Oct 12th

Upper Canada Village Wood Lover's Weekend...

Upper Canada Village is once again hosting a Wood Lover’s Weekend over Thanksgiving (October 7,8,9). Among many things,they will have special tool displays, culinary uses of wood, and have invited many guest woodworkers (carvers, turners, canoe builders, sculptors, and luthiers!)to display their work over the weekend. I will be there all 3 days, come check it out!

Oct 2nd

Cigarette burn restoration

I had this French viola brought into my shop with 2 cigarette burns in the top, which had been given a poor cover up effort at some point (it kind of looks like someone took a dark red marker to it!) The rest of the viola is in great condition, so the owner asked me to restore the front. Look at the following pictures to see how my restoration of it took place and how it now looks. Step 1:...

Sep 19th

Autumn Violin Making Evening Class

The autumn evening class for Violin Making has started up again and you can see these 3 students hard at work!

Sep 14th

6 week summer evening class

The 6 week summer violin making evening class is now taking place and you can see these students working, each at their own stage of making a violin.

Jun 22nd

Interesting pictures and article from BBC

This article talks of going one step further than the Chladni method, by “using lasers to perform what’s called holographic interferometry, researchers at Cardiff University have been able to map vibrations on the micron scale to generate images of how sound emanates from instruments.” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13573631 ...

Jun 1st

I was on TV last night!

Last night I was on CTV Ottawa’s Regional Contact. Click here to see their website or you can watch the video below.

May 29th

Spring Violin Making Evening Class

My 6 week spring violin making evening class started this week. Below you can see the three students hard at work, each at their own stage of making their violin.

May 27th

CTV filming today

Today I was filmed by the CTV Regional Contact team, camera man Peter (who kindly took these pictures) and Joel Haslam. I will be featured on the show next Saturday, May 28th at 6:30pm. Please tune in then to see it! If you are out of the Ottawa area, check back in after May 28th and I’ll have a link to a video.

May 17th

Amati model viola

I am currently continuing to work on my Amati model 15 3/4” viola, which is starting to take shape. I am rough arching the plates and preparing them for purfling.

May 9th

Lupot/Stradivari model violin complete!

My Lupot model violin is finally finished and set up. The varnish is an amber red colour and has been given an antiqued look. Nicolas Lupot was a French maker who copied Stradivarius in his style and model of violin making, so this violin has a bold and bright sound. If you are interested in trying this violin, contact me for more details. If you are interested in more details on this violin or...

Apr 14th

Cello soundpost patch

I’ve had a cello come in with a crack originating from the bottom saddle and extending to 3mm behind the soundpost. This requires a soundpost patch as the crack is so close to the soundpost that if not given a patch, the crack is sure to extend and become a soundpost crack. To do this job, I’ve made a partial cast of the front of the cello to support the front while the patch area is...

Mar 17th

Varnishing Lupot model violin

The varnishing of my Lupot model violin is progressing well. It will soon be ready to be set up and played.

Mar 1st

Making Varnish

I am making some spirit varnish which I’ll use on my Lupot model violin. It will take a week or so before the gums etc. dissolve fully, but then it’ll be ready to cook and then use. Check back for updated pictures of the varnish as it progresses!

Feb 10th

Two new small violas

I’ve started to make two new small violas. Having played with and spoken to multiple viola players who are not of a tall or large stature, I recognise the need for good quality smaller violas. If a viola is too large, with long hours of rehearsal and practice, its player can start to suffer from neck, shoulder and upper back pain due to the straining of the left arm. In response to this,...

Feb 8th

A visit from Marco Raposo

Yesterday I had the Brazilian bow maker Marco Raposo visit my workshop with his bag of bows. I acquired a couple of lovely violin bows from him, made from high quality Brazilian pernambuco wood. If you are looking for a good quality violin bow come on by!

Feb 5th

Lupot model violin ready for varnishing

My Lupot model violin is finally ready to be varnished! After doing a final cleaning, it is now in the lightbox tanning.

Feb 1st

Buying wood

I went this weekend to buy tonewood from David Widmer, who is a a luthier and supplier of European tonewoods in Montreal. His making workshop is in an old school with a lovely view out to the mountain.

Jan 29th

Violin Making Evening Class

The Fine Strings Violin Making Evening Class started this month. It is a 3 hour class which takes place on Wednesday evenings. John, Liao and Stephen are seen at work here on the first stages of their violins.

Jan 28th

Unusual Workbench Job

I had an unusual job this month to make a violin fingerboard from African bubinga wood. Researching it, I found that this has been used to make guitar fingerboards. It is interesting as it has a high density but is lighter in both weight and colour than ebony.

Jan 25th

Interesting Workbench Job

I’ve had a couple of interesting and unusual jobs on my bench this month. One of which was the reassembly of a little wooden box which came from Alberta. It was made during WWII by Japanese people being held in an internment camp out west. The Japanese being held had made and sold these little wooden boxes to pass the time and make some money. They even custom made and personalised the...

Jan 21st

Wood Lover's Event

I attended and displayed my work at the Wood Lover’s event held over Thanksgiving weekend at Upper Canada Village. Gathered there for the event were people who use wood in all kinds of interesting ways - carvers, boat builders, turners, a marquetry maker, a guilder, and of course a few luthiers! I gave a short talk to answer the question I am most frequently asked, “What makes a...

Oct 12th