Building Bass no. 5

This morning I had a meeting with my accountant and we closed the books and did the tax declaration. Things are going well in the business which is gratifying. It's especially good to be able to leave the repairs to my assistant so I can focus on the build. Next week I need to take a bit of time for other work, which is a little frustrating. All I want to do is build. Also today we celebrated Stephanie's new job with workshop pizza.  After that I worked on the fit of the ribs to the top. I may point glue this next week to ensure a more stable structure for fitting the back later, which will be bent at the break, eventually.

I finished rough shaping the back with the rotary plane. Worked a bit on the rib details and rough cut the top. It looks a bit chunky. 

The linings turned out nicely, and I started rough shaping the back. A lovely little figure popped out in the wood.

Glued in rib linings for the top. I like that we have so many clamps. It was also easy to get counter forms made when we did the CNC and that helped.

Today I trimmed and leveled out the ribs and then lined them with silk. This is to keep them strong while staying light. They are only 2mm thick. 

 Very nice to have the rib garland in place by the week's end. I think everything has work. So many different clamping solutions. You can't see the bass for clamps.

 Bottom ribs, roughly bent. Didn't have time to glue And a maple and walnut spiral. .

I was wondering why this work felt so unfamiliar. It's because I've only made gamba forms up until now. But it's very convenient to be able to take the right off the mould so easily so that they can be shaped and trimmed.

The ribs for C-bouts just needed a few adjustments and they could sit nicely in place without clamps. Now they are glued in place with clamps. There's going to be a little walnut sandwich where the ribs meet, not chunky, just enough to make them nice and secure and so that the corners on the front and back don't end up too skinny.

 Got the blocks how I wanted them and started bending ribs. Didn't glue yet but feels like the building is for real now.

 Did some shaping work today, complex curves. Yesterday was really busy. We had a meeting of nerds - guitar maker , violin maker, clock maker, machinist, tailor, upholsterer, cellist who makes rosin - in the evening and spent most of the day preparing for that.  Also that lovely Ruggeri, which inspired the scroll for this bass came for a visit. I took pictures and outlines and measurements.  And the François Denis book which I'd ordered from the library came. Very exciting.

Everything is still removable so that I can drill an entry hole through the back via the neck block. The little block of wood sticking up is a guide for keeping the neck straight. The neck foot will be flat so when its removed it can safely stand on the edge of a table for ease of putting it together again. Next up, shaping the outside curves for the ribs.

 Today I made and glued walnut strips to the corner blocks. I milled put channels for them. It will be visible between the ribs where they meet at the corners, but not very thick. I've also been working on the neck block. More pictures tomorrow.

 It was satisfyingly simple to clamp on the blocks onto the mould and mark them with the stencil. Everything fits so nicely together. The spruce for the blocks is straight and fine and shaping them was fast and easy. I will later attach them with masking tape and super glue. The corner blocks are only shaped on the inside so the delicate wood doesn't break when fitting the C bout ribs