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Double Bass Matthew's Double Bass Building Project

#81
Matthew I think halfs are fine, many luthiers use them until they have a model memorized and then go by eye. If you have the longitudinal arch set then the half patterns crosswise really only need to be half.

Since you are using a very soft wood that is less stiff generally than spruce, Keep in mind that you may need to keep the plates a little thicker overall.

It also seems you have some variability in stiffness between your center pieces and your outer ones. Keep that in mind when you carve the plate thickness. You don't want it to get too floppy around the edge.
 
#82
nonetheless i think i will make full width templates. then i can place the template centred on the top, mark where it touches and take off wood at those points. etc.

Longitudinally, I only have the centreline arch template.

Do you have a strategy? Do you carve the longitudinal arch first along the centreline then do the laterals?

Ken McKay said:
Since you are using a very soft wood that is less stiff generally than spruce, Keep in mind that you may need to keep the plates a little thicker overall.
Click to expand...

Aaaah but how will i ever know?? Jeff's view as i recall was that western red cedar was in fact stiffer yet lighter than spruce, so the graduations as marked would probably be fine. So ... should I .. er ... go by weight???

this is fun.
 
#84
my edge thickness is now 9mm, the top is I think close to final shape.

I just realised its a bit early to think about purfling yet, because as I don't yet have my rib garland made I don't have a final outline, but ...

I have decided to try to make my own purfling strips from dyed walnut veneer and beautiful creamy-white huon pine centre strip.

How deep should I cut the purfling groove? What is the desired final depth for purfling after the channel is cut?
 
#85
Nice progress Matthew!!!!!!!!!! Your top is looking mighty fine. That is interesting that you printed the curtate cycloids and they were so close to your pattern from the book!!! That really says something about the original bass since that is said to be an old Italian method.

Were is the purfling on the plan? How far from the edge I mean?

The depth of the groovel...lets see...don't go all the way through and don't cut it so shallow that you might remove all the perfling when you gouge the channel. If that ain't precise enough for ya, ask Arnold.
 
#87
purfling = 5mm from edge of plate.

precise? yeah I get what you are saying ken, but I suppose I was wondering, not having done repairs on 100s of basses yet, what is the approcimate usual depth of purfling found in double basses. surely someone has that experience?

I can tell that the edges of the plate are going to get easily damaged, as the wood is so soft. Bother.
 
#93
Matthew,
I have to remark that you make some of this very difficlult woodworking look easy! Most backyard, garage type luthiers are using belt sanders, and a whole array of Black and Decker powertools. I am impressed by your approach especially your use of old planes, that are tuned and working well.

Just out of curiosity, what is the Relative Humidity there in the "Land Down Under", more specifically in your garage?
 
#94
Matthew,

I've been following your progress since you first posted about this project. A co-worker and myself do like challenges and I've spoken to him about possibly attempting to build a bass at some point.

I have a source of some highly figured maple here at home, I would have to secure some spruce of some kind.

I think you are becoming one of my heroes and I appreciate the time and effort you are putting into just DOCUMENTING your work. That is a major effort in itself.

Now, Matthew, GET BACK TO WORK AND OFF THIS STUPID INTERNET. You have more important things to do. :D

Thanks again,
 
#95
Ken McKay said:
I am impressed by your approach especially your use of old planes [...]
Just out of curiosity, what is the Relative Humidity there in the "Land Down Under", more specifically in your garage?
Click to expand...

I hate the noise and mess of sanders, and planes work more quickerer.

Right now, the relative humidity is about 76%! And when it rains - which it has done a lot lately after several years of drought and 47%RH - it goes up to 96%. And at the moment I'm working under cover but *in the open air*!!!!

Normally in Sydney its very dry.

I glued the top together when it was dry, and I haven't done any glueing since. Then it started to rain. I will probably wait for a dry period before gluing the ribs, although they are quite thin and I guess the wood will adjust fairly quickly, in any case most times you'd probably glue them on fairly soon after steam bending and let them dry on the mould.

I will definitely get the back very dry (in a light box if it doesn't stop raining) before joining that.

I'm building this slowly, as i don't want to build tension into the instrument.

The C-bouts don't fit EXACTLY to the corner blocks, and although I could probably clamp them up and force them into contact i'd rather try and see if I can use a second go with the heat blanket to relax the bent ribs into position and hold them there with cauls Until i'm ready to glue.

M Ramsey, thanks for your feedback. Go get some spruce or cedar now!
 
#97
You can relax those c-bouts with steam-- live steam, not the puffy stuff a foot away from the spout, although that stuff might work, too, in time.

I am not a journalist, and have not kept records as you have (good job, by the way), but my corpus is complete, as is my neck and scroll, and top. The back is mostly done, but I have yet to bend the upper break. I'm a little scared of that, so have been procrastinating. I have lots of excuses-- nineteen school district instruments in for repair, at the moment--but they are still excuses, and it is still procrastination.

I'll get it bent, and then I will be on the home stretch.
 
#98
1st Bass said:
The back is mostly done, but I have yet to bend the upper break. I'm a little scared of that,
Click to expand...

Are you making a bass from one of Chandlers plans?

With the heat blanket I have been using, bending seems soooo easy. I used the blanket tonight to relax the C-bout into position and I glued it straight after. I'll post pics soon.

please post at least one pic of your bass-in-progress!
 
#99
Don't have a single one, as yet-- I will try to borrow a digital camera.

I used rather plain wood, and the "William Tarr" plan from Chandler, but I modified the plan, and made a roundback out of it. I know flatbacks are fine and all, but I just didn't like their looks well enough, so I used his other photographs, etc. to establish a reasonable arch for the back.

So, I guess it is no longer a "Tarr" model, but just a gamba-cornered round-back bass. Probably foolishness on my part-- but I like it better this way.
 
#100
Last week I finally bent the upper break in the back-- that has had me stumped for quite a while, as I was afraid I would break it, instead of bending it.

I eventually made two struts, or rails, bolted to the mold, and shaped to match the curve I was trying to accomplish. I then attached the back to the garland, using spool clamps, and applied heat and moisture, via several wet washrags, and a clothes-iron. I gradually increased tension on a variety of clamps pulling the upper part of the back around the bend and tightly against the neck block. It took about 2-1/2 hours, I guess, but now it is done; I did NOT break it, and I can move forward again.

Quite a relief. I believe I am finally on the "home-stretch". I will post pictures when I have some.
 

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