Some progress today. The rough arching is about half done. My hands were giving out, and it was getting late anyway.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Double Bass Resuming a build that was set aside years ago.
- Thread starter 1st Bass
- Start date
What a huge and detailed carving project that is. Thank you for sharing your progress with us!!!
Not having worked with wood since my Cub Scout Pinewood Derby days, it's fascinating to watch this come together. I'm especially intrigued by the giant rough chunks of wood that are removed in the initial arching process. It's closer to sculpture than sanding!
Yeah, and I'm not as reliably accurate with the mallet as I once was. After hitting my left hand (paw?) four or five times, I finally woke up and held the gouge with vise-grips, so I could keep my eye on where the blade was going, and not be forced to watch the handle.
Today I am just using the various planes. It is still pretty labor-intensive, but much less chance of battering my knuckles.
Today I am just using the various planes. It is still pretty labor-intensive, but much less chance of battering my knuckles.
So-- the Arching is finally complete, and the f-holes are laid out. I posted the photos, here, mostly:
5-string Double Bass Plates beginning. | Five String Fiddles
I will get going on the graduation today or tomorrow.
5-string Double Bass Plates beginning. | Five String Fiddles
I will get going on the graduation today or tomorrow.
Well... instead of actually "getting started on graduation," I built a curved-sole scrub-plane which I hope will help with the "hollowing-out" process. I still need to pin the handles in place, but it is essentially complete.
The sole is a bent slice of stainless steel pipe.
If "Necessity is the Mother of Invention", then you are a Real Mother...
Nice fabrication skills. Seriously.
Thanks.
Nice fabrication skills. Seriously.
Thanks.
Well that got a good laugh outta me! I haven't been called that in a very long time!
As a follow-up, yeeeess, it works.
But I will have to fiddle with the plane-mouth a bit, as it does not eject shavings very well, and tends to jam about every dozen strokes. I'm hoping it will help if I shorten the adjustment screw by 10mm or so.
But it definitely works well, other that that.
Thanks for all the positive responses.
Success! I shortened the screw by 10mm or so, and bent the cap iron to change the angle at which the screw pointed, and finally ground off some of the bottom of the cap iron so that the blade would still fit under it... and now it ejects the shavings like a champ!
It's always a relief when a new tool finally gets "dialed-in" right. All the time and thought and effort suddenly seems worthwhile.
Same as any project, I guess...
It's always a relief when a new tool finally gets "dialed-in" right. All the time and thought and effort suddenly seems worthwhile.
Same as any project, I guess...
Hogging out the inside of the front plate today, using that little curved-sole scrub-plane. As I approach the planned thickness, I switch over to the palm plane I had made when building my first bass.
I decided to flip the plate back over and install purfling today. I have a small, old purfling marker someone gave me, but it is obviously missing a part. I jammed a piece of maple into the gap, for a guide, and made it work, but I am curious as to whether any of you recognize the wee beastie, and can tell me who made it, and perhaps what the missing piece looks like.
I scribed in the lines, sliced them all deeply with a knife, picked out the waste wood and installed the purfling, just like on smaller instruments. It just took a good deal more work. It definitely is easier to see, though. My eyes are not what they used to be, so it is kind of nice being able to see some details.
Here is a closer view:
and another:
Still a long way to go, but it is nice to see some progress.
I scribed in the lines, sliced them all deeply with a knife, picked out the waste wood and installed the purfling, just like on smaller instruments. It just took a good deal more work. It definitely is easier to see, though. My eyes are not what they used to be, so it is kind of nice being able to see some details.
Here is a closer view:
and another:
Still a long way to go, but it is nice to see some progress.
I have seen one of these in a photo a long time ago, but I don't recall what the rest of it looked like. It is definitely a purfling marker, but I don't know what kind, nor how much is missing. There is also no screw-hole or other attach-point, so I have no idea how it was held in place. I have looked online for images of purfling markers, hoping to find a picture, but nothing so far.
This is the bass plate thickness caliper I made during construction of my first bass.
I went and bought new batteries for it today, and, hurray! It still works!
I made it from a digital indicator I bought at harbor freight, and hardware bits from Ace hardware, and some 1" plywood. I think I will add some carbon fiber stiffeners, to make the arms more rigid, and a handle and thumb-activated lever to make it more "user-friendly."
I went and bought new batteries for it today, and, hurray! It still works!
I made it from a digital indicator I bought at harbor freight, and hardware bits from Ace hardware, and some 1" plywood. I think I will add some carbon fiber stiffeners, to make the arms more rigid, and a handle and thumb-activated lever to make it more "user-friendly."
Good job! You did better than I did! I assume the thumb button at the rear is attached by lever to the hook at the front?
I like the "feet," too. Guess mine really needs some upgrades!
I built mine in either 2006 or 2007, can't recall which. When did yours come about? It really looks good.
Last edited:
I build mine about 2 years ago. And you are right, its a simple leaver construction sitting inside
On the other hand. my calipher may look better than yours, but you are on your second build while my first double bass build is only a vague idea...
But it is only 15 years until retirement, so its time to prepare the tools
On the other hand. my calipher may look better than yours, but you are on your second build while my first double bass build is only a vague idea...
But it is only 15 years until retirement, so its time to prepare the tools
I was initially a little distressed that I could no longer find the "SR44" batteries the indicator called for, but, in the last store, I became suspicious that perhaps the nomenclature had simply changed, so I whipped out the cell-phone and looked up SR44 batteries on Google... and discovered that the number has indeed been changed and the batteries are widely available as 357/303. So...if/when you run into that, be assured, the thing has not become obsolete, nor is it impossible to buy batteries for it.
The other thing I like is that it has very large digits in its display, so my old eyes can easily read them.
The other thing I like is that it has very large digits in its display, so my old eyes can easily read them.
