Cello Build (Modelled after the 1712 "Davidov" Stradivarius)

[1st Bass]

Greetings to all and sundry:
My name is Chet Bishop. I live in Forest Grove, Oregon, in the US.

I've been building for about eleven years, now, and am finally starting to speed up a little. My first instrument, a small viola, took me almost two years of start and stop, start again work. The last ten months have seen five new instruments emerge from my bench, and seven more begun. (I had attempted ten at once, on speculation, but was running close to a show deadline, so I centered on the five that I could hope to complete, and finished them. Since then I have begun two more because of enquiries by visitors at the show...still on speculation.)

My output so far has only included one bass, six violas and eight violins. I hope to change that "skew" toward small instruments, and build a cello this summer (aiming for completion before September 1st), and then, beginning this fall, another bass. I have some great bass wood that has been pining away in my shop, waiting for me to get on with it. I have only sold four instruments so far, but hope to change that, as well.

So! On the cello, this is where it stands so far: I have completed the main templates, and the mold; installed the blocks, shaped the blocks, and installed the ribs. I have also traced, laid out and cut out the neck, and have begun shaping it. I joined the front and back plates, but am not satisfied with them, so will cut them apart and try again. I have some of the pictures (below), and will have others later.

There are several more templates to make, but I don't need them for the moment. I made the mold template and neck/scroll template initially, so I could get moving on the project. Arching templates can wait, for now.


The Mold is essentially in four parts-- the center section is two parts, which can be disassembled to facilitate removal--the front and back sections each are removable to permit the installation of the linings.




The blocks are installed using screws, so that they can be easily released, when removing the mold.



Once the blocks are in place, the shape of the blocks is traced from the mold template.


Then the blocks are cut to shape, and smoothed, to prepare for the rib installation.




I haven't any photos of the ribs yet, but will soon. They are installed, but I intend to reinstall the lower ribs, as I am not satisfied with the fit. After that I will have photos.

Thanks for the friendly welcome you have extended. This is my first cello, and I am certainly not professional caliber. Still learning. We'll see how this turns out.

[1st Bass]

On a related note, looking over some of the other threads, I see that my W.A.S. is not an isolated case.

Last winter I was given a large log of Bigleaf maple--this was actually a limb that fell from a much larger tree. I have had it milled up, and am waiting for it to dry.



Then, a month ago, a large(ish) willow limb fell in a stranger's yard. I wasn't shy about contacting them immediately, as I prefer willow for blocks and linings.
It has not been cut up, beyond bucking it into lengths that I could wrestle into the back of a truck. But it will be sawn up soon, and dry for future instruments.



The inhabitants of the broken stub were thankfully more concerned with staying warm than protecting the hive. They were docile little folk, and completely ignored me.

[duh Padma]

Hi...welcome....nice build you got going there.


Hope you got the ends of that maple all sealed for air drying. Me cut up a log that wasn't sealed properly with intentions of cellos and an upright. Every plank cracked. Now me gotts plenty of tops and backs for fiddles and violas...go figure.

Please keep posting them nice pics of you build.

blessings
duh Padma

[1st Bass]

I sealed then all with "Anchorseal", or "Anchorfast" or whatever the correct name is, as soon as they were cut. I am tempted to go over them all again, though. Good stuff.

I ended up with four pick-up trucks full of wood. If they all end up violas, I can live with that. But I cut a bunch of bass, cello and guitar sets while we were at it. (My youngest son builds guitars...)

I hope at least a good percentage of it turns out well. If a lot of it checks badly, I may sell it to turners-- they will take almost anything. In fact the turners around here will take perfectly good maple and bury it in the ground for a year, to deliberately introduce spalting. Then it's considered to be worth more. (sigh...)

[Allen]

Thanks for taking the time to post this build Chet. Really interesting to see how other instruments are put together. Some great looking wood you scored too.

[Lillian]

Let me offer my welcome and thanks to all the others you have received. I'm looking forward to seeing how you go about building one of these.

I see from your website that we are practically next door neighbors. Actually, we were down in your neck of the woods last weekend. We had a great time in Portland.

[1st Bass]

Well, Lillian, I saw you were in the great, green state of Washington-- but it's a fairish bit of territory to be calling "next-door". How far away are you? I'm about 40 minutes west of Portland. Hope to see you sometime.

[Lillian]

Well, considering how close we are to most of these other guys, I'd call it next door.
I'm just north of Tacoma.

While I'm looking forward to more building post, I do hope you enjoy the sunshine. It looks like Fall is finally over and Spring is here.

[1st Bass]

Yes, I guess a four-hour (or five) drive one way could be called next-door, in the grander scheme of things. It was quite warm today. I got up early and re-worked some things I was dissatisfied with, then we went to a memorial for a friend. Pretty much took up the rest of the day.

I wasn't happy with the rib fit on the lower bout. (see below.) It turned out it was all due to a skewed fit at the bottom center seam-- I opened it up, re-cut the seam, and glued it closed. Much better. I went ahead and trimmed the ribs, and called it good.



I had re-worked the front plate (3rd time) and this time is is perfect. I had been satisfied with the back plate on the first try. (Perversely, I decided this morning that it wasn't good enough, and sawed it apart again. The photos were before that decision. Hope I can do it better the second try. )



Also I have gotten a fair start on the scroll, but there is a lonnnng way to go. I think I will go ahead and order a fingerboard, and all the other gizmos that go with a completed cello.


So, that's the state of the cello, as of today. I will rework that back plate, but I won't post photos. The flaws were tiny enough they don't show up in pictures anyway.


Thanks for looking. I will keep posting 'til it's done.

Chet

[DarwinStrings]

G'day and welcome Chet, I have had a bit of wood fall into my driveway lately but I sure would like it to be Maple as it is my favourite American (I get the feeling a Maple tree would not be to happy living in the tropics with me) Also nice to see my favourite bowed instrument being knocked together on the forum, well done.

Jim

Life is good when you are amongst the wood.

[1st Bass]

Thanks, my friend. I have only been on Ozzie ground once-- waiting for a plane out of Brisbane. Hope to visit again, someday. I've been to NZ twice, but never to the south island, so that would be nice, too.

Chet

[matthew]

Chet with the big thick plates it's always a gamble anyway. The glue line you can see (or not) in a jointed plate is not the same surface you'll see when it is carved out. so I don't get too stressed about it. just chalk fit and rub joint.

Nice to see a little bass taking shape like that! Must have another think about my flat-back cello idea.

[Puff]

Chet -south islanders and west islanders are strange critters much taken with talking funny and drinking strange brews
Yeah come on Martin - I asked for it

[1st Bass]

I re-joined the back plate this evening. Seems to be OK...I will have to give it a closer look in daylight tomorrow. If I have the time, I may try to begin the linings tomorrow-- they are bent and ready to go, but I haven't cut the mortises into the blocks or anything.

I've only been in NZ twice--the first time was to visit my Dad and his wife, in Aukland. (Massey). We spent about three weeks visiting around that island... went down to Wellington, and lake Taupo (not sure about the spelling), and up on some peninsula up north, whose name I have forgotten. Hiked in and saw the giant Kauri trees, etc. Beautiful country. Wish I could have had more time.

That was 24 years ago. About seven years ago I went down again, this time to help move him home to the US, as he needed some medical care (for Parkinson's Disease) that was more available here. That time there was no visiting around. We packed up and brought him home. He died four years ago. He really loved NZ, though. Maybe I will get to come there again someday.

Yes, Matthew, I am tempted to start the bass now, too, but I am on a very tight schedule, and had better not embrace too much extra-curricular activity, or I won't get done on time. I have a big plank of curly cherry that I intend to use for a cello, and am tempted to get it going, but again...gotta use the time wisely. After September everything is wide open.

[Paul B]

I'm enjoying your posts, I want to have a crack at building cellos at some point. Up to now we've only had Matt building really big cellos.

Though there was a girl here a few years ago (Jazz?) who had made a couple, haven't seen her here since. Hopefully she'll pop back and see your stuff and stick around.

It ain't all about guitars...

[1st Bass]

Ah! I remember Jasmine Davis from another forum! She did a great job on the two cellos I saw. Yes, I hope she comes back. I remember hearing the duet played on the two instruments by two of her teachers. Very moving.

[matthew]

linings tomorrow-- they are bent and ready to go, but I haven't cut the mortises into the blocks or anything.

I don't do this any more. Too much work, and if they ever need to be replaced later after a few top-removals its a lot more work if they're let in. But I did learn a good tip, and that's not to shape the C linings until they are glued; if you try to bend and glue "shaped" linings in the C bouts, they always seem to twist and leave a gap.

[1st Bass]

I'm glad you said that-- I had watched you shaping your linings before installation, and thought it was interesting, as every other maker I know shapes them after they are glued in place. I was considering following your lead, but now will consider myself warned.

I know three schools of thought on inletting the linings.
1. The Tony Strad school inlets them with square ends-- a true mortise.
2. Another (German?) way is to cut a simple bevel or even a skewed bevel, to simplify the mortise-cutting.
3. The third is to not do it at all, or at least only on the C-bouts, as the upper and lower bouts hold in place without a mortise.

I guess another way is the cheap VSO way, wherein the linings pass over the corner blocks and are continuous from top to bottom block.

For now, I will go ahead and do it the old Italian way. What's time to a pig?
(Oh, yeah... I was the guy trying to use it wisely...)

[matthew]

AFAIK Tony Strad only inlet the C bouts. But i can't see a reason to do it if they're bent and glued properly. hide glue, is as we know, a marvel and will outlive you or I!

I think shaping the linings before fitting means that the bevel is nice and even and no chance of gouging the rib accidentally. Bass linings are a lot bigger than those on a fiddle!

[1st Bass]

Right you are. Basses are big. I inletted my linings on the one bass. Maybe next time I won't. Willow trims up very nicely, fortunately.

I'll post photos. Gotta hit the sack.

[S.Steinmuller]

Hi Chet, I really Love this post, very inspiring work I am only just getting started and I thought I would like to try to build this cello myself, I noticed your plans in the first image, so my question is where did you get these plans from ? I am finding it hard to acquire the design template for the Davidov. Perhaps you may have some guidance for me. You may have also personally designed the plans yourself, so I am not sure how I should get started here. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Chet.

[kiwigeo]

Hi Chet, I really Love this post, very inspiring work I am only just getting started and I thought I would like to try to build this cello myself, I noticed your plans in the first image, so my question is where did you get these plans from ? I am finding it hard to acquire the design template for the Davidov. Perhaps you may have some guidance for me. You may have also personally designed the plans yourself, so I am not sure how I should get started here. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Chet.

This thread is six years old.....if you dont get a response online then might pay to email the OP directly.

[Andos]

Try "Violin making - a practical guide" by Juliet Baker
She gives blow by blow construction instructions, a scale diagram of the basic viol family outline and a chart of violin, viola and cello dimensions.

Andos

[chrisBk]

Greetings to all and sundry:
My name is Chet Bishop. I live in Forest Grove, Oregon, in the US.

I've been building for about eleven years, now, and am finally starting to speed up a little. My first instrument, a small viola, took me almost two years of start and stop, start again work. The last ten months have seen five new instruments emerge from my bench, and seven more begun. (I had attempted ten at once, on speculation, but was running close to a show deadline, so I centered on the five that I could hope to complete, and finished them. Since then I have begun two more because of enquiries by visitors at the show...still on speculation.)

My output so far has only included one bass, six violas and eight violins. I hope to change that "skew" toward small instruments, and build a cello this summer (aiming for completion before September 1st), and then, beginning this fall, another bass. I have some great bass wood that has been pining away in my shop, waiting for me to get on with it. I have only sold four instruments so far, but hope to change that, as well.

So! On the cello, this is where it stands so far: I have completed the main templates, and the mold; installed the blocks, shaped the blocks, and installed the ribs. I have also traced, laid out and cut out the neck, and have begun shaping it. I joined the front and back plates, but am not satisfied with them, so will cut them apart and try again. I have some of the pictures (below), and will have others later.

There are several more templates to make, but I don't need them for the moment. I made the mold template and neck/scroll template initially, so I could get moving on the project. Arching templates can wait, for now.


The Mold is essentially in four parts-- the center section is two parts, which can be disassembled to facilitate removal--the front and back sections each are removable to permit the installation of the linings.




The blocks are installed using screws, so that they can be easily released, when removing the mold.



Once the blocks are in place, the shape of the blocks is traced from the mold template.


Then the blocks are cut to shape, and smoothed, to prepare for the rib installation.




I haven't any photos of the ribs yet, but will soon. They are installed, but I intend to reinstall the lower ribs, as I am not satisfied with the fit. After that I will have photos.

Thanks for the friendly welcome you have extended. This is my first cello, and I am certainly not professional caliber. Still learning. We'll see how this turns out.

thanks for this great story!
chris

[kiwigeo]

Pity Chet didn't come back and finish his cello build thread.