Once the turning was one, I began shaping the blocks with a file and a card scraper. I varnished the piece using black lacquer (for the finishing) and an oil-resin varnish that I then buffed.
Category Archives: Cellos
To craft the tuning pegs, several types of wood can be used: ebony, rosewood, boxwood, pear wood and jujube wood. I used wild pear wood, since it is harder than the common variety of pear tree. I then used a manual lathe and different gouges to shape the pieces.
The Cremonese 1715 was crafted by Antonio Stradivari during his most flourishing working period, when he was about 60 years old. Its proportions and rounding are said to be of great inspiration for the new generations of luthiers. This instrument was played by many famous musicians, such as Darius Gras, Jules Garcin, David Laurie, Joseph … Continue reading Crafting a Cremonese violin
Crafting a Montagnana cello has been such a fulfilling experience. As I already explained in the last posts, the cello was crafted following the model by Domenico Montagnana, a famous luthier that was born in 1686 in Lendinara and was active in Venice, in M.Matteo Sellas’ workshop. He then started his own workshop around 1721. … Continue reading Domenico Montagnana cello: photo gallery
The work has been demanding, there have been various phases that have led me to the completion of the board: from the roughing process with a gouge and a planer to the most delicate phases like cutting the f-holes with a knife, up to the insertion of the purfling. After the time necessary for the … Continue reading Finishing the soundboard for the Montagnana cello