Hello

[Craig Regan]

Picture #1
I fastened the top plate to an old table base. This enabled me to work around the plate without having clamps and bench legs getting in the way.
Gracie (the dog) has been with me from the start, usually she just curls up in the corner wile I whittle away.

Picture #2
The top plate, in all its "fully carved" glory.
(still have to carve out the inside)

Picture #3
Working the edges. Violin makers spend a lot of time discussing "edge treatment"; it may not be as big of a deal in bass making, but, nice edge work is one of my goals on this instrument. I am using gouges to get the proper scoop and roll wile at the same time, maintaining plate thickness and reserving a place for the purfling. Also, one must keep in mind the overhang distance. There is a lot going on at the edge of a top.

[Arnold Schnitzer]

Nice looking handiwork there, Craig. Just as food for thought, you might be interested to know that most makers install the purfling before forming the edge hollow and bead, so that their purfling tools have a solid, flat surface to ride on. Are you installing purfling? If so, what method are you going to use to cut the channel?

[Craig Regan]

According to the box it came in, I have an "Ulmia Furnieradern-Nuten". Made in Germany. Its a channel cutter for inlay work I purchased years ago for furnituremaking.

It will need to be adapted to work on the bass, but in general, the tool functions the same as the ones they sell for cutting grooves for purfling.

I will regret it later, but, I will probably end up chipping out the waste by hand. Once again, I've chosen the slow method!

[Craig Regan]

This thread is proof that not everything on the internet moves a the speed of light!

The purfling is on hold, I ordered material and waiting for it to come in.

Still working on the arching; trying to get everything to the finished profile before hollowing out the underside. The high tech lazar shots give an idea of the curves on the top.

I left a lot of material on the edges so I can attempt a more sculpted treatment there. I am hoping it will look more "hand carved" than a production factory bass.

The last photo is just a teaser; I wanted to see how the top looks on the ribs. The underside still needs to be carved. Also, still have to remove some of the glue residue on the ribs.

[Craig Regan]

1) This is not a luthiers tool, but it got me through the job!
The cutters worked well, but the fence had to be modified so it could follow the curves of a bass.

2) Shop made purflings using different thickness veneers. They were glued up in forms that matched the contours of the bass

3) The preformed purflings waiting to be installed.

4) First purfle!
Cherry wood was used in the center to match the ribs and back. I did some preliminary edge shaping with small files; this is an attempt at a "sculpted edge". I hope it doesn't look too thick or get in the way of the bow.

5) The purfling is a bit on the heavy side compared to other basses, but I think it will blend just fine. Sometimes bold can be good.

[Arnold Schnitzer]

Nice work Craig. The form-laminated purfling is such a crazy idea that it makes sense! Of course the standard way is to glue up flat sheets, then bend with heat as you need. But the result is all that really matters. What's the width and depth of the purfling?

[Craig Regan]

The purfling comes in at a heavy 3/16", or 1.12" or 7/64". The black is .30", and the cherry is .50" (My dial caliper measures in .00"). Its looks wide on the spruce side, but blends in nicely on the cherry back! It looks like two separate black stripes when inlayed in to the cherry wood.

Channel 2 mm deep, edge 6 mm thick, after trimming the edge to 5mm, there should be 3-4 mm of material under the purfling. How deep should I go? Does the depth create the so called hinge effect?