Hello

[Craig Regan]

2/08 - Carving the back profile from a Cherry blank.
2/08 - More carving.
3/08 - Outside of back nearing completion.
4/08, 5/08 - wasting away the inside.
6/08 - The bend.

The back took a long time to make.

[Craig Regan]

Over the summer I got started on the top plate.

1) Spruce Billets before glue up. This was a big chunk of lumber.
2) Clamping.
3) My helper with our future bass top ready for carving.

[Craig Regan]

First thing to do was joining a flat side on the blank. Hand tools worked the best since the top is so large and the spruce is easy to work.

Next up: Leveling the front edges of the rib structure and tracing the bass outline to the spruce top.

[ed hauser]

i find the building of these things fascinating so keep up the good work and keep posting the pics!

[Craig Regan]

Originally Posted by ed hauser

i find the building of these things fascinating so keep up the good work and keep posting the pics!

I am glad you like it Ed, and I appreciate the encouragement.

Digital photography is amazing; Thanks to Ken's Corner and the internet, I can snap a picture in my barn and within minutes have it seen world wide. This is what I did yesterday:

No power carvers on hand, so I used an sharp adze to "roughly" reduced the top thickness at the edges. Looks crude, but it worked just fine.

Next up; the jig saw will cut out the shape of the top.

[ed hauser]

just curious, how long does something like this take to build? is this for you or are you producing it for someone else? ive always wanted to do a project like this this but it seems so labor intensive it has to be done with a lot of love!!

[Craig Regan]

Originally Posted by ed hauser

just curious, how long does something like this take to build? is this for you or are you producing it for someone else? ive always wanted to do a project like this this but it seems so labor intensive it has to be done with a lot of love!!

Experienced luthiers say it takes around 500 hrs to build a double bass. This is my first bass, so I suspect it will take me longer. The bass will be for my son who plays in a local youth symphony. He is due for a instrument upgrade so he can grow as a young bassist.

My regular job is working in a wood shop, but this project is completely different from anything I have ever built before. Luthier work requires a lot more brain time than say, building a bathroom vanity. Also, as I have learned, wood selection is crucial. It seems you are pushing the material to its limits. Balance act between fragility and strength.

Sorry, no pictures today.