Jon, To answer your question. He probably could, but he wouldn't.
Best, Rob Dorsey http://RobDorsey.com -----Original Message----- From: Jon Murphy [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2007 10:39 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; 'Rob Dorsey'; 'lute-builder' Subject: Re: [LUTE-BUILDER] Re: Lute - Baroque Guitar Din, Carving skills are a combination of craftsmanship and artistry. Artistry and craftsmanship when carving a "free-form" scupture - but craftsmanship in duplicating a fixed form. The craftsmanship can be considerably enhanced by the proper tools. Like you I note that Lundberg's book doesn't show the process of carving the facets - the photos jump from a smooth form to a faceted form with nice "gullies" to allow the ribs to sink into the facet (something David v.E. also recommends for his "skeletal" form). I had quite a time doing the neck block on my DvE mold also, but I was using free hand gouges from my carving tools, a small slip can screw it up. Most good woodworking catalogs (Lee Valley and Woodcraft come to mind) offer small planes as "luthier's planes" or "finger planes" some of which have "laterally" curved bases and blades - the same applies to small spokeshaves. They are not expensive, and being planes and spokeshaves they have the advantage of a controlled cut (and a bit of reshaping of the tool can adjust the radius to what you need). I have no fear of doing the facets with the small planes, but I'd be quite fearful of shaping them with the free hand gouges. I'm sure that Bob Lundberg could have shaped them with a kitchen knive (as Steve points out that Dan Larsen can shape a peg hole with a knife), but Rob will tell us that. The sharp eye is always needed, but the steady hand less so when the tool is taking a minimal cut. It may take a bit more time for the beginner than the expert, but the result can be the same. Best, Jon ----- Original Message ----- From: "Din Ghani" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "'Rob Dorsey'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "'Jon Murphy'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "'lute-builder'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2007 11:25 AM Subject: RE: [LUTE-BUILDER] Re: Lute - Baroque Guitar > Jon, > > I wish I had your carving skills - next time I make a lute I'd like to > try a solid mould, but the thought of producing a complex shape with > accurately curved lines and surfaces out of a lump of wood terrifies > me! I'm sure with your experience of carving you will be able to work > out how to go about it. > > I just about managed to carve the neck block with fairly accurate > facets, following detailed instructions from David, and using the > lines and facets from the completed mould to guide the carving. > Unfortunately, as far as I can see, Lundberg's book does not even > mention how the facets on the mould are cut. Rob, I hope you might be > able to give me a clue, having learnt directly from him. I assume > there is a systematic method, not relying just on a steady hand and a sharp eye? > > At heart, I guess I'm more of an engineer than a craftsman... > > Regards > > Din To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
