Violin Forum/Message Board

Dave Chandler · Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 8:17 pm Post subject: Maple Burl wood

I've recently cut some maple burlwood, large enough for one-piece violin backs cut either on the quarter (has interesting rays going everywhere) OR on the slab (with spectacular swirls and circles).

I haven't seen or heard of anyone making a violin back/ribs from the wood cut on the slab, might end up a bit gaudy.

Here's a piece I've rough cut and varnished to see how it might look. Its about 2" thick in the center and cut on the quarter. Its been on the ground for 3-5 years but good and solid with some spalting.

I need to know, is this just a bit too much effect? Is it worth the effort or would it not produce good sound?

Or Should I just sell the stuff to a bowl maker?

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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/38492037@N03/3812462209/" target="_blank">http://www.flickr.com/photos/38492037@N03/3812462209/</a>
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Hope this link comes up correctly, if not cut and paste into your browser.
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Dave in the Blue Ridge
Southern Violin Association

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to the next with no loss of enthusiasm" Winston Churchill

"I took the road less travelled, and now I don't know where I am." Marco Polo

Michael Darnton · Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 10:20 pm Post subject:

I wouldn't do it. Not because it won't sound good, or won't look good, but because that type of wood, cut thin, has a tendency to go wild in some really bad ways. For instance, I once had to fix a center seam on a cello that was closed everywhere except through the middle of the lower bout, where the wood was wild. There, for about eight inches, was a quarter-inch gap! I've also seen some very distorted, bent out of shape things from this type of wood, too.

Dave Chandler · Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 7:51 am Post subject: burl wood

It has crossed my mind that it could be unpredictable.
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Dave in the Blue Ridge
Southern Violin Association

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to the next with no loss of enthusiasm" Winston Churchill

"I took the road less travelled, and now I don't know where I am." Marco Polo

Dave Chandler · Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 10:45 pm Post subject: Maple Burl

OK, now I got a photo to add!!

lacquer thinned 2 to 1 sealer
2 coats clear varnish
wet sand
1 coat yellow
1 coat brown

Normally, now I'd rub it out with rottenstone, but this is just a big old fat slab about 2" thick.
_________________
Dave in the Blue Ridge
Southern Violin Association

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to the next with no loss of enthusiasm" Winston Churchill

"I took the road less travelled, and now I don't know where I am." Marco Polo

Chet Bishop · Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 4:44 pm Post subject:

Well...instability and all notwithstanding, I'd surely be tempted to go ahead and make a gorgeous violin out of that, and take my chances. (If I had the billet, anyway...as it is, you have to make the call...)

I used some gorgeous quilted maple that all the books would say was wrong, and it turned out well. To me, it is worth the attempt.
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https://bluefiddles.com
https://fivestringfiddles.com

DonLeister · Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2009 12:26 am Post subject:

No doubt that is an interesting piece of maple. It's a one piece back so there is no center seam to worry about coming open.
For what it's worth, from what I observe, what is appealing about curly maple is how it brings out the subtle archings of the back, and to do this the flame has to have some regularity to it. Some irregularity of the flames can really add interest and I like wood that has some quirks to it. Too much irregularity and it gives a 'vertigo' kind of feeling to it, it's too much about the wood. The lateral lines of the flames define the curves of the arch and draw you to another aspect of the object.
You have the spruce doing a lengthwise thing on the front. For spruce I like it when I can get a piece that is just dodging a knot and the grain has a little character.
I have seen some incredible looking quilted maples used for violins but somehow it almost makes the back appear flat because it is suggesting too much three dimensionality of it's own, it's too much about itself?

DonLeister · Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2009 12:32 am Post subject:

Oops, I just read your post Chet and I didn't mean to slam your choice of woods. I enjoy your posts and pictures of so many instruments you have made, you really do some nice work.

Chet Bishop · Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2009 12:40 am Post subject:

No problem, my friend. There is room for a wide variance in taste. I just really like pretty wood. Lots of folk do, so that makes it an easy choice for me. But I have done some with very small flame, and others that are really the wild stuff.

That burl looks "drool-worthy" to me, but I know not everyone has the same reaction. And, you are right, the quilted maple back I made, when viewed straight from the back DOES look flat. That's OK. it has some ferocious curl. Smile

(It is on my website, below-- my next-to-most recent violin.)
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Chet Bishop
https://bluefiddles.com
https://fivestringfiddles.com

Dave Chandler · Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2009 1:57 pm Post subject: Latest violin

Thanks for all the input, I really am striving to produce a classical violin, so perhaps I'll have to take some of these pieces to the Happy Valley Old-Time Fiddlers Convention, Sept 5 at Happy Valley, NC. For more see http://www.happyvalleyfiddlers.com

I will have a quilted back (an earlier) violin with me, so it will be interesting to see the responses from the old-time fiddlers.
_________________
Dave in the Blue Ridge
Southern Violin Association

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to the next with no loss of enthusiasm" Winston Churchill

"I took the road less travelled, and now I don't know where I am." Marco Polo

DonLeister · Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2009 3:57 pm Post subject:

Dave,
If you don't make a fiddle out of that burl it's good to have it available in case someone wants to choose the wood for a commissioned instrument.

Chet , that's a nice looking violin, the wood is sort of between quilted and flamed. Is is slab or quartered?

The best wood I have seen from these parts of Virginia is red maple, and while there is plenty of that it's rare for it to be large and figured and sound.

I'll tell you about a tree I saw when I was hiking in West Virginia, I'm always looking at trees of course, and there were a some large red maples there near the rim of the New River gorge.
So I'm walking along and I see this 3' mapletree that split at a crotch about 8' up, half the tree came down and you could see the flames sloping towards the center of it and fading out.
As the split went up it went into a slab sort of cut , it was awesome to see!
It was too weathered and decaying to be really tempting to try and get some of it.

Chet Bishop · Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2009 5:50 pm Post subject:

The grain went through at about a 45 degree angle--whatever that would be called. Not ideal, but too pretty to pass up. Some showed classic quilted grain curl, other was closer to regular flame. I think it is bigleaf, but I can't be sure.
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Chet Bishop
https://bluefiddles.com
https://fivestringfiddles.com