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Carving a chin rest
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catnip
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Joined: 04 May 2007
Posts: 7

PostPosted: Sun May 06, 2007 11:02 am    Post subject: Carving a chin rest Reply with quote

I just carved an "over the tail piece" chin rest by cutting out the pattern; then cutting out the half round hole and finally cutting out the rough side profile. This was all done with a bandsaw. But was wondering if there is a standard method for doing this.

I used a very small hand gouge to scoop the chin rest. Holding the gouge in the right hand as if committting "harikari" and the blank in the left hand.

Any advice on chin rest carving would be appreciated.
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moronsreign
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Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 8
Location: Idaho

PostPosted: Mon May 07, 2007 10:26 am    Post subject: chinrest Reply with quote

An easy way to do the arch over the tailpiece is to clamp an extra block to the bottom and drill a hole with a spade bit.It comes out nice and round and then you remove the block for a half hole.I use a 4" grinder with carving wheel to hollow the chin area-very fast.Then the band saw and table sander for the rest. Takes about 30 minutes total.
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Jack H.
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Joined: 24 Mar 2007
Posts: 346
Location: Israel

PostPosted: Mon May 07, 2007 2:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would put the chinrest in a vice and point the chisel or gouge in the other direction. put the other hand on the gouge to control it better.
Not much help in any other areas, never carved a chinrest.
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John Cadd
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Joined: 23 Jul 2009
Posts: 819
Location: Hoylake

PostPosted: Wed Oct 20, 2010 9:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you have a small awkward thing to carve it helps to have a vertical wooden post to press against. You can use it standing up and add some leather padding to the post if you cut your scroll. Doing everything sitting down can become tiring.
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Dave Chandler
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Joined: 31 Oct 2007
Posts: 691
Location: Mt Mitchell in North Carolina

PostPosted: Wed Oct 20, 2010 5:50 pm    Post subject: Chinrest Reply with quote

I've made a couple chinrests, and scooped out the interior with a rather rounded scraper, worked great, no chance of impaling oneself. The rest done with a rasp and finally sanded then scraped lightly before finishing. Its a fun project and nice break from purfling.
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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
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John Cadd
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Joined: 23 Jul 2009
Posts: 819
Location: Hoylake

PostPosted: Thu Oct 21, 2010 6:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I made a chinrest yesterday to fit as close to the body as I could.The part nearest the centre block has a blob of sealant to give a little stability as it is so close to the surface. Sort of triangle contact . It does not rely completely on the edge grip. The scooping out is best done on a bench hook.You all need one of them.Cut away from you. This rest is made from an offcut from the back. There is little shaping to do .It just needs to be low.
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Dave Chandler
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Joined: 31 Oct 2007
Posts: 691
Location: Mt Mitchell in North Carolina

PostPosted: Mon Oct 25, 2010 11:44 pm    Post subject: chinrest Reply with quote

Amezcua:

Does your chinrest third point of contact "rest" on the top of the violin as the third point? If so, notice any tonal change?
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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
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John Cadd
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Joined: 23 Jul 2009
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Location: Hoylake

PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 8:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dave I use part of the end block area which is a lot wider than the tailpiece. The jaw bone contact is not nearly as far in as it looks when you see a player.Most of the rest is keeping skin off the belly. If you worry about the varnish contact just use a layer of leather. Mainly keep off the vibrating surface . What I did was an afterthought but using that side of the block a bit more could be a good idea for side mounted rests .
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kubasa
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Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Posts: 212

PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 10:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Interesting thread. Last year my uncle carved a chinrest for me that I'm going to put on violin number 4. As I was reading the different posts, I was thinking about how he might have carved it. Anyway, here is a picture of how it turned out. Normally he carves animals and birds but this turned out really nice.


Chinrest by kubasa, on Flickr
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John Cadd
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Joined: 23 Jul 2009
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Location: Hoylake

PostPosted: Wed Oct 27, 2010 4:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That seems to be the way to arrange the grain direction.The clamps can be screwed in but resin would give you a chance to arrange the tilt before being committed. It`s a nice colour.
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kubasa
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Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Posts: 212

PostPosted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 9:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I had planned on screwing in the clamps but like you mentioned, adjusting the tilt might be tricky. Thanks for the resin suggestion. I hadn't thought of that!
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BK
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Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 60

PostPosted: Sun Jun 05, 2011 1:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

amezcua wrote:
Most of the rest is keeping skin off the belly. If you worry about the varnish contact just use a layer of leather. Mainly keep off the vibrating surface . What I did was an afterthought but using that side of the block a bit more could be a good idea for side mounted rests .


I have an old violin (turn of the last century-ish). Between the chin rest and the top plate is a thin piece of spruce. Would it be better to replace this piece of spruce with a piece of leather? Or, perhaps wrap the thin sliver of spruce in leather so that it doesn't mar the surface and/or create a crack in the top plate.

The reason I ask this question is because, as of late, when I play, I notice a slight "creak" in the wood when held under my chin. I wonder if the harshness of wood on wood and pressure of my chin is creating a gradual crack up the top plate. I don't see any crack yet with my naked eye, but have a suspicion it could be forming.
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actonern
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Joined: 15 Aug 2007
Posts: 444

PostPosted: Mon Jun 06, 2011 3:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Something else to consider...

Apart from the mechanics of wood removal, is the equally important question of what shape to make the chinrest.

Since you're starting from a blank slate, and so don't have to copy an existing model, you can tailor make it for the musician that will use it.

Some violinists don't seem to care much about the geometry of chin rests, others are much more fussy. Neck height, whether a shoulder rest is used, how high the shoulder rest extends from the instrument; a lot of factors to consider.

I've made a number of them, and found that by putting a big blob of putty on the instrument (protecting the varnish) in the chinrest area, and getting the musician to execute their best violin posture and press their chin into the blob until it feels perfect gives you a really good "mold" to copy on to the wood. They'll be amazed at how comfortable it is and how it just "fits".

Stuff to consider...

E
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Mat Roop
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Joined: 24 Mar 2007
Posts: 911
Location: Wyoming Ontario

PostPosted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 10:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

BK wrote:
Between the chin rest and the top plate is a thin piece of spruce. Would it be better to replace this piece of spruce with a piece of leather? Or, perhaps wrap the thin sliver of spruce in leather so that it doesn't mar the surface and/or create a crack in the top plate.


The usual material is a layer of cork about 1.5-2mm thick both under the legs of the chinrest and under the lower metal bracket where it contacts the back. Cork tends to be the best to form to the shape of the violin. The key being that the chinrest should not touch the tailpiece nor the violin top except at the edge centered above the rib. If the chinrest sits too low, then that may be why there is a sliver of wood. But it would be better to extend the legs by gluing an additional piece between the cork and the chinrest.
Cheers, Mat
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BK
Member


Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 60

PostPosted: Wed Jun 08, 2011 10:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oh, thanks Matt! I didn't know that. I will have to replace the slivers of wood with cork. That makes a lot of sense. I didn't know what the proper material to use was.

-BK
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