[mylife]

do you build them?

I always wanted to give it a try

Scientific american wrote a very detailed book about the physics of the violin

[RightWhale]

Before they can be built, a vast array of simple tools such as chisels and clamps need to be set up. Wood has to be procured and then cured. Violin makers buy wood in slabs and then put it away for years before they even think of using it. Chunks of hard maple come in handy, and large pieces of spruce. Specialty hardwoods from Africa or South America might find their way into the instrument.

I own a couple of string instruments, viola being the most delicate, and they need repair now and then, so that is my involvement. I also lived for a while within a block of a violin factory and got to see some of the process. It is interesting how few players are willing to put glue to wood.