Howery Violins

Welcome to Howery Violins.

Will Howery is a violinmaker and luthier working and living on Amelia Island. He also plays violin with the Amelia Island String Ensemble.

Hand crafted Violins and Violas direct from the maker that you can afford. Please look at the Rental/Purchase information!

My Violin Studio is at my residence. When you plan to visit, please make an appointment via The Shop Appointment Calendar. Thank You.

Will’s Blogs

More Varnish

View this post on Instagram Ruby: Stradivarius base Varnish. Getting there:-) A post shared by William Howery (@howeryviolins) on Oct 30, 2020 at 8:00am PDT

October 30, 2020
Sebastian: the medullary rays of the maple enhanced with the Greek Pitch gold.

Sebastian: the medullary rays of the maple enhanced with the Greek Pitch gold.

November 21, 2019
Violin Tatiana: Back linings glued in… Step by step Rubber bands and clothes pins. Kind of like bailing wire and bubble gum from my farm family background. Not pretty, but gets the job done 🙂 Pretty will come later for Tatiana

Violin Tatiana: Back linings glued in… Step by step Rubber bands and clothes pins. Kind of like bailing wire and bubble gum from my farm family background. Not pretty, but gets the job done 🙂 Pretty will come later for Tatiana!! #violin #violinTatiana #howeryviolins #violinmaker #luthier #orchestra #fernandinabeach #ameliaisland #brunswickga #staugustine #stmarys #jacksonville #jaxsymphony #unfmusic…

November 16, 2019
Violin Tatiana: Power out this morning. I’m amazed that Stradivarius could work with out bright lights, and with eyes that were 80-90 years old

Violin Tatiana: Power out this morning. I’m amazed that Stradivarius could work with out bright lights, and with eyes that were 80-90 years old…. #violin #violinTatiana #howeryviolins #violinmaker #luthier #orchestra #fernandinabeach #ameliaisland #brunswickga #staugustine #stmarys #jacksonville #jaxsymphony #unfmusic #jumusic #luthier #whatsonmybench #violinist #florida

November 14, 2019
I took Sebastian out for some BLUEGRASS music last evening at Woody’s BBQ on S R 200, Fernandina Beach, near Lowe’s. We had a great time! (He has the balsam ground on, so the wood is protected. I like to play an instrument in the white a bit be form applying the full color varnish).

I took Sebastian out for some BLUEGRASS music last evening at Woody’s BBQ on S R 200, Fernandina Beach, near Lowe’s. We had a great time! (He has the balsam ground on, so the wood is protected. I like to play an instrument in the white a bit be form applying the full color varnish).

November 12, 2019
Violin Tatiana: she is starting to take shape

Violin Tatiana: she is starting to take shape:) #violin #violinTatiana #howeryviolins #violinmaker #luthier #orchestra #fernandinabeach #ameliaisland #brunswickga #staugustine #stmarys #jacksonville #jaxsymphony #unfmusic #jumusic #luthier #whatsonmybench #violinist #florida

November 11, 2019
Sebastian: I played Sebastian tonight for the first time. Sebastian spoke. Sebastian sang. My ears smiled. My soul soared

Sebastian: I played Sebastian tonight for the first time. Sebastian spoke. Sebastian sang. My ears smiled. My soul soared. #violin #viola #fiddle #5stringfiddle #violinSebastion #howeryviolins #violinmaker #luthier #orchestra #fernandinabeach #ameliaisland #brunswickga #staugustine #stmarys #jacksonville #jaxsymphony #unfmusic #jumusic #luthier #whatsonmybench #violinist #florida #northflorida #Georgia #firstcoast #varnish #violinvarnish #groundvarnish #violingroundvarnish #balsamground

November 7, 2019
Sebastian: Balsam Ground through #4. It makes the maple jump

Sebastian: Balsam Ground through #4. It makes the maple jump!! #violin #viola #fiddle #5stringfiddle #violinSebastion #howeryviolins #violinmaker #luthier #orchestra #fernandinabeach #ameliaisland #brunswickga #staugustine #stmarys #jacksonville #jaxsymphony #unfmusic #jumusic #luthier #whatsonmybench #violinist #florida #northflorida #Georgia #firstcoast #varnish #violinvarnish #groundvarnish #violingroundvarnish #balsamground

October 14, 2019
Regina, Dry brush finish.

Regina, Dry brush finish.

September 19, 2019
Sebastian: Step 2(C) in the Balsam Ground process, Adding Aged Wood Grey Green. Old wood that has been handled by many hands turns a greyish green color. I”ll say that It looks much better than it sounds. Since Sebastian will be antiqued we want to have the areas where the wood will be worn to present with natural looking color and texture. I will build in a Grey Green color on the wear spots which will give credence the final antiqued appearance. I’ve laid out a map of the intended wear areas of the instrument and will shade these with the Aged Wood Color Grey Green. The Edges always wear before the rest of the instrument. They also take the most handling, bumping etc. While the whole instrument gets a good dry brush to clean any fuzzies and press in the balsam resins, the edges also get a burnished to compress the grain, and simulate a well handled appearance. I’m using a hard plastic bench clamping dog. Joe uses an ebony piano key. It either case, the burnisher is harder than the wood to press and wear as a had would over many many years. The edges then get a nice brushing of the #2 Grey Green. Mixing ratios 1:4 Balsam Ground Preparation #2 2g, Everclear Alcohol 8g, Aged Wood Color Grey Green 2-3g, Apply the Grey Green from the center of the wear area, feathering out. Use a small brush to avoid simply making a large wash. Apply several times until you start to see the shading take place. More light coats are easier to control than heavy coats

Sebastian: Step 2(C) in the Balsam Ground process, Adding Aged Wood Grey Green. Old wood that has been handled by many hands turns a greyish green color. I”ll say that It looks much better than it sounds. Since Sebastian will be antiqued we want to have the areas where the wood will be worn to…

September 16, 2019

Will’s Blog Posts:

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Violin Regina: Setting this violin up in the white. I had everything done to put the strings on and then I realized I didn’t have an end pin. So, turn on the lathe and make one

Violin Regina: Setting this violin up in the white. I had everything done to put the strings on and then I realized I didn’t have an end pin. So, turn on the lathe and make one. #orchestra #fernandinabeach #ameliaisland #brunswickga #staugustine #stmarys #jacksonville #jaxsymphony #unfmusic #jumusic #luthier #violinmaker #whatsonmybench #violinist #symphony #florida #Georgia #luthier #whatsonmybench…

January 12, 2019
Fiddle Jameson: Graduation, roughing out the inside of the plates. The thickness of the plates will range from 2.2 to 4.5 mm. I use my beam calipers, fashioned after one used by Stradivarius, to score the thickness lines in the plates. Then I use a gauge to remove the lines. When the thickness gets within 1 mm of final I switch to finger planes. If I switch to finger planes too soon my fingers tell me about their sore spots when the day is done. When I’m within .5 mm of my target thickness I switch to smaller finger planes and scrapers. This is the first 5-string model so I don’t have the final plate 3d scans. On my next version of this model I’ll use the CNC machine to speed up the process to within 3mm. That being said, the final finger planing and scraping must be done by hand, because this is when I test the resonate frequencies which determine the instruments ultimate voice

Fiddle Jameson: Graduation, roughing out the inside of the plates. The thickness of the plates will range from 2.2 to 4.5 mm. I use my beam calipers, fashioned after one used by Stradivarius, to score the thickness lines in the plates. Then I use a gauge to remove the lines. When the thickness gets within…

January 10, 2019
Fiddle Jameson: The purfling corners are all glued in, the arching or the outside curvature of the plates is almost finished all except the finalizing of the edges. The final shaping of the edges will occur after everything else is done on the plates. There’s a fair amount of dinging and danging on the edges during the graduation process, sound holes, bass bar and finally glue up and leaving a little extra wood at this time is a good idea. Now I’m working on the graduation, which is carving the thickness of the plates. The graduation phase is probably the most important aspect of the instruments sound. It determines the resonance of the plates; how they will vibrate when a violinist draws a bow on the strings

Fiddle Jameson: The purfling corners are all glued in, the arching or the outside curvature of the plates is almost finished all except the finalizing of the edges. The final shaping of the edges will occur after everything else is done on the plates. There’s a fair amount of dinging and danging on the edges…

January 9, 2019
Fiddle Jameson: Setting and gluing the purfling. With the grooves cut, I bend the purfling with a hot bending iron, then dry fit all the purfling corners on the top and bottom plates. Once everything is set I glue the purfling into the grooves. The hot hide glue causes the grooves to swell a bit more narrow and the purfling to get just a bit longer than the dry fitting, so there is always some last minute adjustments before the glue cools and sets. Wood, such a dynamic material

Fiddle Jameson: Setting and gluing the purfling. With the grooves cut, I bend the purfling with a hot bending iron, then dry fit all the purfling corners on the top and bottom plates. Once everything is set I glue the purfling into the grooves. The hot hide glue causes the grooves to swell a bit…

January 3, 2019
Fiddle Jameson: Cutting and trimming the purfling groove. Once the edge margins are smooth and finished, no bumps etc, that edge is used to guide the process of cutting the purfling groove. I set my CNC machine with a 1.4 mm bit 2mm off the table, and positioned the router forward from a guide pin. Once I’ve tested the dimensions on some scrap wood, I put the plate next to the guide pin and give the command for the router to go to 2mm. Once the router is lowered I carefully guide the plate edge around the guide pin. The router is only used for the long curves, once I get into the corners I retract the router and leave that work to be done by hand. The corners are finished off with the traditional, marker, knife, and purfling cleaning tool

Fiddle Jameson: Cutting and trimming the purfling groove. Once the edge margins are smooth and finished, no bumps etc, that edge is used to guide the process of cutting the purfling groove. I set my CNC machine with a 1.4 mm bit 2mm off the table, and positioned the router forward from a guide pin.…

December 29, 2018
Fiddle Jameson: Trimming the margins. Once the ledge for the top and bottom plates is a uniform 4.3 mm then the top and bottom plates are “tacked” glued to the blocks. The rib out line is then used to trim the plate edge margins to 2.5mm. I use the CNC machine to “rough” out the margins. By fastening a guide pin on the CNC table and then positioning the router bit about 5mm from the edge I can move the instrument body against the guide pin to get a uniform edge margin. Once the edge is consistent, I can move the CNC router 1/2 to a 1/10 of a mm towards the body to sneak up on my final measurements. As with the ledge, I bring the CNC within .3 to .5 mm and then finish by hand for those final 1/10ths

Fiddle Jameson: Trimming the margins. Once the ledge for the top and bottom plates is a uniform 4.3 mm then the top and bottom plates are “tacked” glued to the blocks. The rib out line is then used to trim the plate edge margins to 2.5mm. I use the CNC machine to “rough” out the…

December 21, 2018
Fiddle Jameson: Marking the rib outline on the top and back plates and rough carving the arching

Fiddle Jameson: Marking the rib outline on the top and back plates and rough carving the arching. #violin #viola #fiddle #5stringfiddle #violinJameson #fiddlejamesen #violinmaker #luthier #cnc #cncviolinmaker #orchestra #fernandinabeach #ameliaisland #brunswickga #staugustine #stmarys #jacksonville #jaxsymphony #unfmusic #jumusic #luthier #whatsonmybench #violinist #symphony #florida #northflorida #Georgia #luthier #whatsonmybench #chambermusic #5string #firstcoast

December 11, 2018
Fiddle Jameson: Corner blocks all trimmed, ribs bent and glued on the form

Fiddle Jameson: Corner blocks all trimmed, ribs bent and glued on the form. #violin #viola #fiddle #5stringfiddle #violinJameson #fiddlejamesen #violinmaker #luthier #cnc #cncviolinmaker #orchestra #fernandinabeach #ameliaisland #brunswickga #staugustine #stmarys #jacksonville #jaxsymphony #unfmusic #jumusic #luthier #whatsonmybench #violinist #symphony #florida #northflorida #Georgia #luthier #whatsonmybench #chambermusic #5string #firstcoast

December 8, 2018
Fiddle Jameson: Templates refined. A bit narrower in the waist to accommodate the 5 strings

Fiddle Jameson: Templates refined. A bit narrower in the waist to accommodate the 5 strings. #violin #viola #fiddle #5stringfiddle #violinJameson #fiddlejamesen #violinmaker #luthier #cnc #cncviolinmaker #orchestra #fernandinabeach #ameliaisland #brunswickga #staugustine #stmarys #jacksonville #jaxsymphony #unfmusic #jumusic #luthier #whatsonmybench #violinist #symphony #florida #northflorida #Georgia #luthier #whatsonmybench #chambermusic #5string #firstcoast

December 8, 2018
Fiddle Jameson: Starting a new 5 string fiddle commission. Based on a 15 1/2 viola model. I want to have a big chocolate low C and still maintain the bright violin on the upper ranges

Fiddle Jameson: Starting a new 5 string fiddle commission. Based on a 15 1/2 viola model. I want to have a big chocolate low C and still maintain the bright violin on the upper ranges. #violin #viola #fiddle #5string #violinJameson #fiddlejamesen #violinmaker #luthier #cnc #cncviolinmaker

November 30, 2018