Will’s Blog Posts:
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Playing Violin Karl in Nature: Emily Dickinson (1830–86). Complete Poems. 1924. Part Two: Nature LXXV OF all the sounds despatched abroad, There ’s not a charge to me Like that old measure in the boughs, That phraseless melody The wind does, working like a hand 5 Whose fingers comb the sky, Then quiver down, with tufts of tune Permitted gods and me. When winds go round and round in bands, And thrum upon the door, 10 And birds take places overhead, To bear them orchestra, I crave him grace, of summer boughs, If such an outcast be, He never heard that fleshless chant 15 Rise solemn in the tree, As if some caravan of sound On deserts, in the sky, Had broken rank, Then knit, and passed 20 In seamless company.
Playing Violin Karl in Nature: Emily Dickinson (1830–86). Complete Poems. 1924. Part Two: Nature LXXV OF all the sounds despatched abroad, There ’s not a charge to me Like that old measure in the boughs, That phraseless melody The wind does, working like a hand 5 Whose fingers comb the sky, Then quiver down, with…
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Home sweet home!!! I’m in Michigan with my wife’s family for a medical emergency. Violins evacuated, our cats are watching my tools… Many friends in the midst of Matthew… hoping for the best
Home sweet home!!! I’m in Michigan with my wife’s family for a medical emergency. Violins evacuated, our cats are watching my tools… Many friends in the midst of Matthew… hoping for the best!! #fernandinabeach #ameliaisland
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Violin Juliet, bass bar shaped and tuned back to the free plate harmonics
Violin Juliet, bass bar shaped and tuned back to the free plate harmonics. #luthier #violinmaker #violinjuliet #savannah #jacksonville #ameliaisland #stmarys #brunswick
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Violin Juliet working on the F-holes
Violin Juliet working on the F-holes. #violin #violinjuliet #stmarys #saintaugustine #georgia #ameliaisland #violinmaker #luthier #jacksonville #savannah
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Starting Juliet’s volute as tropical storm Julia passes overhead
Starting Juliet’s volute as tropical storm Julia passes overhead. #florida #fernandinabeach #luther #violinmaker #georgia #saintaugustine #stmarys #violinjuliet #violin
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Juliet, laying out the F-Holes
Juliet, laying out the F-Holes. #violin #luthier #violinmaker #violinjuliet #brunswick #savannah #stmarys #jacksonville #saintaugustine #florida #georgia
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First color varnish on Ivan
First color varnish on Ivan. #violinivan #luthier #violinmaker #violin #Georgia #Florida #NorthFlorida #saintaugustine #jacksonville #stmarys #savannah #brunswick
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New York Times article review on applying technology to Craftsmanship
I found this article last week in the New York Times August 28th Edition. The article was title , “Packing Technology into the Timeless Barrel” (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/28/business/packing-technology-into-the-timeless-barrel.html?_r=0). The article discussed how barrel making has not essentially changed for the past several hundred years, much like violin making. However the industry and competitive forces have changed, and…
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I found this article last week in the New York Times August 28th Edition. The article was title , “Packing Technology into the Timeless Barrel” (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/28/business/packing-technology-into-the-timeless-barrel.html?_r=0). The article discussed how barrel making has not essentially changed for the past several hundred years, much like violin making. However the industry and competitive forces have changed, and companies are applying technology to optimize the barrel making process. The end result is higher-quality barrels tailor made for specific uses. Over the past year-plus I have been applying CNC technology to the beginning phases of the violin making process. The CNC machine can accurately replicate the beginning rough-out processes for the violin body and neck. The machine cannot do the intimate and labor-intensive plate tuning, fitting, finishing and varnishing; that must be done by hand. A CNC machine is a way to compete with cheaper labor, but only where technology is applied appropriate. Let there be no misunderstanding, a quality violin has to be done by hand for the majority of the work. Violins are made from wood, a natural material, the source material varies by nature and the violin maker must account for these variances. The New York Times article mentioned this raw material variance aspect related to barrel making as well. The New York Times article closed with this Quote, “Skilled Craftsmen still build a barrel by hand. …You can’t just computerize it…you can use automation but in the end every barrel is going to be a little different”.. Likewise with the violin, we can use computerized technology and advanced acoustical analysis. But, in the end each violin will ultimately be crafted by hand and will be a unique violin representative of the individual maker’s skill#savannah
I found this article last week in the New York Times August 28th Edition. The article was title , “Packing Technology into the Timeless Barrel” (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/28/business/packing-technology-into-the-timeless-barrel.html?_r=0). The article discussed how barrel making has not essentially changed for the past several hundred years, much like violin making. However the industry and competitive forces have changed, and…
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The spreader fell out of the frog on my chamber group cellist’s bow. Now she has a new spreader in her frog. The past few days I’ve been very busy working on the CNC models for my new viola. This consist primarily of computer work and machining. Today I thought would be it nice to focus on some actual handson Craftsmanship. I’m also going to do a little varnishing before I get back to the computer modeling. Craftsmanship is so much more rewarding
The spreader fell out of the frog on my chamber group cellist’s bow. Now she has a new spreader in her frog. The past few days I’ve been very busy working on the CNC models for my new viola. This consist primarily of computer work and machining. Today I thought would be it nice to…