Howery Violins

Viola Primerose: Graduating the top plate of the viola. Could I use CNC for this work? yes. Would it provide the quality of sound I’m pursuing? no. While working down to 5mm even thickness in the graduating I often think to myself, “this is tedious work.” Then as the graduation moves thinner than 5mm the wood starts to come alive. Each stroke of the finger plane starts to have a distinct tone, and as each area gets thinner the sounds change more rapidly. Holding the plate up to a light illuminates the thin and thinner portions. The plane blade glides through the wood or starts to turn up curls necessitating a change of direction. Graduating by hand lets you see, feel, and hear the wood. Getting to know that specific piece of spruce. Knowing and understanding the wood will lead me in drawing out the tone of the plate, and eventually the tone and character of the completed instrument. With CNC you just know the dimensions, not the soul of the sound

Viola Primerose: Graduating the top plate of the viola. Could I use CNC for this work? yes. Would it provide the quality of sound I’m pursuing? no. While working down to 5mm even thickness in the graduating I often think to myself, “this is tedious work.” Then as the graduation moves thinner than 5mm the wood starts to come alive. Each stroke of the finger plane starts to have a distinct tone, and as each area gets thinner the sounds change more rapidly. Holding the plate up to a light illuminates the thin and thinner portions. The plane blade glides through the wood or starts to turn up curls necessitating a change of direction. Graduating by hand lets you see, feel, and hear the wood. Getting to know that specific piece of spruce. Knowing and understanding the wood will lead me in drawing out the tone of the plate, and eventually the tone and character of the completed instrument. With CNC you just know the dimensions, not the soul of the sound

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Viola Primerose: Graduating the top plate of the viola. Could I use CNC for this work? yes. Would it provide the quality of sound I’m pursuing? no. While working down to 5mm even thickness in the graduating I often think to myself, “this is tedious work.” Then as the graduation moves thinner than 5mm the wood starts to come alive. Each stroke of the finger plane starts to have a distinct tone, and as each area gets thinner the sounds change more rapidly. Holding the plate up to a light illuminates the thin and thinner portions. The plane blade glides through the wood or starts to turn up curls necessitating a change of direction. Graduating by hand lets you see, feel, and hear the wood. Getting to know that specific piece of spruce. Knowing and understanding the wood will lead me in drawing out the tone of the plate, and eventually the tone and character of the completed instrument.
With CNC you just know the dimensions, not the soul of the sound.

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William Howery

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