The top of this lute was severely damaged; beyond the point of repair. Together with the client I decided the best approach would be to replace the top entirely.
- Damage Assessment
- Damage Assessment
- Finding the Cause for the Damage
- Drawing the Rosette
- Making the New Top
- Thicknessing the New Top
- Thicknessing the Rosette Area
- Judging Thickness by Translucency
- Judging Thickness by Translucency
- Rosette Carving Tools
- Carving the Rosette
- Checking for Symmetry
- Continuing the Carving
- Cleaning up the Rosette
- Cleaning Up the Rosette
- Clean-up Complete
- Carving the Bas-relief
- Carving the Circular “Frame”
- The circular ornament near completion
- The Finished Rosette
- The Finished Rosette
- Reinforcing the Rosette
- Reinforcing the Rosette
- Reinforcing the Rosette
- Glueing Rosette Braces
- Glueing Rosette Braces
- Reinforcement Completed
- Making the Braces
- Making the Braces
- Making the Braces
- Making the Braces
- Making the Braces
- Clamping a Brace for Radiusing
- Planing the Glueing Surface
- Checking for Straightness
- The Radiused Brace in its Original Shape
- Verifying the Radius
- Verifying the Angle
- Relative Humidity and Bracing
- Relative Humidity and Bracing
- Glueing the Braces
- Glueing Treble & Bass Bars
- Glueing a Crack in the Body
- Glueing the Bridge
- Top Bracing Complete
- Top Bracing Complete
- Top Bracing Complete
- Top Bracing Complete
- Top Bracing Complete
- Rib Cracks
- Reference Label
- Verifying the Neck Angle After Completion
- Making the Neck Block Joint Reversible
- Cleaning Up the Inside
- Making Cauls
- Lute Top Replacement: After the Top was Glued
- Top Glueing Complete
- Finding the Wood for the Binding
- Resawing the New Binding
- Planing the Bindings
- Making the Bindings
- Transferring the Shape to the New “Corners”
- Shaping the New Fingerboard Ends
- The New Fingerboard Ends
- Cutting the Perimeter of the Binding Channels
- Cutting the Depth of the Binding Channels
- Finished Binding Channels
- The Fingerboard Ends Before Glueing
- Old-Fashioned Bending Iron with PID Controller
- Controlling Temperature on the Bending Iron
- Lute Maker’s Groove for Bending Fragile Binding
- Ready for Binding
- Fingerboard Extensions
- Binding the Top
- Finished Instrument
- Finished Instrument
- Finished Instrument