Violin Maker Joe Thrift

MAJOR FUNDING FOR "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP" IS PROVIDED BY... MORE THAN 40 MILLION PEOPLE WHO CARE FOR THEIR CARS AND HOMES CHOOSE STATE FARM FOR THEIR INSURANCE.

STATE FARM--A PROUD SUPPORTER OF "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP."

HEY.

HELLO AGAIN.

WELCOME BACK TO "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP."

I'M ROY UNDERHILL.

SO GLAD YOU COULD BE WITH ME AGAIN TODAY.

NOW, MOST FOLKS, IF THEY HAD A FINE OLD-TIME STRING BAND LIKE THE DRAWKNIVES HERE PLAYING IN THEIR SHOP, WHY, THEY'D JUST BE HAPPY TO HEAR THE MUSIC.

BUT NO, I'VE GOT TO ASK THESE MUSICIANS IF ONE OF THEM WILL SHOW ME HOW TO MAKE THEIR FINE INSTRUMENT.

NOW, WHICH ONE SHALL I CHOOSE?

I COULD ASK TOM RICCIO HOW TO MAKE A BANJO.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

NO, THAT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN.

ALL RIGHT.

WELL, LET'S SEE.

KELLEY BREIDING, HOW ABOUT YOU?

KELLEY, WON'T YOU SHOW ME HOW TO MAKE THAT BIG OLD BASS FIDDLE?

NO?

THAT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN.

WELL, I HAVE TO CHOOSE SOMEONE ELSE HERE.

THERE YOU GO, NICK.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

YOU GONNA HELP ME OUT, MAKE A GUITAR?

WELL, THAT LEAVES ONLY ONE CHOICE.

I RECKON WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO GO TO THE FIDDLE, AND THE MAN TO SHOW US HOW TO MAKE THE FIDDLE IS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE.

HIS NAME IS JOE THRIFT.

COME ON DOWN, JOE.

YES, SIR.

HA HA HA!

FINE MUSICIAN AND A LUTHIER.

[PLAYING FIDDLE] YEAH.

EXCELLENT, JOE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

THANK YOU ALL.

THANK YOU, DRAWKNIVES, THERE.

NOW WE HAVE GOT A FIDDLE THAT YOU HAVE MADE, JOE THRIFT.

I DID MAKE IT.

YEAH, IT'S BEAUTIFUL.

AND YOU, OF COURSE, STUDIED AROUND THE WORLD, STUDIED IN EUROPE HOW TO MAKE-- STUDIED IN ENGLAND, WENT TO SCHOOL THERE.

AND THIS IS A COPY OF A STRADIVARIUS, EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE PLAYING OLD-TIME AMERICAN STRING MUSIC?

THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.

WONDERFUL.

AND WHAT KIND OF WOOD?

THIS IS BEAUTIFUL.

THE TOP, LIKE ALL SOUNDBOARDS OF STRINGED INSTRUMENTS, IS SPRUCE, AND THE BACKSIDES AND NECK ARE CURLY MAPLE.

I ALWAYS HEAR ABOUT "FIDDLE BACK" MAPLE, AND THIS IS WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT.

THAT'S EXACTLY IT RIGHT THERE.

MAKING THE BACK OF THE FIDDLE.

ALL RIGHT.

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT TAKES, LIKE, 2 MONTHS TO MAKE.

I KNOW.

IS THAT RIGHT?

WE DON'T HAVE THE TIME.

NO, WE'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE ONE NOW, BUT AT LEAST YOU CAN DEMYSTIFY SOME OF THE STEPS IN MAKING A FIDDLE, A VIOLIN.

ALL RIGHT.

NOW, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU HAVE GOT ONE ALREADY--THIS IS WHERE WE'RE GOING TO PICK IT UP, RIGHT HERE?

ALL RIGHT.

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE SO FAR?

THIS IS THE MOLD THAT I SHAPE THE SIDES ON.

SO THE WAY I DO IT IS I PLACE THESE BLOCKS IN AND TACK THEM IN POSITION.

ALL RIGHT, AND SO THIS IS THE MOLD HERE.

LITTLE SHOULDERS CUT OUT THERE.

AND YOU TACK THOSE IN.

ALL RIGHT.

AND THAT'S THE FIRST STAGE.

AND YOU MEAN TACK THEM IN WITH GLUE?

TACK THEM IN WITH HIDE GLUE.

THAT WAY THEY CAN BE POPPED APART REAL EASILY.

AND THEN I USE THIS INSIDE-GROUND GOUGE... UH-HUH.

TO SHAPE THAT CURVE.

AND WHAT KIND OF WOOD IS THIS?

THIS IS WILLOW.

REALLY?

OH, IT'S... WE GOT MAPLE ON THE BACK AND SIDES, AND THEN THE SOUNDBOARD IS SPRUCE.

RIGHT.

AND THEN WILLOW.

WHY WILLOW FOR THE CORNER BLOCKS?

WILLOW IS REALLY LIGHTWEIGHT, AND THE GRAIN STRUCTURE DOESN'T TEAR OUT AND SPLIT OUT THE WAY PINE DOES.

I SEE.

SO IT'S LIGHT AND EASY TO MOVE, TOO, I GUESS, WITH THE SOUND.

SO THAT GETS GLUED IN THERE, AND...ALL RIGHT, THAT'S ALL DONE.

AS WE SKIP THAT STAGE, WHAT'S NEXT?

NEXT, I GET THE SIDES LIKE THIS.

THEY'RE, LIKE, TWICE AS THICK AS I WANT THEM TO BE.

SO I TAKE THIS SCRAPER HERE AND SCRAPE THE SURFACE ON ONE SIDE PERFECTLY SMOOTH, AND THEN I COME BACK WITH A TOOTH PLANE BLADE IN MY BLOCK PLANE.

I CAN SEE THE LITTLE SERRATIONS THERE.

YEAH.

SO YOU USE A TOOTH PLANE.

WHY IS THAT?

IT KEEPS FROM TEARING OUT-- THE CURL IN THE MAPLE WILL TEAR OUT WITH A REGULAR PLANE BLADE.

SO THIS IS VERY DIFFICULT GRAIN TO WORK?

YES.

REALLY HARD.

SO YOU GET IT DOWN THIN, AND NOW, I GUESS, THAT'S GOT TO BE BENT TO THAT SHAPE, AND YOU START WITH THIS INSIDE CORNER FIRST?

EXACTLY RIGHT.

THAT'S CALLED THE C-BOUT.

NOW, CAN I HELP YOU WITH THIS?

YOU'VE GOT SOME CLOTH HERE ON YOUR BENDING IRON THERE.

YEAH.

THE HARD PART IS KEEPING THE CLOTH STRAIGHT.

ALL RIGHT.

HAVE WE GOT IT?

SO JUST...LIKE THIS AND LIKE THIS.

ALL RIGHT.

WHOO!

GOSH, THAT'S HOT.

IT'S VERY HOT.

OK.

SO THAT'S GOING TO PUT STEAM INTO THE WOOD.

YES.

AND YOU'VE GOT THAT BACKING PLATE.

OOP.

LET'S SEE.

YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER PIECE OF WOOD.

I THOUGHT, GEE, THE WOOD'S ON THE WRONG SIDE THERE.

SO, ALL RIGHT.

SO THE BACKING PLATE, WHAT DOES THAT DO?

THAT KEEPS THE WOOD BENDING UNIFORMLY.

OTHERWISE, YOU GET FACETS IN THE SIDE.

OH, THAT'S GREAT.

OH, THIS IS WONDERFUL.

NOW, YOU USUALLY DO THIS OUT AT YOUR SHOP IN THE WOODS THERE.

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WOODS.

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WOODS.

SO FIDDLE MAKING IS NOT SOMETHING YOU DO WITH FOLKS AROUND, BUT IT'S GREAT.

I APPRECIATE YOU COMING AND SHOWING US HOW TO DO THIS.

GLAD TO.

SO I'M STEAMING IT LIKE THAT.

THAT'S A HARD, HARD BEND.

SO IT'S STEAMED BENT.

ALL RIGHT.

LET ME GET RID OF THAT.

AND I'M DRYING THAT STEAM OUT AND SHAPING THE RIB LIKE THIS.

AND I SEE HOW THAT WORKS.

SO THAT METAL BAND AROUND THE WOOD KEEPS IT FROM KINKING BECAUSE THE FIDDLEBACK FIGURE IS STRONGER AND WEAKER, STRONGER AND WEAKER.

EXACTLY RIGHT.

AND I'M JUST HOLDING THAT UNTIL IT'S FORMED THAT SHAPE.

AND IT'LL JUST HOLD THAT SHAPE.

I'LL BE DARNED.

LOOK AT THAT.

SO THAT'S GOOD AND DRY.

SO THAT'S... AND THAT CURVE, THAT'S OBVIOUSLY WHAT GIVES IT STRENGTH.

LIKE A SHAKER BOX, YOU COULD ABOUT STAND ON THAT.

EXACTLY.

ALL RIGHT, AND SO NOW THAT'S GOING TO GO INTO THIS MOLD HERE.

INTO THE MOLD.

AND GLUE ONTO THE BLOCKS.

RIGHT.

SO WE HAVE YOUR HIDE GLUE TO GLUE ONTO THE BLOCKS.

AND NOW WHAT?

HA HA!

SO WE-- WE'VE DONE ABOUT 3 WEEKS OF WORK THERE.

WE'VE GOT THESE THAT ARE CALLED LININGS, AND THIS GIVES YOU SOME EXTRA GLUING SURFACE BECAUSE THE SIDES ARE SO THIN.

WHEN YOU GLUE THE TOP AND THE BACK ON, IT GIVES YOU EXTRA GLUING SURFACES.

SO THIS COMES...OK. AND IT'S ONLY A QUARTER-INCH BY AN EIGHTH-INCH.

YEAH, THAT'S ABOUT RIGHT.

YEAH.

AND THAT'S KIND OF LED INTO THE BLOCK THERE.

WHAT KIND OF WOOD IS THIS HERE, THE LINING?

I'M USING POPLAR.

POPLAR AND WILLOW ARE SORT OF INTERCHANGEABLE FOR ME IN BLOCKS AND LININGS.

ALL RIGHT.

SO, LET'S SEE.

NOW, WHAT STAGE ARE WE AT NOW?

WE'VE GOT THE SIDES ON.

OK.

SO NOW WE NEED TO JOIN THE TOP AND THE BACK.

AND I RECEIVE THE WOOD IN A BLANK LIKE THIS.

AND THIS IS A VERY OLD PIECE.

LONG AIR-DRIED FOR DECADES.

YEAH.

THIS IS 1982 HERE.

AND THEN I'M RE-SAWING THAT.

RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE?

RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE SO IT'S LIKE THIS.

OPENS UP LIKE A BOOK.

EXACTLY.

BOOK MATCH.

EXACTLY.

AND IT'S STILL HIGH IN THE MIDDLE THERE.

YOU'VE GOT THICKER IN THE MIDDLE PART.

AND THAT GIVES YOU YOUR ARCHING HEIGHT WHEN YOU'RE SHAPING THE ARCH.

SO STEP BY STEP, YOU CAN DO THIS.

ALL RIGHT.

YEAH.

SO I'M JOINING THIS.

I'M USING A HAND PLANE TO GET BOTH SURFACES TOTALLY FLAT TO EACH OTHER.

AND THEN I'M DOING WHAT'S CALLED A RUB JOINT, WHICH IS I PLACE THE BOTTOM IN THE VISE, PUT THE GLUE ON, AND I RUB LIKE THIS UNTIL I RUB THE GLUE OUT, AND THE FINAL RESTING PLACE IS WHERE IT STAYS.

YOU DON'T PUT ANY CLAMPS ON IT.

AND AFTER A FEW HOURS, IT'S READY TO GO.

BUT THERE CAN'T BE ANY KIND OF ERROR THERE THAT YOU TRY AND SQUEEZE OUT WITH THE CLAMPS.

NO.

IT'S GOT TO BE PERFECT.

YEAH.

WELL, LET'S SEE.

NOW, THIS IS ANOTHER PIECE ALL DONE UP.

THE GLUE HAS DRIED, AND IT'S THE MAPLE.

YES.

AND I'LL TAKE MY PLANE THAT I JOINED THOSE WITH, AND I'LL FLATTEN THIS SURFACE TOTALLY FLAT TO MARK MY OUTLINE ON.

ALL RIGHT.

AND I SEE YOU'VE GLUED LITTLE SUPPORTING BLOCKS UNDER THERE.

RIGHT.

JUST TO KEEP SO I CAN PUT PRESSURE ON WITH THE PLANE.

SO YOU NEED THAT.

THIS IS SOMETHING.

IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO LEARN THIS, YOU CAN'T LEARN THIS FROM A BOOK.

THIS IS SOMETHING-- WELL, YOU COULD IF YOU HAD ENOUGH KNOWLEDGE ALREADY TO DO IT.

BUT THERE ARE SCHOOLS IN AMERICA, IN ITALY, AND I WENT TO SCHOOL IN ENGLAND.

THERE'S A SWISS SCHOOL.

THERE'S A FRENCH SCHOOL.

AND THEY HAVE DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES, TOO, I GUESS, FOR MAKING THESE.

DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES.

THE FRENCH USE AN OUTSIDE MOLD.

THIS IS ITALIAN METHOD.

OH, ALL RIGHT.

AS IT SHOULD BE FOR A STRADIVARIUS.

RIGHT.

SO I'M LINING UP THE CENTER JOINTS OF MY RIB STRUCTURE AND THE TOP AND BACK.

AND I HAVE A LITTLE WASHER THAT I HAD MADE, AND THIS GIVES ME THE EXACT OVERHANG THAT I WANT.

I'M USING A SCRIBE TO JUST GO AROUND, THE OUTLINE LIKE THIS.

IT ROLLS AROUND AND GIVES YOU THE EXACT OVERHANG YOU WANT ALL THE WAY AROUND.

SO THAT'S--WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS THIS OVERHANG, THE FRONT AND THE BACK.

RIGHT.

AND THE THING ABOUT THE OVERHANG IS IT PROTECTS THE SIDES OF THE INSTRUMENT.

THERE ARE VIOLINS THAT ARE 450 YEARS OLD THAT ARE STILL AROUND.

THERE ARE RARE OCCASIONS OF A GUITAR OR A LUTE FROM THAT PERIOD.

ALL JUST BECAUSE OF THAT BUMPER?

YEAH.

THE SIDES ARE SO DELICATE, AND THESE TAKE THE KNOCK.

ALL RIGHT.

A PURPOSE TO EVERYTHING.

SO I'M GLAD WHOEVER THOUGHT OF THAT-- STRADIVARIUS THOUGHT OF THESE THINGS.

ALL RIGHT.

SO WE'VE GOT THAT LAID OUT.

NOW, IS THAT THE WAY THAT STRADIVARIUS DID IT, WITH THAT ROLLING WASHER?

STRAD ACTUALLY HAD-- HIS WERE MADE OF IVORY.

THIS IS MADE OF EBONY.

AND IT DOES THE EXACT SAME THING.

AND IT SAYS "2 MIL."

SO THAT GIVES YOU THE SAME...

IT GIVES ME MY OVERHANG THERE AS WELL, BUT THIS IS A LITTLE MORE CUMBERSOME FOR ME TO USE PERSONALLY.

ALL RIGHT.

NEW TRADITIONS COMING IN ALL THE TIME.

YES.

THAT'S IT.

YOU GOT IT.

ALL RIGHT.

SO NOW IT'S GOT TO BE CUT OUT.

SO IT'S FRET-SAW WORK TO CUT THE SHAPE.

RIGHT.

SO, I'VE CUT IT OUT.

I CUT MY OUTLINE OUT.

AH.

AND THEN I'VE MARKED AN EDGE THICKNESS ON WITH A GAUGE, AND THAT GIVES ME A GUIDE TO HOW DEEP I CAN CARVE WHEN I'M CARVING THE OUTSIDES.

ALL RIGHT.

AND THAT'S THE NEXT STAGE.

YOU TAKE THAT ANGLED ARCH AND PEAKED ARCH AND MAKE IT A SMOOTH ROUNDNESS.

ALL RIGHT.

EXACTLY.

LET'S SEE.

CAN I HELP YOU GET ANYTHING OUT OF THE WAY HERE?

GOSH.

WE'VE STILL GOT THAT.

AND YOU'RE READY TO CARVE?

SO I'M GOING TO CARVE A LITTLE BIT ON THIS TOP AND JUST SHOW YOU WHAT I DO.

YOU'RE STARTING DOWN THERE.

SO YOU'VE GOT A GUIDELINE ON THE SIDE.

RIGHT.

AND JUST REALLY WITH YOUR OUT-CANNELED GOUGE, JUST CUTTING RIGHT ACROSS THE GRAIN.

YEAH.

YOU ALWAYS CUT ACROSS THE GRAIN.

IT'LL SPLIT OUT ON YOU OTHERWISE.

AND YOU CAN REALLY GET IT WITH A GOUGE LIKE THIS.

NOW, WHO'S THE GENTLEMAN YOU STUDIED WITH IN GERMANY?

THAT WAS ROGER HARGRAVE.

HE'S A WORLD-FAMOUS VIOLIN MAKER... IDENTIFIER, CONNOISSEUR OF VIOLINS.

AND HIS PARTNER, BERTRAND BOWEN, A FRENCH GUY, THEY JUST WERE REALLY GREAT WITH ME, AND GAVE ME A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT I NEVER LEARNED IN SCHOOL.

OH, THAT'S GREAT.

IT'S WONDERFUL WHEN CRAFTSMEN ARE GENEROUS, BECAUSE THEY CAN TRY AND KEEP THIS STUFF SECRET.

YES.

TOTALLY.

TOTALLY.

ALL RIGHT.

SO THAT'S CARVED DOWN.

SO IT'S ROUGH CARVING.

RIGHT.

SO I'M GOING TO GET THE TOP AND THE BACK.

THIS IS A BACK TO A 5-STRING I'M WORKING ON., AND I'M GETTING THEM BOTH CARVED ROUGHLY TO THIS STAGE.

ALL RIGHT.

AND THEN I'M COMING BACK WITH THIS TOOTH THUMB PLANE.

I MADE THIS PLANE.

THAT'S WHAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT BEFORE.

IT HAS THIS KIND OF-- IT'S A SHARP BLADE, BUT IT'S SERRATED, SO THERE'S LOTS OF LITTLE SHARP BLADES IN A ROW.

RIGHT, AND YOU CAN, WITH THE PINE AND THE MAPLE, YOU CAN PRETTY MUCH GO IN ANY DIRECTION THAT YOU WANT TO, AND IT JUST RIDES OVER ALL THOSE BUMPS AND TOTALLY SMOOTHES IT UP.

SO OUT OF ROUGHNESS COMES SMOOTHNESS.

EXACTLY.

YEAH.

SO THAT ROUGH TOOTH PLANE.

ALL RIGHT.

BUT YOU CAN'T LEAVE THAT AS THE FINAL SURFACE.

NO.

SO THEN, IT'S A SCRAPER FINISH.

EVERYTHING ON THE FIDDLE, I USE THIS SCRAPER THAT I CAN FLEX, AND IT RIDES OVER ALL THE BUMPS AND CUTS LIKE A PLANE.

AND TAKES IT ON DOWN.

IS THAT THE FINAL SURFACE YOU DO FOR THE FINISH HERE?

THE SCRAPER IS THE FINAL FINISH ON EVERYTHING-- THE BACK, EVERYTHING EXCEPT FOR THE ROUNDING OF THE EDGE AND THE ROUNDING OF THE NECK.

YOU DON'T SAND IT?

NO.

THE SANDPAPER CLOGS THE PORES, AND THE REFLECTIVE PROPERTIES OF THE WOOD DON'T SHOW THROUGH THE VARNISH.

SO ALL RIGHT.

WELL, VERY GOOD.

SO A SCRAPER FINISH ON DOWN.

SO NOW I NOTICE THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE ON HERE.

YOU'VE GOT THAT KIND OF PURFLING.

ARE YOU READY FOR THAT YET?

OR YOU HAVE TO CHECK THE GAUGE SIZE?

ARE YOU...

I DON'T KNOW THE STAGES HERE.

NO.

SO WE'RE READY FOR THE PURFLING.

A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK IT'S PAINTED ON.

YEAH.

THIS BLACK LINE THAT GOES ALL THE WAY AROUND.

IT'S ACTUALLY 3 PIECES OF WOOD THAT HAVE BEEN LAMINATED TOGETHER, AND I CUT A CHANNEL OUT AND INLAY THAT IN.

AND IT'S PROTECTION FOR THE EDGE.

IT KEEPS CRACKS FROM CONTINUING.

IT WOULD SEEM TO ME THAT A GROOVE CUT THROUGH THE EDGE OF THE WOOD WOULD WEAKEN IT, BUT IT STRENGTHENS IT.

YEAH, AND YOU'RE TOTALLY FILLING THAT GROOVE UP WITH WOOD AND JUST A TEENY BIT OF GLUE.

SO, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE REPLACING IT.

LET'S SEE HOW YOU DO THAT THERE, BECAUSE THAT'S CALLED PURFLING.

THAT'S PURFLING.

AND TO CUT THE CHANNEL, I USE THIS DOUBLE-EDGED CUTTER.

OK.

SO 2 LITTLE TINY CUTTERS AND A BRASS FENCE.

AND I'M RUNNING THE FENCE AGAINST THE SIDE OF THE INSTRUMENT.

SO THAT CUTTER HEAD-- THE FENCE HANGS OVER.

RIGHT.

AND I'M JUST... OH, VERY DELICATE.

CUTTING AND TRYING-- THIS IS REALLY MOSTLY A MARKING GAUGE, RATHER THAN THE CUTTING TOOL.

SO I'M MARKING WITH THAT.

AND THEN I HAVE A SCALPEL BLADE THAT I HAVE JUST IN A HANDLE, AND I USE THAT TO MAKE THE GROOVES DEEPER AND DEEPER.

I SEE YOU'RE PUSHING AWAY FROM YOU.

I PUSH AWAY BECAUSE IF YOU'RE PULLING BACK THIS WAY, YOUR HAND'S IN THE WAY.

YOU CAN'T ACTUALLY SEE THE MARKS THAT YOU'VE MADE WITH THE CUTTER.

SO YOU NEED A ROUNDED FLEXIBLE BLADE.

RIGHT.

AND IT'LL FOLLOW THE CURVE ALL THE WAY AROUND.

AND YOU JUST MAKE A SERIES OF CUTS DEEPER AND DEEPER AND DEEPER.

YOU'RE INLAYING ABOUT HALF THE THICKNESS OF THIS EDGE.

OH, ALL RIGHT.

SO...ONCE I'VE MARKED LIKE THAT, I'M USING THIS SMALL LITTLE CHISEL I MADE THAT JUST CHISELS OUT THE WOOD.

NOW, I SEE YOU'RE LEVERING OVER YOUR THUMB.

IS THAT THE WAY YOU DO IT?

I'M...YEAH.

I CAN GUIDE IT AND JUST PUSH UP LIKE THAT.

I LIKE THAT.

IT'S LIKE DENTAL WORK.

THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.

YEAH.

ALL RIGHT.

SO I GET THE CHANNEL CUT.

AND I HAVE A PIECE OVER HERE-- THIS ONE'S READY TO GO?

ALL RIGHT.

I LOVE THIS.

YOU'VE GOT ALL THESE FIDDLES, IN DIFFERENT STAGES.

SO, ALL RIGHT, I'M GOING TO TRY TO DO A CORNER HERE.

YOU WANT TO DO THAT ONE RIGHT THERE?

YEAH.

I'VE PRE-BENT THE PURFLING.

SO I'M JUST GOING TO TRY TO... SEE HOW ACCURATE I CAN BE HERE.

SO JUST WITH YOUR KNIFE?

YES.

I'M CUTTING A LITTLE MITER JOINT WITH WHAT'S CALLED THE BEE STING.

THE BEE STING?

YEAH, THE OUTSIDE-- IT'S JUST A LITTLE BIT LONGER OUTSIDE BLACK THAT GOES IN.

OH, AND THE REST, IT JUST-- THAT'S FLEXIBLEv ENOUGH TO BEND-- IT'S VERY FLEXIBLE.

SO YOU'RE ONLY BENDING THE TIGHT CURVES.

AND WE'VE GOT... ALL RIGHT.

THIS IS THE JOINING PIECE?

YES.

THIS IS FOR THE C-BOUT.

UH-HUH.

THE C-BOUT?

A LOT OF NAMES-- THIS IS CALLED THE LOWER BOUT, THE UPPER BOUT, AND THE C-BOUT IN VIOLIN MAKER'S TERMS.

AH.

ALL RIGHT.

AND IT BUTTS UP THERE.

AND THEN AGAIN ENOUGH FLEXIBILITY TO DO THAT TURN AND THEN MEASURE UP TO THIS.

AND THEN I WOULD MEASURE FOR THAT CURVE.

AND BEND ON THE SAME HOT BENDING IRON.

EXACTLY RIGHT.

EXACTLY RIGHT.

GREAT.

ALL RIGHT.

WOW.

THAT'S THE PURFLING.

ALL RIGHT.

WELL, THAT IS... AGAIN, THIS IS LIKE A MONTH'S WORK HERE TO THIS STAGE.

IS THAT RIGHT?

THAT...NOT QUITE A MONTH, BUT IT TAKES ME CLOSE TO 5 WEEKS TO DO THE ACTUAL WOODWORKING BEFORE I EVEN START DOING THE FINISH WORK.

OH, MY GOD.

OK. OH, AND THAT'S A WHOLE OTHER THING.

SO WE'VE GOT THE TOP, IT'S PURFLED.

THE TOP AND THE BACK ARE PURFLED, AND I'VE FINISHED MY ARCHING ON THE OUTSIDE., HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE THAT THE ARCHING IS PERFECT?

I MEAN, YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE THAT THICKNESS.

GOOD QUESTION, ROY.

GOOD QUESTION.

THIS HAS GOT TO HAVE-- I KNOW THE ARCHING IS FOR STRENGTH AND SO FORTH, BUT YOU CAN'T HAVE IT UNEVEN.

I'VE GOT THIS GIZMO THAT I MADE.

STRAD HAS ONE VERY SIMILAR TO THIS.

AND IT'S CALLED A CONTOUR GAUGE.

AND IT JUST GOES AROUND THE INSTRUMENT AND MAKES A CONTOUR ALL THE WAY AROUND.

SO IF THE LINE IT DRAWS IS EVEN, LIKE AN EVEN...

I GOT YOU.

AH.

LIKE THAT.

AND THAT LOOKS... THAT LOOKS PRETTY GOOD.

SO, YEAH, YOU CAN SEE WHERE IT GOES IN RIGHT THERE.

THAT'S A DIP.

IF IT GOES OUT, IT'S A LITTLE HIGH.

SO YOU WANT THESE LINES TO BE SMOOTH.

YEAH, AND YOU DO A SERIES OF THOSE ALL THE WAY TO THE CENTER, AND THAT GIVES YOU THE LOOK.

IT'S A GOOD TRICK.

IT'S JUST SIMPLE STEPS ALL THE WAY THROUGH, BUT THEY ADD UP TO THIS WONDERFUL INSTRUMENT.

SO, ALL OF THIS BEING DONE NOW, THE INSIDE IS STILL FLAT.

RIGHT.

SO I'M USING THE EXACT SAME GOUGE TO COME BACK, AND I TAKE IT DOWN TO JUST OVER THE THICKNESS, A COUPLE OF MILLIMETERS OVER THE THICKNESS THAT I WANT TO END UP AT, AND THEN I'VE GOT THIS INGENIOUS LITTLE TOOL HERE I CALL A THICKNESSING MACHINE.

STRAD HAD SOMETHING.

I MADE IT THIS BIG SO I COULD DO CELLOS.

OH, OK. STRAD HAD A VERY SIMILAR THING.

AND I USE THESE LITTLE... OH, OK. THAT LITTLE GAUGE WITH THE NUMBERS.

GAUGE, YES.

TO SET THIS POINT TO THE THICKNESS THAT I WANT.

AND THEN I JUST PUNCH A SERIES OF HOLES ALL OVER THE WHOLE BODY.

AND THEN I GOUGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THAT HOLE, AND I'M RIGHT AT THE THICKNESS I WANT TO BE.

SO IT'S A DEPTH INDICATOR.

I THINK PEOPLE BUILDING DUGOUT CANOES DO THE SAME THING.

THERE YOU GO.

ALL RIGHT.

SO, NOW THIS IS READY TO GLUE ON.

I HEAR YOUR BAND'S STARTING TO WARM UP.

THEY'RE WANTING ME BACK.

WELL, WE'LL GET-- LET'S GLUE IT UP, AND THEN WE CAN GO ON TO THE NECK.

SO I'VE FINISHED BOTH THE BACK AND THE TOP.

AND ONE AT A TIME, I GLUE THEM ON, USING THESE CLAMPS.

YOU SEE, IT'S GOT A LITTLE KIND OF A WASHER THERE.

RIGHT.

AND I'VE JUST GOT A SERIES OF THESE CLAMPS THAT GO ALL THE WAY AROUND THE INSTRUMENT.

OH, WONDERFUL.

ALL RIGHT.

SO THAT'S GOING TO BE THE BODY HERE, AND WE'VE GOT TO GO UP AND DO THE SCROLL, BUT I TELL YOU, BEFORE WE DO THAT, I WONDER IF YOU'D BE SO KIND AS TO INTRODUCE THE MEMBERS OF YOUR FINE BAND THERE.

I'D BE VERY HAPPY TO.

THIS IS MY GOOD BUDDY, SURVEYOR TOM RICCIO FROM WINSTON-SALEM.

KELLEY BREIDING ON THE BASS.

A GOOD FRIEND, CLOSE NEIGHBOR.

NICK McMILLIAN, GREAT GUITAR PLAYER, FIDDLER, BANJO PLAYER, YOU NAME IT.

WELL, THAT'S WONDERFUL.

THEY'RE ANXIOUS FOR YOUR TO GET BACK AND PLAY THE FIDDLE.

BUT FOLKS, WE'VE STILL GOT TO DO THE SCROLL ON THE NECK.

SO YOU'LL HAVE TO BE PATIENT NOW.

WE'RE GOING TO GET A LITTLE BIT MORE WORK DONE HERE, AND I'LL SEND HIM BACK TO YOU.

SO WE'VE GOT TO DO THIS.

THIS IS A REAL SIGNATURE OF THE VIOLIN, BUT AGAIN, YOU'RE COPYING A STRADIVARIUS.

IS THAT RIGHT?

THAT'S A STRAD, YES.

AH.

WONDERFUL.

ALL RIGHT.

AND IT'S BASED ON THE GOLDEN SPIRAL,, THE WHOLE...CALLED VOLUTES AROUND THERE.

SO I'M STARTING WITH A BLOCK OF WOOD LIKE THIS.

AH, MY GOSH.

ALL RIGHT.

SO, JUST THE SAME KIND OF "FIDDLE BACK" MAPLE.

YEAH.

CURLY MAPLE.

SAME THING.

TRY TO MATCH IT AS CLOSE AS YOU CAN TO WHAT YOU'VE DONE THE REST.

AND I PLANE THIS SURFACE FLAT AND SQUARE UP THE SIDES AND GET THEM PERFECTLY SQUARE SO THAT WHEN YOU DO THE LAYOUT, EVERYTHING IS PERFECTLY IN LINE.

NOW, THIS IS KIND OF THE TEMPLATE HERE FOR THAT SCROLL.

SO YOU'RE LOOKING AT SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN DONE IN TRADITION.

EXACTLY.

AND IT'S JUST A LITTLE PIECE OF FIBERBOARD WITH TINY LITTLE HOLES THROUGH IT THERE.

RIGHT.

AND THE HOLES...

I PRICK THROUGH THESE HOLES WITH A SCRIBE, AND THAT SHOWS ME THESE TURNS, THE VOLUTES.

AND THAT'S WHAT I'M CUTTING TO THEM WHEN I'M STARTING TO CUT THE SIDES DOWN AND SHAPE IT.

ALL RIGHT.

IS THAT WHAT YOU'VE GOT GOING HERE?

OR IS THERE A STEP IN BETWEEN NOW?

I CAN SEE THE LITTLE DOTS, AND YOU'VE GOT SAW CUTS, JUST STRAIGHT SAW CUTS.

EXACTLY.

I MADE SOME STRAIGHT SAW CUTS.

AND BASICALLY, I JUST CUT AS CLOSE AS I CAN TO THOSE MARKS.

WHOO.

OH, GOSH.

AND WATCH ON EACH SIDE-- I GUESS YOU DO.

SO YOU DON'T GO TOO FAR.

ALL RIGHT.

SO JUST LOTS OF SAW CUTS UP TO THAT LINE.

SO A LOT OF STRAIGHT LINES WILL ADD UP, AND NOW WHAT?

NOW YOU'VE GOT THAT THING-- I JUST TAKE A CHISEL..., AND JUST BUST IT OUT.

AND BUST IT OUT FAIRLY CLOSE TO THE LINE.

YOU'RE, LIKE, WORKING YOUR WAY UP THIS LITTLE TOWER OF BABEL.

IT'S KIND OF COOL, THIS SPIRAL COMING UP THERE.

AND IT'LL BUST OUT RIGHT DOWN TO THE SAW CUT USUALLY.

OH, MY GOSH.

I'VE NEVER HAD ANY TROUBLE RIGHT THERE.

IT'S FUNNY.

YOU'RE COPYING SOMETHING VERY, VERY OLD, BUT I GUESS THERE'S ENOUGH IN THE FINISHING AND THE STUFF LIKE THAT, PEOPLE CAN TELL A JOE THRIFT FIDDLE FROM SOMEONE ELSE'S?

SOMEBODY, IF THEY STUDY IT LONG ENOUGH, WILL DEFINITELY BE ABLE TO.

THEY FIGURE OUT YOUR STYLE OF CUTTING AND TOOL MARKS YOU LEAVE BEHIND, AND THEY CAN... REALLY?

A LOT OF DIFFERENT DEGREES OF THIS.

SO, LET'S SEE.

RIGHT, RIGHT.

SPEAKING OF TOOL MARKS, SO YOU'VE GOT THIS THING JUST ROUGHED IN.

NOW YOU'VE GOT TO DO A LITTLE BIT MORE TO BRING IT INTO THAT-- BECAUSE IT'S KIND OF SCALLOPED.

RIGHT.

SO WHAT I'M DOING-- THIS IS AFTER I'VE SMOOTHED ALL OF THAT UP.

AND I'VE GOT THE TURNS ALL-- SO I'M COMING BACK, AND I'M UNDERCUTTING.

SO YOU'RE JUST KIND OF HOLDING IT BY HAND THERE.

HOLDING IT BY HAND.

YEAH.

I GOT YOU.

JUST WORK IT ON IN.

WORK IT ALL THE WAY AROUND.

HA HA HA!

YEAH.

AND THEN WHEN I COME BACK, I JUST... AND THAT'S WHY YOU HAVE ALL THOSE DIFFERENT GOUGES, BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO HAVE DIFFERENT RADII.

THERE'S A COUPLE OF THE GOUGES YOU ONLY USE IN ONE REALLY SMALL LITTLE SPOT, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE 2-MILLIMETER SPOT, BUT IT'S THE PERFECT GOUGE FOR THAT ONE SPOT.

AND DOES THIS AGAIN GET A SCRAPER KIND OF FINISH?

IT TOTALLY GETS A SCRAPER FINISH.

I COME BACK WITH THIS SHAPE.

KIND OF A LITTLE BATWING.

RIGHT, AND IT CAN GET IN TO ALL OF THESE TIGHT AREAS, AND IT ACTUALLY, WHEN IT'S GOOD AND SHARP LIKE THAT... YOU CAN ACTUALLY TAKE SOME WOOD OFF AND REALLY SMOOTH IT UP.

SO I'M GETTING ALL OF THESE SURFACES TOTALLY SCRAPER FINISHED.

THAT'S A REAL KEY.

COULD YOU SHOW ME JUST REAL QUICK HOW YOU PUT THE EDGE BACK ON THAT SCRAPER?

BECAUSE IT'S A BEVEL-EDGE SCRAPER.

HAPPY TO.

MOST PEOPLE THAT USE THIS KIND OF DOUBLE IT., YOU WANT TO DO IT OVER HERE?

ALL RIGHT.

I'VE GOT A... CALLED A BURNISHER.

AND I'M FLATTENING THE BACKSIDE OF IT, WHERE THE BURR IS TURNED OVER.

I'VE GOT A BEVEL ON HERE LIKE THAT.

AND YOU JUST TURN THAT OVER.

AND I'M JUST TURNING THAT OVER, AND THAT GIVES YOU A NICE SHARP EDGE RIGHT THERE.

ALL RIGHT.

WELL, JOE, SPEAKING OF TURNING IT OVER, I BETTER TURN OVER YOUR FIDDLE TO YOU AND GET YOU BACK WITH THE GROUP HERE.

THEY'RE BEGGING FOR ME.

YOU'VE BEEN SO KIND, SHOWING US HOW TO MAKE A FIDDLE.

JOE THRIFT, THANKS SO MUCH.

WOULD YOU JOIN US?

I WILL.

I GOT MY BLUES HARP RIGHT HERE.

SO, HEY, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US RIGHT HERE IN "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP."

WE'RE GOING TO GO OUT WITH SOME TUNES FROM THE DRAWKNIVES HERE, SO I'LL JOIN IN.

THANK YOU.

SEE YOU NEXT TIME HERE IN "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP."

LEARN MORE ABOUT "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP" AND TRADITIONAL WOODWORKING ON OUR WEBSITE.

YOU CAN FIND US ON-LINE AT pbs.org.

MAJOR FUNDING FOR "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP" IS PROVIDED BY... ROY UNDERHILL IS THE AUTHOR OF "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP" AND OTHER BOOKS ABOUT TRADITIONAL WOODWORKING, PUBLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA PRESS AND AVAILABLE IN BOOKSTORES AND LIBRARIES.