Cello Mould Almost Done

I've been working every Saturday, and it doesn't seem like it will end any time soon. I have my mould almost done. It is all sawn out. The coping saw actually worked really well. I'll have to see what kind of blade it is. It came with 4, that may last a long time, but it really cuts fast. I filed them down a little bigger than the line, and now I'm blending them in with the top and bottom patterns clamped in place. I used a really coarse rasp, and it worked like a charm on this composite stuff. I have this side done, and need to flip it over to do the other.

You can really see the taper on the ends. The length magnified the most. The three layers will help get the ribs bent in the right place. I don't want it looking all bent out of shape. One thing I noticed is that the Gaglianos are always pretty symmetrical.

I used a mask when cutting and filing this stuff; it makes a lot of dust. Then it is made with who knows what kind of glue; so it is best to err on safty. The top one by twos were planed down so the top pattern is on an angle that will taper the ribs 6-7 mm. This way I can have the ribs overhang the top and bottom by the same amount, and it will be easy to set up the blocks, and mark out the rib heights when they are glued on, so they don't get planed down too far. The block will glue directly on the one by twos, and will be on a taper too. That should not be too hard if I but the mould on blocks, and make up a marker to mark a cutting line.

I never thought about how big the blocks will be. I will scrounge around and see what I can find. The corners will be easy enough. The end blocks are a different story. What kind of wood do you guys like? I used poplar, not yellow poplar that is harder, and greener; but Populus that is light and kind of fuzzy. It files really nicely, but I don't have a file that long! I used spruce, but can't say that was anything special, just kind of a pain. I used some stuff that was all different colors, and had an interlocked grain for endblocks, but that was too small, and it is gone. Would just a 12 X chunk of quarter sawn willow be the best option? Problem is trying to find something that is quarterwawn.