Blocks Almost Done

I have a revelation: cellos are bigger than violins and violas. That was pretty profound wasn't it? I have the blocks glued on, and mostly shaped. The c bouts are finished up, and I left the upper and lower parts of the corners a little thick at the point. That way when I trim the c bouts ribs, they will have some support behind them. That works better.

I used my gouges for the roughing. I need some longer ones. These are knuckle smashers. They cut good though. To smooth them up I used a rasp. It worked great on the MDF form, but they only cut this wood against the grain. With the grain it just skips across. My other file, an Iwasaki, works great either way. I have a flat one and a half round one. They are really nice tools. I need to buy another set that are longer, and are coarser, for this kind of work. They might even be useful for the cello scroll and neck. I finish them up with at round block with snadpaper wrapped around it.

I need to make a cello size rib iron. I like the looks of the one that Joe Swenson showed on maestronet. I have one that works with a heat gun too, but it is too small for a cello. I also need to make a couple of roughing planes up. I have the blades, now I need to cut some wood. The blades are A-9 (I think) and 60rc. Does anyone know anything about A-9 blades? I know that they are very easy to sharpen, but that's it.