A SEVEN COURSE LUTE UNDER CONSTRUCTION 2021
During the difficult lockdown months of early 2021, I was fortunate enough to have a lute to make. It kept me busy and sane. Photos of the project were posted on Facebook and were well received. Those photos are shown again below.
MOULD, RIBS AND ENDCLASP
Work starts with drawing a plan of the new instrument. From the plan, a mould is made and the lute will be built on this. Cherry ribs are cut, planed to thickness and bent. They are shaped on an inverted plane in the manner of a cooper. The front block and inner endclasp are attached to the mould and will become part of the lute. The ribs are added to the mould one by one, the joins reinforced by strong paper. The outer endclasp strengthens the stern and a label is added.
FINGERBOARD
In 2000, a neighbour's laburnum tree came down. I helped clear up and was given the largest part of the trunk. Laburnum is an unusual but good wood for fingerboards and does not need CITES protection.
BRIDGE
A pear plank purchased in north Wiltshire (from old Val, who, with less than 10 fingers, used to ride his logs as they approached his huge circular saw) in the 1970's has supplied me with wood for lute bridges since then. This is one of the last bridges to be made from that supply. I have more pear ready to use, but had to import from Switzerland as there were no longer any local sources.
NECK AND PEGBOX
The pegbox is tricky to make. It is tapered in several ways and there are few right angles. I use a jig to hold everything together as the glue dries and I use rope to glue the back onto the pegbox. It has sycamore sides and cherry blocks top and bottom. The back is also cherry. Later holes for the pegs will be added.
This neck is made of Wiltshire beech purchased in the mid 70's. The neck is planed to the correct taper, a joint cut between the front block and neck. Another joint cut to join the pegbox to the neck. Only after those are properly fitted, is the neck shaped.
PEGS
Lute pegs are best made from fruitwood. Unlike ebony and rosewood, they are compressible woods and the pegs stay in position well. These pegs are plum, often thought to be the best wood for pegs. In 2003, the wood came from a friends tree that had to come down. This is almost the last set of pegs to be turned from that supply. More plum is in store for future pegs.
It's best to turn plenty of pegs at a time. Unusual pegs can be discarded leaving a set that is uniform.
SOUNDBOARD
Acoustically, the soundboard is the most important piece of the lute. The wood (Swiss pine, piece Abies) grows in forests near the Alps. I keep soundboard halves in the workshop for five years before joining. Once joined, I leave it to hang in the eves. Usually, the soundboard is joined one instrument in advance. When required, the soundboard is planed to thickness(1.5 - 2.0mm) and in the area for the rose, even thinner at 1.0mm.
The rose designs are available from the Lute Society and are glued to the back of the soundboard. I cut out the shapes of the holes from the back with a scalpel. Further shaping is done from the front.
When the rose is complete, the soundboard can be cut to its final shape and the bridge attached. While gluing, the bridge is held in place by hazel rods. I call them go-poles.
The soundboard is strengthened by transverse bars, especially important over the thin area of the rose. The weight and stiffness of the resulting soundboard structure are vital to the tone of the lute. Once again go-poles are used, very useful as the bars are all different heights.
The last task before joining the body to the soundboard is to remove the shape for the points. These are fitted as the body and soundboard are glued together. Make sure not to leave anything inside!
FINISHING UP
The soundboard is trimmed to the size of the body. This edge is now very vulnerable to wear and can be protected by letting in a thin layer of hardwood veneer. Note how the bars are very hard to see through the rose as their visible edge is painted black before they are glued on.
The lute finished in the white. This means all woodwork is finished and everything is sanded to perfection and ready to varnish. On the right, the lute being varnished.
TASKS AFTER VARNISHING
After varnishing, the pegs are fitted, the cowbone nut made, gut frets tied on the fingerboard, strings fitted, the last four wooden frets glued in place and a turned end pin fitted.
FINISHED
