Cello Making Process

The slides below also take you through the process of building my first cello pictorially.

Finished at last! 9 months of hard work but sounds wonderful
Holding the bridge in position while fitting
Nut glued onto end of fingerboard
Saddle fitted
After rubbing some more artists oils
In the UV light box before I put the cover on
#1 cello after final colour coat
£12 mini fat fryer makes a perfect glue pot
The removable top and bottom layers of the form
After rubbing in and then rubbing off some artist oils (Burnt sienna and burnt umber)
#1 cello neck glued on ready for finishing
Just put on the 1st coat of coloured varnish
Sealed with shellac ready for 1st coat of varnish
After 10hrs fuming with ammonia
After 2 weeks of tanning
Neck nearly ready for gluing to the body
Neck joint dry assembled during fitting
Gluing the fingerboard to the neck
Fingerboard ready for finishing and gluing to neck
Edges rounded
Box al glued up
Gluing on the back
Gluing on the belly
The back glued on - inside view
Back mode #5 - final
Back mode #2 - final
Belly mode #5 - final
Belly Mode #2 - final
Mode #5
Bass bar glued in
Finished f-holes
F-holes roughly sawn out with a coping saw
Holes drilles with a forstner bit and opened out to correct diameter using tapered reamers
Marking out the f-holes on the back of the top
Belly mode 5 @121Hz
Belly mode 2 @ 56.8Hz
Back mode 5 @121H
Fluting rough carved
Fluting rough cut on the scroll
Basic scroll and pegbox carved
Rough cut the neck to allow the wood to settle
Just starting to carve the scroll
Fitting the bass bar with chalk
Belly roughed out
Belly - Guide holes drilled to give correct thickness profile
Belly - Channels marked out with purfling cutter. Corners have to be finished by hand.
Belly - Purfling slot cut
Purfling in and channels roughly cut
Rough forming the belly
Belly - Nearly there
Belly after rough cutting out with bandsaw and finishing to size with vertical oscillating sander
Finished hollowing the back
After first round of rough hogging out
Desired thickness contours marked on inside of back
Channels cut and started to fair them in with scrapers
1st 2 pieces of purfling glued in
All purfling channels cut ready for gluing up
Purfling after slicing up on the bandsaw
Getting ready
Start of cutting a channel
Closer still
Getting closer
The maple back - starting to chisel the profile after levelling the back
The spruce top after glueing the two halves
Clamping linings using home-made peg clamps
Half the linings installed on one side
Gluing up
After trimming the corners
Marking desired profile onto corner and end blocks
Corners before carving
C bout after gluing
All ribs bent
Gluing up the C bout
Corner blocks after shaping
The form with blocks glued in position
Centre part of the form with dowels to locate the removable top and bottom layers. Also shown is the template.
Designs pinned to workshop wall
Neck design
The ff hole design
Finished plan

Follow the links below for a more detailed view of the process from end to end:

Design

Building the form

The ribs

The back

The top

Plate tuning

The neck

Assembly

Finishing

Setup

Music is the gateway to the soul