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TheLuteSociety:BuildingLuteOriginalMethods

THELUTESOCIETY:(/)BUILDINGLUTEORIGINALMETHODS

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BuildingaRenaissanceLuteusingoriginalmethodsaproject
reportbyAndrewAtkinson
OriginallyaseriesoflecturesgivenatmeetingsoftheLuteSociety,andpublished
inLuteNewsissues70,80,82.and87.
IattendedtheLondonInternationalEarlyMusicExhibitionafewyearsagoand
havingseenlutesthere,decidedIwouldliketobuildone.Iboughtsomeplans,and
wastoldIwouldneedtoolsincludingmaskingtape,aluminumforaribtemplate
andPVAgluetobuildalute.SoIstartedwonderinghowtheywouldhavebuilta
luteinthepast,andhavinglongbeeninterestedin"bygone"crafts,beganto
researchthisquestion.Ihadalreadycompletedacourseinmodernfretted
instrumentmakingattheLondonGuildhallUniversity,andappliedtodoaparttime
postgraduatecourse,withtheaim(initially)ofreconstructingastringedinstrument
maker"sworkshopofaround1590,whenDowlandwasplayingandcomposing.I
hesitatetousetheword"authentic"ofsuchaworkshopbecausethemoredeeplyI
gointothisquestionthemoreIrealiseallonecantalkaboutispossibilitiesand
probabilitiesastohowthingsweredone.Iamcomingtothisfromthepointofview
ofacollectorofandenthusiastforhistoricwoodworkingtools,andwouldwelcome
commentandcriticism.
Sowheredowebegin?Therearesomewrittensources,andsomeiconography,
thoughnottoomuchfrombeforethetimeofthe18thcenturyFrench
encyclopaedists.

Writtenandpictorialsources
Thisfirstpicturemanyreaderswillhaveseenbefore,thatisthepictureofa
lutemakerfromJostAmman"sBookofTrades,datingfromthe1560s(now
availableinaDoverreprint)andshowingalutemakerinhisworkshop,withsome
ofhistools.
Thisisinfacttheonlysurvivingpictureofalutemaker"sworkshopassuch.The
versebelowdescribesbendingwoodoveraform.Wecanseetwoplanes,two
chisels,amallet,agluepot,abenchandaratherniceaxandblock.Alutebacksits

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onthebench,andamould(perhaps?)forabowedinstrumenthangsonthewall
nexttoacompletedlute.
TheotherearlyguideisHenriArnaultofZwolle"slutedesign,fromhismanuscript
ofc.1450.

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DavidvanEdwardshasrecentlydiscussedthisplan,includinganexplanationofwhy
theshapeseemsslightlydifferentfromthoseweactuallyseeinlatemediaeval
picturesoflutes,inLuteNews69.Themanuscriptgivessomeusefulinformation,
includingtheuseofamould,theuseofahotiron,andtheuseofglueandpaper
stripstoreinforcethebackofthelute.
AthirdusefulsourceisMarinMersenne"sHarmonieUniverselle(1636)whichgives
informationonproportions,describestheuseof"woodennails"toholdtheribsonto
aform,andtheuseofasoundboardshapedpieceofwoodtokeepthecompleted
backinshape.
AfourthsourceisThomasMace,Musick"sMonument(1676),whichgivessome
informationofbasicrepairtoolsandmethods.Interestingly,morethantwo
centuriesafterArnaultofZwolle,hetoomentionstheuseofahotgluingironand
gluedpaperstrips,suggestingaverygooddealofcontinuityinmethodsoflute
making.
FinallyDiderot"sEncyclopedie(1765)hasgoodillustrationsoflutherie,butthisis
ratheralatesourceforourpurposes.Thewrittensourcesthenarehelpful,butare
fewandscattered,andinanycaseIthinkonecanbesurethat,astoday,different
lutemakersanddifferentworkshopsmusthaveuseddifferentmethodstoachieve
thesameend,makingitharderstilltotalkwithconfidenceabout"authenticity",let
aloneonedefinitivelyauthentictypeoflutemaker"sworkshop.Moreover,each
craftsmanwouldhavemademanyofhisownwoodworkingtools,givingriseto
furtherdiversity.
Besidesthesesourcesspecificallypertainingtolutherie,therearemanymore
generalsources.FortunatelyforourpurposesbothJoseph,fatherofJesus,and
Noah(whenhehadtobuildtheark)practicedcarpentry.Ithinkitisperfectly
reasonabletoassumethatlutemakerswouldhaveusedthegeneralwoodworking
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toolsoftheirdayasofcourselutemakersdotodaysowecanlooktopaintings
ofgeneralcarpentryforinformation.Ithinkalsothatpaintingsofcarpentersand
carpentrytoolsmustbeaccurate,becausepaintersmusthaveworkedcloselywith
woodworkers,forpaintersdidnotonlypaintfineartpaintingsoncanvasorpanels
intherenaissance.Forinstance,theartistsFrancescoandGiacopoBassano,painted
notonlypaintings,butbedsteads,murals,thetownclock,andsoon(soIhave
read)workingalongsidethewoodworkerswhomadetheseitems,andmany
painterspaintedpanelsoncarvedwoodenaltarpieces,soIthinkwecanassume
realfamiliaritywithwoodworkingtools.(IncidentallythereispaintingofNoah
buildingtheark,byLeonardoBassano,buttoodarktoreproducehere).
AveryusefulsourceisHieronymusWierix"sTheChildhoodofChrist.Wierixlived
from1550to1617,mostlyinAntwerp.Onthetitlepage,noticethebench,without
avicebutwithabenchstop,somesortofmarkinggaugelyingonthebench,frame
saw,planes,chisels,ruler,and(behindthetwohandedsawontheright)alongsaw
lookingratherlikeasword.
TitlepagefromHieromymusWierix"TheChildhoodofJesus"(c.1600)

InthispictureJesus,guardedbyguardianangels,isblowingbubbles,achildlike
activity,butalsoevokingsymbolismofthetransienceofhumanlife,whileMary
worksonapieceofcloth.Notetherackofchiselsonthewall,andtheframe,
compasses,andaplaneontheshelf.

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Toolsshownina16thcenturyintarsiaguildchest

Illustrationofjoiner'stoolsfromJosephMoxonMechanicsExercises(1683)
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Thissourceincludesasmallcurveditemonthebench,a"holdfast"(Toprightofthe
aboveimage)which,fittingintoaholeinthebench,wasusedtoholdapieceof
woodinplace,theBritishstylecoffinshapedsmoothingplane,andtheContinental
styleplaneswithshepherd"scrookhandles(thisprintseemstohavecopiedfroma
Frenchsource).Thescrewclamponthesideofthebench,andthehandsaw,
somethinglikeamodernone,werejustbeginningtocomeinatthisperiodthe
late17thcentury.
JostAmman"sBookofTradesshowsajoiner"sworkshopaswellasalutemaker"s,
withaframesaw,somesortofmarkinggauge,woodensquares,andplanesthe
planingbeingdoneagainstabenchstop.Healsoshowscarpentersatwork
outdoorshewingbeamsandmakingatimberframeforabuilding.Ammanalsohas
apictureofcoopers,andIthinkthisisofinterestbecauseabarrelisalittlelike
thebackofalute,madeofribs,curvedandbeveled.
Amman"spictureofabookbindershowstheuseofadrawknifealsothe
bookbindersframe,justthesameashandbookbindersusetoday,andatoolcalled
thebookbinder"sploughusedtotrimofftheedgeofthepaper.Throughout,the
degreeofcontinuitybetweencrafts,andovertime,isstriking.Hispictureofa
crossbowmaker(notsuchacommontradetoday!)showsathreeleggedgluepot,
andgouges.
Agreatmanyofthetoolsareimmediatelyrecognisabletoday,butthereare
interestingdifferences.Forinstancethesawsaremostlyframesaws,orsaws
slightlycurvedandshapedlikeasword.Theydidnothavethetechnology400years
agotorollwideflatstripsofsteelneededforthebladeofamodernhandsaw,soin
theframesaw,theyusedanarrowblade,heldintension,tokeepitstiff.(These
sawswerestillpopularuntilquiterecentlyontheContinent,thoughthewidebladed
handsawpopularinBritainandAmericahasreallynowtakenover.)
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Anotherbigdifferenceisinthetechniquesforholdingwood.Untilthe18thcentury
woodworkersdidnotgenerallyusevicesforholdingwood,insteadusingbench
stops(whenapieceofwoodisbeingplanedtheforwardmovementoftheplane
simplyholdsthewoodinplaceagainstthebenchstop)orabenchdog,orthe
holdfast,notedabove.(Craftsmenoftengivetheirtoolsanimalnames:shaving
horse,sawhorse,benchdogsholdingtoolsespecially,whichiswhyIregard
myselfasinsearchofthelutemaker"sdonkey...).However,Ihavecomeacross
anillustrationfrom1505showingaverymodernlookingworkbench,withatailvice
andasidevice.Whywasthevicenotmorewidelyusedbywoodworkers,foreven
primitivevicesarenotthoughttohavebeenwidelyusedbycarpentersuntilthemid
orlate17thcentury?Ithinkthereareseveralreasons.Otherwaysofwoodmay
havebeenregardedasperfectlyadequatealsotheproductivityoftheworkshop
wasimportantanditismuchquickertosimplyputapieceofwoodagainstabench
stopifyouwishtoplaneit,thantospendtimewindingandunwindingavice.
Significantly,JostAmmandoesshowaviceinhisBookofTrades,butinacutler"s
(Messerschmidt)workshop.Metalworkershadtheskillsandmaterialstomakea
metalvice,andmoretothepoint,neededvices,becausetherearesome
metalworkingoperationswhichcannotreallybeperformedwithoutone.Theywould
havebeenpreparedtogothetroubleandexpenseofmakingorbuyinginavice
(andspendingtimewindingandunwindingit).Perhapsthevicewasregardedasa
smith"stoolitwouldbeinterestingtoknowiftherewereanyguildregulations
concerningtheownershipanduseofvices.

Listsoftools
Thelatemediaevalpoem"ThedebateoftheCarpenter'stools"providesuswitha
comprehensivelistoftoolsavailabletothelatefifteenthcenturywoodworkerwhen
thetoolsdebateamongthemselveswhytheirmasterbringshomesolittlemoney
forhiswife,concludingthathespendstoomuchinthealehouse.Moreprosaic,and
moreimmediatelyusefulforthisprojectisaninventoryoftoolsleftbyanEssex
joiner,CorneliusEversen,athisdeathin1592,reprintedinNewsletteroftheTool
andTradesHistorySociety47,pp.4143).Thisincludes:
Imprimis,Joinersplaneofdiverswoods15
Itemjointers2
Foreplanes2
Smoothingplanes1
Squares4
Mitresquares1
Adze1
Hatchet1
Handsaws1
FrameSaws1
Hammers1
Holdfasts2
Gauges2
Onebraceandfivebitsforthesame
Threefiles
Twobroadpairingchisels
Threemortisechisels
ThreesmallFlemishchisels
Onegouge
Threerippingchisels
Onelinerowlewiththelineuponit
Twostaplesorbankhooks
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Tworulesoftwofootapiece
Threemallets
Twospareplaningirons
Ifajoinerhadthesetools,thenalutemakercouldcertainlyhavehadthem.A1575
Spnaishinventoryofaviolero"sworkshoptoolsisreproducedinLuteNews71,p.
12.Thereisalsothe1649inventoryoftoolsofalutemakerinLeiden,publishedin
Vlam,Chr.C.:DewerkplaatsvanHendrikAsseling,Leidsvioolbouwer(16251673)
in:MensenMelodie,IX/1,1954,pp.1215.(AskifyouwouldlikeaPDFofthis
paper,kindlysuppliedbyJackScholten.)

Survivingtools
Afewtoolssurvivefrommychosenperiodandindeedfrommuchearliersome
Romanplanessurvive,asdoVikingones,andtheyseemremarkablyfamiliartothe
moderncarpenterintheirdesign.SomeoftheVikingtoolshavebeenshowntobe
steeltipped,forinstanceironplanebladeswithsteeledgesforgedonplaneblades
werestillbeingmadelikethisinthe19thcentury,whichhelpstojustifymyuseof
Victorianbladesformyreconstructedtools.
Nauticaldisastershavepreservedusefulexamplesofpreservedearlytools,for
instanceplanesandacarpenter"srulesurvivefromtheMaryRose,sunkin1545
andpartlyrecoveredfromthebedoftheSolentin1982.
JointerplanefromMaryRose

RulefromMaryRose

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ItisinterestingtonotethatthattheMaryRoserulehasaneighthofaninchasits
smallestdivision.Thisgivesaninsightintotheattitudetomeasurementinanage
wheneveryartefactwascustommade:partswouldbemadetofiteachother,not
madetoprecise,predeterminedsizesasisessentialformodernbatchormass
production.
AslightlylesswellknowndisasterthanthelossoftheMaryRoseisthefailureof
WilliamBarents"expeditiontofindtheNorthEastPassagetotheIndies,bytrying
tosailroundthenorthcoastofRussia.Theexpeditiongotcaughtintheicein1596,
andtheexplorerswereforcedtobuildashelterandspendawinterinNovaya
Zemlya.Inthespring,theylefttheircamp,onlytofindtheirshiphadbeencrushed
bythepackice,andsotheyhadtobuildanewboatfortheirreturnjourney.They
couldnotcarryverymuchinthisboat,andsohadtoabandonmanyoftheirtools.
Theircabin,stillstanding,andcontainingtools,clothingandotheritems,was
rediscoveredinthe19thcentury,andthesehistoricartefactsarenowinthe
Netherlands,intheRijksmuseum.
ToolsrecoveredfromBarents"campinNovayaZemlya,nowintheRijksmuseum,
includeabraceandbit,plane,planebladeoriron.

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Thedateof1596isofcoursejusttherightdateformyplannedworkshop(thoughI
changedmyplanslater,asexplainedbelow),andIhavebasedoneofmyplaneson
theNovayaZemlyadiscovery.SomechiselsfoundatNovayaZemlyaseemrather
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modernindesign.
Ihavealsoseenphotographs,inGerritvanderSterre'sFourCenturiesofDutch
PlanesandPlanemakers(2001),ofaDutchcarpenter"stoolboxfromashipwreck,I
thinknowconservedinHolland.

Unbrokentraditions
TheEuropeantraditionofmakinglutes(assuch)isabrokenone,butsomenear
Easterntraditionsofmakinglutefamilyinstrumentsarenot.L.Pickens,Folk
MusicalInstrumentsofTurkey(1975)hasusefulphotographsofaTurkishsaz
makeratwork,bendingribswithabendingironshapedlikeatrowel,whichhe
pressesdownonariblyingonhisbench,chisellingbentribstosize,thenplaning
themlikeacooper(thatis,onan"upsidedown"planewhichheldonthebench,
withthebladeprojectingslightlyfromitthemakerholdsthewoodtobeplaned
andmovesitovertheplane,ratherthanmovingtheplaneoverthewood),and
fittingribsoveraribbedbodymould.
Also,muchcanbelearnedfromownruralwoodcrafttraditions.Forexample,the
wellknownmakerofwindsorchairsJackGoodchildhadhisworkshopatNaphill,
nearHighWycombe,Bedfordshire,andphotographsofhisworkshopinthe1950s
havebeenpublishedinbooksonhandcrafts.
Ibelieveitisdocumentedthatthegreatlutemakingworkshopsofthe16thcentury
boughtinlargestocksofparts,suchasribsandwoodforsoundboards,thathad
alreadybeenroughlycutoutnearwherethetreeswerefelled.Thiswasamatterof
economicstransportwasexpensiveanditmadenosensetotransportalotof
woodthatwouldendupaswasteoverlongdistances.Cuttingoutandroughly
shapingthesepartswasprobablyajobforruralpeoplewhohadlittleemployment
inthewinter.Alotofworkwasdoneinthewoods,anenergyefficientpracticethat
continueduntilrecenttimesandisnowbeingrevivedasfuelandtransportcosts
rise.
(PicturesfromtheunbrokentraditionssectioncanbefoundinLuteNews,backissue
70,2004July.)

Reconstructinglutemakingtools
Inallthis,Iamfascinatedbytheideaofusingseeminglysimpletoolstogainvery
preciseresults,producingobjectsofthegreatestbeautyandrefinement.
Woodworkerstodaytendtohavealargenumberofveryspecialisedtoolsintheir
workshopsIsuspectthatlutemakersinthosedayswouldhavehadfewertools
thanmodernmakersandthatskilledworkerscoulduse,say,anaxetogetvery
preciseresults.Seeforinstancethissculptorusingalargeaxeforwhatonewould
imaginetobefinework.
Theunfinishedman,woodcutof1533byErhardSchoen

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(Ithinkthishumorouswoodcutshowsamotherpresentingherwayward,drunken
sontothesculptor,askinghimtomakehimintoacompleteman,justasheis
completingthewoodenstatue.Notethecollectionoftoolsatthesculptorsfeet,
depictedwithsomecarethewoodcutmakerwashimselfawoodworker,of
course).Frommoderntimes,Ihaveseenaphotographofaround1950showingan
Englishcraftsmanmakingamaltshoveloutofalargepieceofbeech,usinga
specialaxetohollowthethindelicateshovelblade.
Finally,Ihavespokenwithlutemakerspractisingtoday,andhavecomeupwitha
preliminarylistoftoolsforthelutemaker"sworkshopofthe1590s,asfollows:
smoothingplanejackplane/tryingplanemalletknivesofvarioustypesandsizes
chiselschoppingblockgluepotandbrushaxe/hatchetstraightedgesrule
dividersorcompasses,largeandsmallsquaresformarking,settingoutand
testinghammerstamp/punchfordecoratingthelutebridgebenchname
markingbrandingirongluingironssawsofvarioustypesscrapers
sharpening/whetstonevariousholdingandclampingdevicesandsettingout
board/table.
Whilesomeofthesetoolschisels,hammers,malletsweresurelyusedthen
exactlyastheyarenow,otherswerenot,andrequirepracticalexperimentstohelp
torecreatelostmethods.Forinstance,howweregluepotsheated?Itseemslikely
thatwoodshavingswereoftenused,astheseseemtohavebeenacommoncause
ofaccidentalfires.Howwereverysmallholesmade?Abowdrillmightbealikely
possibilityandisrelativelyeasytomake,initssimplestform.Agimletcouldbe
usedforlargerholes?Howwastheneckofthelutefastenedtotheneckblock?
ModernlutemakersinvariablyusescrewsbutIamfascinatedbythesinglebignail
whichweknowallthehistoricalmakersused,clearlyseenonXraysofoldlutes.
Youcanbuyhandforgednails,withsquareshanksandlargeheads,theselookthe
partbutaremadefrommildsteelnotwroughtiron,soitwillbeamatterof
commissioningasmithtomakesomefromthismorehistoricallyappropriate
material.Aholehastobedrilledintheneckfirst,andIhavereadthattherewasa
practiceofheatingthenailbeforedrivingitin.Ofcoursethereisthequestionof
howtoholdtheneckinplaceduringtheseoperations.Thesheernumberoflutes
andunassembledorpartlyassembledinstrumentsattestedintheinventoriesofthe
great16thcenturylutemakersworkshops(orfactories,perhapsweshouldcall
them)suggeststhatluthiersmayhaveemployedsubstantialworkforces,and
divisionoflabour,so"authentic"lutemakingpracticesmightreflectthis.

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Ihavebuiltcopiesoftoolsfromthevarioushistoricalsourcesdiscussedabove.
InevitablytherearecompromisesIamusingmodernmetalforthemetalparts
(including19thcenturybladesinsomecases),whereasmetalmayhavebeenof
variablequalityinrenaissancetimes.Mydrillbit,ofVictoriandate,hasasquare
shankamoreflattenedshank,towedgeintothebraceandbit,wouldbemore
authenticandwouldfitmorefirmlyinthebrace/bitstockIhavemade,described
below.
ToolsImadeatanearlystageintheprojectincludethefollowing:.
CopyofDutchsmoothingplanebasedonthe1596Barents"expeditionfind.

CopyofDutch"SchaafType"planeof1618,illustratedinW.L.Goodman,The
HistoryofWoodworkingTools(London,1964),p.81,fig.83.Itwashardtomake,
andtendsto"chatter"inuse,leavingridgesonthesurfaceofthewood.(Ihavenot
usedthisplanebecauseofitspoorperformance,preferringthebarentsplanewhich
workedwellstraightaway,whichindicatesthatthebestpreservedhistoricaltools
andlutesmayhavebeenusedlittleandsurvivedinunwornconditionbecausethey
werenogood?)
Wierix/MaryRosejackplaneandtryingplaneIbasedthelengths,iron/bladewidths
andbladeanglesontheplanesfoundontheMaryRose.Thesearealittletooearly
forthepurposesofmyproject,soIusedtheWierixengravingstoarriveatother
detailssuchasthehandles,andthebodyshapewasbasedonpicturesofDutch
planesofthe17thcentury.BothplanesweremadedeeperthantheMaryRose
designsasIpresumethattheseplaneswerenotnewwhentheshipwentdownand
planeslostdepthovertimeastheirsolesare"truedup"bythemselvesbeing
planed.Theseplanesbothhavesingleirons,asthe"doubleiron"didnotappear
untiltheearly18thcentury.Theironsusedareold,probably19thcentury
examples,whichIbelievewillfunctioninanidenticalmannertothoseofthe1590s.
Jackplane

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FramesawsIhavebasedmineontheseveralexamplesintheWierixengravings.I
believemyuseofmodernbladesisacceptable,becauseeventhoughabladeof
15901600wouldhavebeenhandmade,thesmithsofthosetimeswouldhavebeen
capableofproducingaveryaccurateandserviceableitem.Thatthisissoisshown
bythemanyexamplesofmetalworkingofanunbelievablyhighstandardpreserved
inmuseums.ForthecurvedpartsofframesIhaveselectedwoodwhichhasa
naturalcurveinthegrain,asthisisstrongerthancuttingcurvesoutofstraight
grainedmaterial.
Framesaw

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Squares,straightedgesandrulesSquaresandstraightedgesareseeninmorethan
oneofWierixengravings,andIhavebasedmysquareonthese,andonillustration
inGoodman(1964)andS.LandisTheWorkbenchBook(London:Collins,1989).For
myrule/straightedgeIhavetakenthedesignsofthecarpenter"srulefromtheMary
Rose,describedinRichardKnightinToolsandTrades(vol.6,pp.4355).
Ruleanddividers

Brace/bitstockIhavecopiedthisfromthemostcompleteexampleofthethreeleft
onNovayaZemlyain1596.ThebraceworksreasonablywellandIhavemadeitso
thatIcanchangethebitsizesbyusinginterchangeablewoodenpads.
Brace

MalletIhavemadeamalletliketheonesillustratedinseveralofthescenesinthe
Wierixengravings.ImadeitasIlikethepleasingcylindricalhead,curvedalongits
length,anditsarchaicappearance.
Mallet
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Iexperimentedwithforgingdifferentshapesofbendingiron,andmetalholdfasts,
amongstotherthings.

Someoftheoldtooldesignsseemtohavehiddenadvantagessuchdiscoveriesare
oneofthethingsthatmakesexperimentalarchaeologysoworthwhile.Forinstance,
whileawoodensquaremaygooutoftrueifyoudroppeditonthefloor,itislightin
weight,andwouldbeunlikelytoaccidentallymarkthewoodyouareworkingon.I
readthattheseweremadefromoldcasks,soIvisitedYoung"sBrewery(!)wherea
kindemployeegavemesomeoldbarrelstaves.Ithinkthereasontheyusedthis
woodwasthatitwasofgoodquality,andcutinacertaindirection(quartersawn,
orrathersplit)forgreaterdimensionalstability.Planeswithouthandles,clearly
showninpictures,whilealittlehardertoholdthanthosewithhandles,areeasier
tolayupsidedownonthebenchwhenplaningluteribs(movingthewoodoverthe
planeratherthantheplaneoverthewood).Oldchiselstendtobethinnerthan
modernones,perhapsbecausesteelwassoexpensive,butthismakesthemeasier
tosharpen,asthereislessmetaltotakeaway.OnemorethingIhavefoundisthat
makingyouowntoolsteachesselfreliance.Perhapsallwoodandmetalworking
studentsshouldberequiredtomakesomeoftheirowntools!
Beforelaunchinginonmyblowbyblowdescriptionofmylutebuildingproject,
perhapsIshouldreiterateaphilosophicalpoint,commontoallexperimental
archaeology.Wehaveamixtureofcertainties,probabilitiesandpossibilities.Where
wearenotabsolutelysurewhatthelutemakersofolddid,allwecanestablishwith
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certaintyisthatsuchandsuchamethod,usingthetechnologiesandmaterialsthat
weknowtheypossessed,couldhavebeenused,ormayhavebeenused,toproduce
thehistoricalinstrumentsthatwesee.
Theearliestsurvivinglutesdatefromtheearly16thcenturyalittleolderisthe
clavicytheriumintheRoyalCollegeofMusic.OfsouthGermanorigin,fromc.1480it
istheearliestknownsurvivingstringedkeyboardinstrument.
Clavicytherium(c.1480)

Thereareoftencluestomakingpracticesintheformofscribedsettingoutlines
andtoolmarksininteriorsorpartsofinstrumentsusuallyhiddenfromview.
Anotherveryusefulsourceonhistoricalinstrumentsarepaintingsand
representationsinsculptureandintarsia,especiallybecausetheycanshowusthe
designsofinstrumentsataspecificdateandlocation.Onepaintingfurthertothose
mentionedaboveisofthebuildingofNoah"sArk,of1423,intheBedfordBookof
Hours,whichshowstheuseofwedgesasaholdingdevice,ratherasmodern
joinersusewedgesandanotchedpieceofwoodintheprocessofplaningadoor.
Frommyownworkbench,thispictureshowshowsimpledowelpegsfittinginto
holesinthebench,andawedge,canbeusedtoholdwoodinplaceforplaning.
Pegclamp

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OtherinterestingpicturesareinAgricola"sDeReMetallica(1556)showingtheuse
ofdividersindividinganglesandworkmenfollowingtemplatesandthisdrawingof
aworkbench,fromNurembergin1505includingarepresentationofanearlyvice,
notgenerallyinuseforwoodworkuntilmuchlater.

InitiallyIaimedtomakeanElizabethanlutefromtheageofDowland,butlater
movedtheprojectbackwardstothe15thcentury.Thisisbecauseoftheexistence
ofauniquelydetailed,illustratedmanuscriptfromthistime,describingthedesign
andmakingofalute,themanuscriptofHenriAnautofZwolleofc.1450(above).I
decidedtofollowIanHarwood"stranslation(LuteSocietyJournal,1960)asbestI
can,tryinghardtoresistthetemptationtointroducetoomany"improvements"of
myown.IamawarethatDavidvanEdwardshassuggestedthatArnaut
misunderstoodsomeofthepracticesofhisowntime(seeLuteNews70)but
decidedonbalancetofollowArnautascloselyasIcould.
IhavementionedthatwoodworkersseemnottohaveusedscrewvicessoIhave
basedmybenchtoponthisillustrationfromtheNuremburgHausbuch,showinga
joinerworkingatbenchwithathreepegsystemandotherpegstouseasstopsto
holdwoodforplaning.

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Thisbenchwiththreepegsandwedges(asusedbychairmakersandmodern
greenwoodworkersorbodgers)isveryeasytouseespeciallyforuneven,tapered
instrumentparts.Thephotographsaboveshowhowthissystemcanbeusedtohold
apieceofwoodverticallyherethepegsareusedasshootingboardendstops
exactlyasinthepictureofthe15thcenturyjoinerabove,withthelayoutofthe
pegsinthesamepattern.
Clampingwithpegsandwedges

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Thefollowingphotographsshowthesuccessivestagesinmyattempttoreconstruct
themethodsofalatemedievalinstrumentmakerasdescribedbyArnaultover550
yearsago.Notethesimplicityofthetechnology,andtheabsenceofworking
drawings.
IfollowedallofArnault"sinstructionsthebestIcouldandaddedthingsofmyown
wherenecessary(ifnotmentionedinArnault'smanuscript)andusingmaterials
andtechnologyreadilyavailableandappropriatetothetimeperiod.
Hereisthewoodforthelutemouldbasebeingrubjointed.

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HerethelutemouldbaseisbeingsetoutfollowingAnault"sinstructions,showing
allthetoolsneeded:compasses,scriberandstraightedgeforadesignbasedona
fixedsetofproportions,themeasurementsderivedfromachosenstringlength.
Notethestickattherear,notmentionedbyArnaut,butonthiscanbe"stored"all
ofthemainmeasurementsorproportionsIderivedforsettingoutaluteofmy
chosenstringlength.Somethinglikethiswouldbeeasyforajouneymanluthierto
carryawaywhenhisapprenticeshiphadended,perhaps.Itisinterestingtonote
thatArnaut"sdesignforaclavichord,likewise,derivesallitsdimensionsfroma
singleinitialmeasurement,andproportionsbasedonit.
Lutemouldbase

Cuttingthechannelsinthemouldbaseboardforthevertical"bulkheads"tositin.

Againthisdemonstratesthemultiusefulnessofthepegstoholdworkagainst.I
usedabowsawforthis,aknifeandachisel.

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Planingthe"bulkhead"woodtothecorrectthicknesstofitinthechannelsinthe
base(togaugedlines).

Markingthesemicirclesonthe"bulkheads",simplystickingthewoodforthe
bulkheadinthechannelinthebass,andusingthedividerstomarkthebulkhead,
withthemouldbasedictatingthediametersofthebulkheadcircles.

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Sawingthebulkheadstoshape.

Fittingthe"bulkheads"tothebaseboardandchisellingtheirtaperedprofile.I
markedtheanglesonthembutcutthefacetsonlateraftertheyweregluedin
place.

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Gluingthebulkheadsintheirchannelspleaseforgivetheuseofamodern
aluminumpan!Notethesmall"square"usedtoensuretheyareperpendicularto
themouldbase.

PreliminaryshapingoflimeendblockswithasideaxeArnaut"sdesignhasablock
ateachend.ThisaxeisresembledtheoneshownintheJostAmman
"Lautenmacher"woodcut.
Thisaxewaspurchasedon"eBay"andisfromTransylvania.

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Planingtheendblocksagainstbenchpegssothattheywillhaveagood90degree
anglewiththemouldbaseboard.Theblockcanbeheldinplacebetweenpegsand
wedgeinspiteofitsirregularshapewiththeaidofscrapwood.
Pegclampforplaning

Usinganawltomakeanailholeinthecompletedmouldbase.Thisistoholdthe
endblocksontothemouldbasetemporarily,whilethebodyisbeingassembled.

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Readytotemporarilynailtheroughshapedendblocktothemouldnotetheangle
ofthenailtopulltheblockagainstthebulkhead.

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Nailingtheendblockstothemould.

Chisellingtheblockstoprofileandwithfacetssothattheendsoftheribscontact
properlywhenglued.

Imadesimplewedgeclamps(usingappropriatetechnologyandmaterials)toclamp
thethinribwoodtothebenchtopsoitcanbeplanedtothickness.Arnautdoesnot
giveanycluesastohowthiswouldhavebeendone,buttheBedfordBookofHours
showswedgesinuse,soinspiredbythisImadeasimpleclamptoholdtheribsin
placeforplaning,andtheseworkedverywell.
Hereistheclampinuseforribthicknessing.

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Hereisanother(slightlymorecomplicated)possibility:aplaningboardforholding
thinwoodwhileplaningit.

Thereislittlepointinthicknessingstripsofwoodmuchwiderthanyouwillrequire
fortheribs,sohereIamgaugingribwoodtowidthbeforethicknessing,usinga
markinggauge.
Markingribs

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Thesurpluswidthcanbebrokenoffalongthelinescribedbythepointoftheguage.
Theribsarethenplanedtothecorrectthickness,beingheldinplacewithasimple
clamp,asshownabove.
Howdoesonegaugethethicknessoftheribstomakethemconsistent?Iuseda
pieceofscrapwoodofthecorrectthickness(Icheatedabithere:Ihadmeasured
thewood,itwas1.3mminthickness)andIhelditagainsttheribstofeelwhenthe
correctthicknesswasachieved.Thismethodseemstometoworkwellandisquick
asthewooddoesn"tneedtoberemovedfromtheclamponthebenchasis
necessarywithmoderndialcalipers.(Atthispointinmytalk,Iwasgratifiedtobe
informedbyStephenGottleibthathehadbeenusingthissamemethodforthelast
thirtyorsoyearsandithadservedhimwellthusdemonstratingthatifamethod
issimpleanditworksthenotherpeoplewillhavethoughtofit,anditisverylikely
tohavebeenusedinthepast.)
Atoothedironintheplaneisneededtoavoidtearingupthegrainofthemore
figuredwood.ThereisaRomantoothedplaneinexistence,sothisisanancient
technology.The'furrowed'surfaceleftbythetoothedbladeisthenscrapedsmooth.
Oneofthe16thcenturyinventoriesmentionsswordtipsinuseasscrapers.
Scraperblade

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HereIamheatingthebendingirontobendtheribs,obviouslycompromisingonthe
useof16thcenturytechnology(!)instrumentmakerswouldhavehadsomesortof
smallbrazierintheirworkshop,alsousedforheatingotherthingssuchastheglue
pot.
Heatingtheiron

ArnautofZwollementionstheuseofanironthisironisbasedupontheTurkish
insrumentmaker"sbendingironillustratedinLaurencePicken"sFolkMusical
instrumentsofTurkeyreproducedinLuteNews70,p.11.
Hereistheironinuse(inmykitchen,asyoucansee!)

Usingcompassestotransfertheribwidthsfromthemouldtothebentrib.

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Aribtemplatecouldhavebeenusedhere,alongwithascribertomarktheoutline
ontherib.(Iwonderifcharcoal,chalkoraleadstyluscouldhavebeenusedfor
markingonwoodbeforethedaysofthecarpenter"spencil.)Usingthismethod,
consistencysomewhatdependsontheaccuracyandconsistencyofthemould.
Outliningtherib

Roughshapingtheribwithaknife,achisel

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Thenmoreprecisely,withaplane.Theribiscomparedoftenwiththemould.(Many
ofthesepicturesshowmeworkingonehandedsimplybecauseIhavethecamera
intheotherhand...)

Waxingthemouldtoavoidtheribsstickingtoitwhengluingtheribstogether.

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Thecentreribisreadyforgluing,withthesmallnails,hammeretc.readytoholdit
ontheendblockswhilethegluesets.IdecidedtousenailsbecauseIhaveread
thatsomeoldluteshavesmallholesundertheendclasp.Theendoftheribispre
boredwithanawltoavoidsplitting.Acoupleofnailswereputintwoofthe
bulkheadsalongthecentrerib"sedgetohelpmakesureitwouldn"tslipoutofits
properposition.
Toolsreadytoplacecentrerib

Thecentreribgluedinplace.

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Fittingthenextrib.

Removingsmallnailswhengluehasset.Foralloftheotherribsonlyonenailin
eachendblockwasneeded.

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Usingasmallknifetomakesuretheribsarenotgluedtothemouldthisisdone
aftergluingeachribandallowseasyremovalofthecompletedbodyfromthe
mould.

ForAnault"s"ratherwarmiron"usedtoglueeachribtoitsneighbourIbasedmy
designofgluingirononThomasMace"sdescriptioninhisMusick"sMonument.Here
Iamusingtheironandgluedpaperstripsinthewayamodernmakeruses
maskingorsellotape,toholdthegluedribstogether.Thehotironsetstheglueso
thepaperstripscanbeusedto"clamp"thespringyribstogetherwhiletheglue
sets.
Settingpaperstripswithhotiron

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ForsomereasonatfirstIusedshortgluedstripsofpapercrosswaysasdescribed
byThomasMace.Thisworked,butprobablycreatedmoreunnecessarymessand
gluetobecleanedupandwasquite"fiddly"todo,pickingupandgluingthesmall
pieces.NextIusedArnault"slongstripsofpaperandfoundthattheseworked
better,tendingtohelpkeeptheribedgesinlinealongthewholelengthand
allowingmetoworkmywayalongtheribpushingandpullingthejointstogether
(evenwherethefittingwasnotaspreciseasitshouldhavebeen!).Ifoundthatit
waseasiertobrushplentyofglue(IthinkIwasprobablyovergenerous)ontherib
forafewinches,thegluegoingnaturallybetweentheribs,andapplyingthepaper
striptotheglueontheribratherthanontothepapercreatingasticky(andweaker,
becauseabitsoggy)ungainlypaperstrip,doingthreeorfourinchesatatimeand
holdingthejointstogetherwhileusingtheirontosetthejointinplace.Iwarmed
theribsandendblockstohelpavoidchillingtheglueandinoneinstancescorched
theedgeofthelastribfixedsotakecare!Iwasalsoabitoverzealouswiththe
rathertoowarmironandscorchedmyribsinmanyplacesasI"set"theglued
paperstrips.Iexpectmorepracticewillhelpmehere,butonthewholeIwasvery
pleasedwithhowwellitworked,andIdidn"tscorchmyfingers,luckily.
HereIammarkingtheendofthenextbentribreadyforfitting.

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HereIamapplyinggluetolongpaperstrips,thenusingthegluingiron.To
completefixingtheribthetworibendsweresecuredwiththesmallnailsintheend
blocks,thoughtheglueingirondoessuchagoodjobthatthisisbarelynecessary,
asitfixestheendoftheribtotheendblockbutitcarriestheriskofscorchingthe
wood.
Gluingthepaper

Usingthegluingiron

Removingthenailsfromthecompletedbody.

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Freeingofftheendblockswithathinbladedknife.

Atlasttakingthebodyoffthemould.Youcanseeonceagainthenailwhichhas
heldtheendblockinplace.

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Bodyfreefrommould

Success!Thebodyseemssatisfactoryapartfromacoupleofgapsbetweentheend
blocksandthelastribs,possiblyduetoimperfectendblockshapingorexcessive
forcingoftheribsintoplace.Thenextstageistoputthepaperstripsovertherib
jointsontheinside.
Cuttingtheinteriorpaperstripswithaknifeandstraightedge.

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Cleaninggluefromtheinsideofthebodywithasmallchisel.

Gluingonthepaperstrips.

Icarefullyusedadampclothtosoftenthepaperandgluebeforescraping.I
discoveredherethatIhadbeenabitovergenerouswiththeglueandoverzealous
withthehotiron,causingscorchmarksIamworriedaboutscrapingthebodytoo
muchifIamtoremovethem.
Cleaningoffthepaperfromtheoutsideofthebody.

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HereIamstartingtomaketheendclasp.

Iusedatroweltypeofbendingironheatedonthestovetobendtheendclaspstrip
toshape.

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Hereisamusingaknifetoroughlytrimtheendclasptoalinepreviouslyscribed
uponitby"pegging"itontheendofthelutebody(withpegsthatyoucanseein
oneofthepicturesbelow)anddrawingaroundit.Asthestripisquitewideitishard
togetitpressedflushagainstthebodythereisacertainamountofjudgement
requiredinmarkingthelinewiththescriber.Ishouldperhapshavesmoothedend
ofthebodydownfirst.
Trimmingtheendclasp

HereIamusingcompassestofindandmarkthemidpointoftheendclaspsoitcan
bealignedwithacentremarkonthebodyduringgluingIwanttomakeit
symmetrical!

Usingwoodenpegtypeclamps(thesearelikemodernviolinbassbarclamps),of
whichImadequiteafew,followingthesuggestionofalutemakerafteroneofmy
talksataLutesocietymeeting,whenglueingtheendclasp.
Pegclamps

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Wedgesareusedtoapplypressure,andtheyworksurprisinglywell.Thepegsand
wedgesareeasilymadefromscrapwood.beechandsycamoreIliketheideaof
makingsomethingusefulfromscrapwood.Arangeofsizesallowsmostclamping
jobstobedone.
Theendclaspaftergluingwasrather"lumpy"anduneven(Ihadappliedtoomuch
pressureinanefforttoforceitontothebody,asIhadmistakenlynotsmoothed
thisareaoutfirstthethinwoodisquiteflexibleespeciallywhencoatedwithwarm
glue)soIdecidedtosmoothoutthelumpsinthegluedendclaspbyusingmy
bendingironasasmoothingirontosoftentheglueandironoutthewrinkles.This
workedquitewell.
Smoothingtheendclasp

Nowitwastimetomaketheneck.Isplitapieceofsycamorewithanaxeanda
club.IusedthesamesycamoreasforotherpartsoftheinstrumentIcouldhave
usedbeech.
Startoftheneck

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ThenIroughplanedtheneckaftersplittingandtrimmingwithanaxe.Iamnot
usingavice,butsimplyplaningupagainstabenchstop.
Planingtheneck

IhavesquaredofftheendofthenecknowIamusingamarkinggaugetomark
thedepthoftheneckonthebodyend.Iderivedtheneckproportionsasmuchas
possiblefromArnaut"sdrawingandthenfrommeasurementsoftheGeorgeGerle
lutec.1580giveninRobertLundberg"sbookonlutemaking.Ihaveusedthisbook
frequentlyinthiswaytofillinthegapsinArnault"sdescriptionandasmymain
source,suitablymodifiedorperhapsIshouldIsay"retrofied"tosuitmytime
period,ondetailsofluteconstruction
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Markingtheneck

Usingthesamesettingonthemarkinggaugetomarkthedepthofneckonthe
body.

HereIamusingcompassestomarktheendsonthetaperedneck,perpendicularto
apreviouslymarkedcentreline.(AsquarecouldnotbeusedasIhadalready
planedaroughtaperontheneck.AnadjustablebevelcouldbeusedbutIhadnot
yetmadeasuitably"retrostyled"example).
Markingthetaperonneck

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HereIamusingachiseltotrimtheneckjointsurfaceaftersawing(Ihadnotyet
madethe"notchandwedge"viceonmybenchitappearslater,inmypegbox
makingpicturessoIhadtoholdtheneckinmyhandwhilstworkingonit,
meaningIwasunabletouseaplaneonthisjointsurface).
Trimmingneckjoint

Usingcompassestotransferneckjointwidthmeasurementsontothebody.

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Startingtochiselthejointsurfaceonthebody.

Hereisthebodyafterchisellingtheneckjoint.Atinyholeontherightisnota
woodwormhole,buttheresultofasmallslightlymisplacednail,usedtoholdthe
ribsinplacewhilethegluewasdrying.
Bodyafterchiselling

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Nowitwastimetotrythefitoftheneckjoint.Hereisasideviewoftheneck
beingoffereduptothebody.BecauseoftheproportionsIdecideduponformyneck
relativelydeepandnarrowmyjointsurfacehasendedupslopingslightly
"backwards"theoppositewaytothatusuallyseen.
Neckjoint

HereIhaverefinedthejointtoanalmostfinishedfit.Ihavechiselledtheend
roughlytoitsfinishedcrosssectionasthecornersofthesquaredupneckmadethe
fitofthejointedgesdifficulttosee.
Refinedneckjoint

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NextIbeganworkonthepegbox.HereImarkingoutthepegboxonpieceof
sycamorepreviouslysplitfromasmalllogandthenplanedreadyforuse.
Markingoutpegbox

Buthowtoholdfirmlypiecesofwoodwithataper?Hereistheaforementioned
benchnotchwithitsaccompanyingwedge(madeinsomewillowIhadspare)and
thepegbox"blank".Ihavemadeanattachmentformybench(screwedinplace
andheldintherelativelymodernvice)asanexperimentalbenchtop.Thisbench
notchisshowninanumberofhistoricalillustrations,andaRomanbenchtopexists
(SeeWilliamGoodman"sHistoryofWoodworkingTools)withthisfeature.IfIhad
madethisbeforeImadetheneckIcouldhaveusedittoholdtheneck,andplaned
it,insteadofsmoothingandsquaringitoffwithachisel,asshownabove.
Wedgeclamp

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Hereisthenotchinuseforthefirsttime.

InfactthewoodtendedtomoveeasilywhenwedgedintothenotchsoIchiselleda
slightundercutontheendfacesandthissolvedtheproblem(anotherexampleof
thevalueofpracticalhistoricalreconstruction!)Iwasproposingtosawthebackoff
thepegboxusingmylargeframeripsaw.HereIamripsawingthebackoffthe
pegbox.Notetheuseofwedgestotensiontheripsawtheideaforthecorner
wedgeswastakenfromanoldveneersawinMercer"sAncientCarpenters"Tools.
(Normallytheserippingsawsarebigger,twomansaws.Withanoperatorguiding
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thesaweachsideanydeviationfromthemarkedlinecanisnoticedand
immediatelycorrected.AsIwasworkingonmyowntokeeptothelineIwoulddo
20strokesfromoneside,andthenmovethesawaroundtotheoppositesideanddo
20fromtheotherandsoon.)
Ihaddecidedonaconstructionmethodthatwouldcombinetheminimumofgluing
andclampingwitheaseofconstructionIwouldsawthebackoffandsawoffone
sideonly,toallowsawingandchiselingoutoftheslotthenIcouldplanetheback
andsideandgluethembackon.HereIamplaningthebackofthepegboxafter
sawingitfromthepegboxblank.
Planingpegbox

Sawingthesideoffthepegbox.

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TransferringpegboxslotmeasurementsfromadrawingIhavemade,pricking
throughthepaperwithascriber,ontotheremainingpartofthepegbox.

Sawingdownintothepegboxslottoalloweasychisellingoutofunwantedwood.

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HereIamchisellingoutthepegboxslot.

Herearethethreepartsofthepegboxreadyforgluingbacktogether.

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Thenextpictureshowsgluingonthesideofthepegbox,makinguseofarather
handsomestoneasaclampingweightahearthstone,Ibelieve,thatIsalvaged
fromaheapofrubbleproducedwhenGatesheadCouncilwerediggingin
Pipewellgatetomakeaplatformforasculpture.
Next,Iamgluingthebackonthepegboxafterithadbeenplanedflat.Pegsand
wedgeswerefoundtobemoreeffectivethanthestonethistime!Asever,Iuseno
screwclamps,butusedeviceswhichwouldhavebeenveryeasyforthelutemaker
himselftomake.
Gluingtothepegbox

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AfterIplanedthesides,andhereIamfinishingthepegboxwithachisel.Ithas
beenleftoverlengthtobecutlaterwhenjoiningtotheneck.
Finishingpegbox

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NowIdecideditwastimetotidyuptheendclasp.HereIamusingcompassesto
makemarkssotheendclaspcanbecuttoanevenlengthtobothsidesofacentre
markontheendblockbeforecuttingthefamiliardecorativeendstotheendclasp.
(Lundbergmentionsthathistoricalinstrumentsoftenhavemarksontheirribs
indicatingthatthisfeaturewascutaftertheendclaspwasfitted.)
Markingendclasp

Ichiselledneatangledendstotheendclasps,andthenmadeasmalltemplate
fromapieceofscrapribthiswasscribedaroundafewtimestocreateadeeply
cutlinetoguidethechisel
Claspendtemplate

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Chisellingtheendclaspdecoration.

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Nowitwastimetostartworkonthesoundboard.Mostfrustratingly,Idonot
currentlyhaveaccesstomybeststocksofsoundboardwood,andtheonlypiecesof
spruceIhadwerenarrowandofpoorandunevenqualitysoIhadtojoinseveral
pieces.HereIamrubbingjointingwoodforthesoundboard.Ilikeachallenge!
Feelingwoodquality

Thejointedsoundboardorbelly

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Scribingaroundthebodyonthesoundboardafterplaningandscrapingtheoutside
face,leavingasmallallowanceofhalfaninchallround.

Usingaknifetocuttheoutlineonbothsidesthencarefullybreakingoffthewaste
woodthisisdonebysimplydeepeningthelinecutbythescriber.(Thereisno
pointinspendingtimeandenergyinthicknessingthewastewood.Alsomy
thicknessingmethodwillbemoreaccurateifIamplaningandcomparingasnear
aspossibletothefinishedoutline)
Breakingfreesparewood

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Aswhenthicknessingtheribs,Iusedapieceofwoodofthecorrectthicknessand
compareoftenwiththesoundboardwhileplaning,simplybyfeelingwiththe
fingers.Onecanplanethewholesoundboardtofairlynearthedesiredthickness,
thoughyouhavetobecarefulasyougettowardsthemiddle,asthismethodoffers
nowayoffeelingthethicknessofthewoodclosetowardsitscentre.Frequent
testingforflatnessofthesurfacewithastraightedgecanhelphere.However,as
thefinalthicknessisnearlyachieved,ifarelativelylongplaneisusedanditsblade
issettotakeveryfineshavingsitwillintheoryonlyallowthemiddletobemade
oneshavingsthicknessthinnerthantheedges.
Planingthesoundboard

Thisisfollowedbyscraping

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IhadwonderedhowIcouldgaugeandcontrolthethicknessoftheroseareawhen
thinningitdown,toaroundamillimetre.IthoughtIcouldputsomeveneer,paper
orcardofthecorrectthicknessbelowthisarea(enoughtoraisethisareabythe
thicknessthatIneededtoremove).Ihopedthatthisselectivethinningcouldthen
beachievedbyplaningthisraisedareaflat.IthenthoughtthatIcoulduseapiece
ofclothasthiswouldnotmarkthealreadysmoothedandsoftouterfaceofthe
bellyasveneerorcardboardmightdo.HereIammeasuringthethicknessoftwo
layersofclothtakenfromandoldwornteeshirt(about0.75mmandIwantedto
reducethecentreofthesoundboardfromabout1.7mmtoabout1mm).Iusedthe
bitsofwoodoneithersidesoastoavoidcompressingtheclothwiththecalipers.I
knowthecalipersarenotappropriatebutIwantedtosavetimeandavoid
experimentingwithclothanditseffects.Inowknowthattwolayersofworntee
shirtseemstodothetrick.Suchatrickcouldhavebeenfoundoutempirically.
Clothandcalipers

Thetwopiecesofworncottoncloth,torntosize,arecarefullyplaced,avoiding
wrinkles,underthesoundboardintherosearea.
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NowIplanedtheraisedareaflat.Whenplaningadefiniteareatheshapeofthe
clothemerged.Ihadexpectedtheedgestobeblurredasthewoodbentupto
accommodatethethicknessbuttheedgesandtheeffectoftheclothwerequite
"sharp".
Thinningrosearea

Iusedacandle(insideajamjartohelpavoidsettingtheworkshoponfire!)to
assesstheevennessofthethinning.Candlingthebelly,thesquareshapeofthe
clothcanbeplainlyseen!Thebellywasthenscrapedtoevenoutthegradationsin
thicknessthiswascheckedbyrepeated"candling".
Candlebehindsoundboard

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Nowitwastimetopreparetostartcuttingtherose.Iderivedthedesignfroma
paintingbyHansMemlinginRobertLundberg"sbook,muchsimpified.Idrewa
patternonhandmadepaper,whichisstrongerthanmodernpaper(Ipractised
cuttingthisonaverycoarsegrainedpieceofspruceandtriedvariousknivesand
experimentedunfruitfullywithdrillingoutsomewaste)UnfortunatelyIusedslightly
watersolubleinkforthedrawing,whichcausedsomeproblemslater.
Igluedtherosepatterntotheinsideofthebelly.Iusedthescriberpointtohelp
findthelocationpreciselybyprickingitthroughthepaperandengagingthepoint
intoamarkmadepreviouslywiththescriberinthemiddleofthesoundboard.I
rubbeditoverwithsomekitchentoweltoflattenitdown.
Preparingrosetemplate

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Ididnotwanttouseascalpelforcuttingtherose,butanold(sharpenable)knife
instead.Amostimportantfeatureoftheknifeishowthinitsbladecanbemade
(likeamoderndisposablescalpel).Iftheendofthebladeisshapedlikeablunt
wedge,thereisadangerthatthephysicalwidthofthebladewillcausethethin,
shortgrainedpartsoftherosetobreakasyoutrytocutthem.Ithinnedtheblade
onawhetstonebutprobablynotenough.Thesteelhastobegood,toallowittobe
madeverythinwhilstretainingsufficientstrength.
Roughcutofrose

Isizedthecutrosewiththingluetoreinforcetwoorthreecrackedpieces.Thiswas
amistake:unfortunatelythemoistureinthegluecausedthewoodtoswelland
buckle,openingthecracks.Iusedalargeoldtailor"sironwhichIluckilyhad
nearby,todryitoutandflattenitatthesametime!Thisworkedwell,dryingout,
flatteningandconsolidatingit,butunfortunatelythewaterinthegluesizecaused
theinkfrommydrawnpatterntobleedthrougharoundtheedgesonthefrontof
therose...
Usingasmallchiseltocarvebevelsontherosedesign.IhadtriedcuttingV
groovesonthesurfaceofmypracticerosesanddecidedtosavethisdifficult
processforafutureoccasion.
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Nowitwastimetopreparetofastenthenecktotheneckblock.Herearewrought
iron(notmildsteel)nails.ThesenailswerekindlysuppliedbyChrisToppofthe
RealWroughtIroncompany,whohasdoneworkforWestminsterAbbey,andother
prestigiousclients.Theyarealittlelargeformysmalllute(thesketchIsenthim
cannothavebeenaccurateenough)butIwantedtousewroughtironnailsasitis
historicallyappropriateanditapparentlydoesnotrustasreadilyasmodernmild
steel.
Ironnails

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HereIamboringthepilotholeforthenailintheneckblock,usingabraceandbit
(aVictorianshellbitinfact)ratherdauntingastheholehastobemadevery
accurately.ItisdifficulttokeepthebithorizontalsoIusedmypegboxasavisual
guideplacingitcloseunderthebit.Usingthepegboxforthispurposemademe
realisethatawedgeshapedpieceofwoodwasverysuitableforthispurposeasthe
heightcanbevariedeasily,tosuittheholeandthediameterofthebit.
Boringpilotneckhole

HavingboredthepilotholeintheneckblockIpokedtheshellbitthroughfromthe
insideandplacedtheneckandbodytogetherbutoffsetsoIcouldchecktheangle
oftheholewascorrectandpossiblymodifyitifneeded.ItwasOK.Ihadaimedto
placethenailnearthebackoftheneckasaaluthiertoldmeitwouldforma
strongerjointwhengluedifthenailliestowardsthebackoftheneck.
Checkingangleofhole

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Ithenusedtheholeintheneckblockasaguideforboringthenailholeinthe
neck.MywoodenbitstockorbracewouldnotfitinsidethesmalllutebodysoI
madearoughwoodenhandletousewiththebitinsidethebodylikeagimlet.I
heldthebodyfirmlyontheneck(whichwaswedgedinmynotchvice)withmyleft
hand,keepingtwomarkslinedupwhilstboringtheholewiththerighthand.Alittle
moistureonthejointsurfaceshelpspreventthemfromslidingaboutduringthis
work.
Boringtheholefortheironnail

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Oncetheholeisestablishedintheneck,itcanbecontinuedwithoutthebodyasa
guide,frequentlyusingthebodytochecktheholehasnotwandered.

Asthenailsaretaperedinsection,onceIhadeboredasmallholetoaccommodate
thelengthofthenail,alargerbitwasusedtowidentheholetofitthewiderupper
partofthenail.ToachieveamoreaccuratelyshapedholeIheldthenailinapair
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ofpincersandasitisforgedtoasquaretaper,withfairlysharpcorners,itcouldbe
usedtoreamitsownhole.ItworkedquitewellbutIplantomakeareamerin
futuretomakethisprocesseasier.
Continuingboringthehole

Reamingtheholewiththenail

Reamingtheneck

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Icheckedthedepthoftheholebyeye,boringittoadepthwhichIhopewill
provideastrongjointwithoutriskingsplittingtheneck.Ilinedupthejointand
tappedthenailnearly"home"andallseemedwell.ToensureIinsertthenailinthe
samepositionwhenIgluetheneckIfiledasmallmarkonthenailheadandmade
acorrespondingmarknearbyontheneckblock.
Finishedmakingthenailhole

Pullingthenailout

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Nowitwastimetostartworkonthebarring.Arnaut"sdesignshowsonlythree
bars.IsplitthebarsforthebellyfromapieceofspruceasIdidnothaveany
usableoffcutsleftoverfromthemakingthebelly
Splittingspruceforthebarring

HereIamplaningthebarsstraight,toheightandslightlyoversize,tomarkings
madewiththemarkinggauge.(IrealisedlateraftergluingthatIhadmadethe
barsveryhigh.ThiswasbecausetheinstrumentsIhadderivedthesedimensions

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fromweremuchbiggerthanmine.SoIreducedtheheightsofthebarstobemore
inproportiontomysmalllute).
Planingthebars

HereIamgluingthefirstbar,onceagainusingmywoodenclampstoholdthem
whenthegluedried.Iusedachiseltoremovealittlepaperofftheinsideofthe
rose,wherethebarsweretogo.
Clampingthefirstbar

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HereIammakingthentrimmingthesmallrosereinforcingbars,usingthechiselto
trimthem.Icutthesefromapieceofscrapfromthesoundboard,easilycutwitha
knife.
Cuttingrosebars

Itriedusingasmallhotirontosettheglueonthefirstcoupleofrosebarsandit
didn"tworktoowellIburntmyfingers,andfoundthatoneendofthebarswould
riseupasyougluedtheotherdownsoIjustIclampedtherestusingmyoldiron
(notheated)asaclampingweightanditworkedwell.(Iwaslaterinformedbya
luthierthatifIhadthineddowntheendsofthesebarsbeforegluing,thenthehot
ironwouldhaveworkedbetterastheheatwouldhavepenetratedthethinnner
wood)
Usingasmallirontofixrosebars

Weighttoholdthebarsdown

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Ithengluedonanothermainbar.Iamplacedthebellyintheairingcupboard.I
hadstoreditthereforacoupleofdaysbeforegluingthebarsithaslowhumidity.

Herethethirdandfinalbracebarisbeingaddedgluedtotheinsideofthe
soundboard,againusingclampsratherliketraditionalviolinbassbarclamps.Once
againavoidedtheuseofnonessentialmetaltools,suchasscrewclamps,since
theseseemtohavebeenlittleused,apartfromtheblades,drills,hammersetc,by
woodworkersintheearlymodernperiod.
Thethirdfinalbarisgluedandclamped

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Tomakethebridgehereisthepieceofpieceofapplewood(Ihadnopear
unfortunately)Isplitthebridgefrom.

Splittingoutapieceofapplewoodusinganaxeandasimpleclub.

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Sawingoffpotentiallycrackedendsoftheapplewood,tocutittolength.

HereIamtrimmingthebridgefurtherwithasideaxe.Ibelievethatthecraftsmen
ofoldusedwoodeconomically,andItrytofollowthisspirit,seeingifIcanget
enoughwoodfortwobridgesoutofthisblock.
Trimmingbridgeblank

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TopositionthebridgecorrectlyItransferredmeasurementsfrommymouldonto
thesoundboard,usingcompassesandastraightedge.ThroughouttheprojectI
avoidedtheuseofmodernrulersforprecisemeasurements.Arnauttalksofthe
bridgepositionintermsoftheproportionsofthebody.
Measuringpositionforbridge

Lightlyscribingalineonthesoundboardtomarkthepositionofthebridge.

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IwasanxioustoavoidthebridgeslippingoutofpositionwhenIwasgluingit,alas,
thisdidhappenintheevent,sothatthestringlengthisslightlylongerontreble
side.(ThisisafeatureofmanyoriginallutesseeDavidvanEdwards"spaperin
TheLute,1985part1,andmorerecently,ChrisCoakley,"Taperedlutestrings,
anglednecksandbridges"inFoMRHIQuarterly109,August2008,pp.3543,where
hesuggeststhatthiswasdoneonpurposetocounterthetuningproblemsoflute
stringswhichwerefatteratoneendthantheotherthoughthisishighlydebatable)
Alutebridgeisquiteacomplicatedshapeforasmallcomponentandisthus
difficulttoholdwhileitisbeingworkedupon.Iplanedtheangledsurfacesand
trimmeditagainstabenchstop.
Planingbridgeblank

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IalsomadeaspecialjigtoholditIcarvedandtrimmeditwithaknife,chisels
andagouge.ItookthebridgedesignfromaGerlelute,discussedinRobert
Lundberg"sbookonluteconstruction.Therecessatthebackofthebridgewas
markedwithaknifeandfinishedwithachisel.
Carvingbridgeenddetail

Markingwheretoremovewood

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Chiselingareamarkedout

HereIamgluingonthebridgeIneglectedonthisoccasiontousemystraight
edgetoholditinposition,anditisnowgluedonveryfirmly,butslightlyoutof
true.Ihopethereaderwillappreciatemycandourinreportingallmylittle
mistakes,experienceischeapatanyprice...
Clampingbridgeinplace

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Imadealittlethumbplane,basedonaDutchdesign,totrimthebarsontheback
ofthesoundboard,havingfirstchiselledthebarsdownroughly.Chiselsareusedto
cutdowntheangledendsofthebars.
Usingthumbplane

YetanothermishapwasthatIleftthebellyintheairingcupboardforrathertoo
long,itbecametoodry,andthejointsstartedtoopenitneededrestorationeven
beforeitwasfinished!SoIwetthesoundboard,aroundbutnotontheopenings,
withhotwaterandabrushtomakethewoodexpandagain,closingthecracks,
applyingsomehotglueandhandmadepaperwithawarmgluingirontosealthe
cracksclosed.
Nowitwastimetostartthinkingaboutassemblingsoundboard,bodyandneck.I
hadtofinalisetheheightoftheribsandendblock,usingachisel,andusedpieces
ofwoodwedgedinplacetohelppreventthedelicatebodyfromflexingtoomuch
whileIwaslevellingofftheribedgesandendblock.
Nowitwastimetofurtherfinishtheneck.ImarkedtheheightIwantedwitha
scribingpoint,andthentrimmedtheneckwithanaxe,nottooclosetothescribed
marks!
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Gentlydoesit!

Axesweremuchmorewidelyusedbeforethedaysofbandsawsandportablepower
tools,beingusedforinstancebyjoinerstomakethebevelsofahippedroofaslate
asthe1960s,asanoldjoinertoldme.ThenIusedacoarselysetroughingplaneto
gettheroughshape,thenachisel,thenaplane,tocreatethecurvesofthesidesof
theneck,againstabenchstop.Itsavesagreatdealoftimeplaningagainsta
benchstop,becauseonedoesnothavetokeepwindingandunwindingthevice
screw.
Shapingneck

Tappingthenailinplace,havinggluedontheneck.

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NowIwasstartingtothinkaboutthefingerboard.AccordingtoRobertLundgren
lilacwassometimesusedformakingpegs,andIhadapieceoflilac,though
curiouslyIseemtobeslightlyallergictothedustoflilacwood.Itisanattractive
wood,hard,withfaintreddishpurplestripes,reminiscentoftulipwood,thoughthe
colourseemstofadeonoxidation.ItmaynothavecometoEnglanduntilthe16th
century,butitisalocalwoodfoundinmanyingardenswhereIlive.Isawedoffa
stripofwoodtouseasafingerboarddiscussedfurtherbelow.
Iplanedthesurfaceofnecktoendblockjointagainstabenchstoptogettheit
reallyflatpriortogluingonthesoundboard.Onemoreminormishapwasthatthe
bodyseemedtodistortslightlyonceIhadtakenitoffthemouldandwasplaning
theedgesoftheribsdown(IthinkIplanedaslighthollwinthetwobottomribs
whenIwasattemtingtoplanethemstraight),withtheconsequencethatwhenI
gluedonthesoundboardIfounditslightlydished.PerhapsIcouldhavepulledit
backintoshape,butitiseasytopanicwhenusingthehotglue,paperandiron
methodofjointing!Iheldthesoundboardinpositionwithabradawlintheneck
whilegluing.Ihadtrimmedthesoundboardalmosttoitsfinalshapemanymonths
earlier,sodidnothavemuchleewaytoallowfordisortionofthebody,whichInow
regretted.Istartedgluingatthebottomblock.Thiswasthestressfulpartyou
havetokeepglueandironhot,whilefixingpiecesofpaperandcheckingthefitof
thejoin.Isingedmyselfafewtimesthroughusingpiecesofpaperthatweretoo
smallitisbesttocutthemquitelongandwide,soyouhaveanendtopullonand
cankeepyourfingersawayfromthehotgluingiron.
Removingsoundboard!

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Reattachingsoundboardwithstripsofpaperandhotiron

Clampsforgoodmeasure

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Ileftitovernight,andfoundinthemorningthatthegluelinesweretoowide,soI
triedtorectifyitwithahotiron,similarlytowhatisdonewhenveneeringusing
hideglue,butthissoftenedthegluetoomuch,openingjoints,andcausingaslight
crackinthesoundboard.Iclosedthesoundboardcrackwithhotwaterandrubbed
glueintoitbeforeitclosedandregluedthejointusingmorepaperstripsandglue,
causingabitofscorching,fortunatelynottoovisible.Arealprocessoftrialand
error.Thepaperstripsdryveryquickly,butteareasilyiftoowetonerealiseshow
goodtheoldluthierswereatmanagingfire,waterandiron.
Usinghotiron

Icutoffthebellyextensionovertheneckintheproportionsofthegoldensection
fornootherreasonthanitseemedtometobeinthespiritofthingsandlooked
right,thesurpluswoodcomingoffeasilyasIhadavoidedapllyinggluetothisarea.
Removingexcesswood

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Markingoutthefingerboardwithascribingpointaroundtheoutlineoftheneck

Isawedoutthefingerboard(holdingitplacewithmyfoot,Isuspectthesecavalier
methodswouldhavebeenusedinoldentimesforspeedofworking)leavingagood
allowanceallround.
Ithenplanedittothecorrectthickness,holdingitonceagainwithbenchstopsand
woodenclamps.Iscrapedthefingerboardveneerandthenecktogetthemasflat
aspossible,andthengluedtheveneeron.
Gluingandclampingnewlycutfingerboard

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NowIreturnedtoworkonthepegbox.Itookasparescrapofribwoodtomakea
templateforthepegholestobemadeinthesidesofthepegbox,spacingthenine
holesevenlyalongascribedline.
Markingthepegbox

Itackedinontothepegbox,andprickedthepegpositionsthroughontothesidesof
thepegboxwithanawl,takingparticularcaretopositionthefirstpegholes
correctly.WhendrillingthepegholeswithabraceandbitIusedawedgeofwood
upagainsttheedgeofthepegboxtomakesuretheholeswerehorizontal.Thisis
quitehardbecausethepegboxistapered,andtheholesIendedupwitharenot
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perfectlytrueorinline,asyoucanseeinoneofthepicturesbelow.Beforeputting
onthepegboxIwantedtofinishtheneck.Usingastraightedgeagainsttheneck
castsashadowwhichcangiveaquickvisualaidtowhenjudgingiftheprofileis
even.
Finishingthejointbetweenneckandbodyachiselhastobeusedinthecorners
wheretheplanecannotreach.

Markingouttheendofthefingerboardwithascriber

Chiselingthenecktolength

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Sawingthenecktolength.

Usingcompassestomatchthewidthofthenecktothewidthofthepegboxwhere
thetwopartsjoin.

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Havingdecidedontheangleofthepegbox,Idrilltheholeforthenailwhichwillfix
thepegboxtotheneck.Ididthisbeforecuttingthepegboxtolength,toreducethe
dangerofsplittingtheendofthepegbox.SadlyIhadnowroughtironnailforthis,
onlyanoldcutnail.Iusedalargerdrilltocounterborethenailhole,Iendedup
usingseveraldrillbitstodrilltheholetoanapproximatetapertomatchthenail.
TheendofthenailwillfinallybecoveredupIbelieveanebonydotwas
sometimesusedforthis,onsomelater16thcenturylutesthenailwasconcealedby
thebottomblockofthepegbox,whichwasgluedonafterwards.
Drillingpegboxjointhole

Ifiledthenailsquare,andflattenedthetop,tomakeitresemblemorecloselya
wroughtironnail.

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Sawingthepegboxtolength.

Sawingtheneckpartofthepegboxjointtoshape,holdingthelutebodyandneck
assemblyinplacewithwedges.

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Hereisthefinishedjointbeforeassembly.

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NowImadeareamertomakethepegholestaperedtofitthepegsthatIwould
makelater.Itriedusingareamertriangularinsection,butthisdidnotworkvery
well,soIfiledhexagonalandfounditworkedmuchbetterItriedhardeningthe
reamerbutcouldnotgetsufficientheatonmymother'sgascookeratleastit
endedupharderthanmildsteel.Ithensharpenedtheedgesonasharpeningstone.
Idohaveagrindstone,butIfindalongflatpieceofsandstoneisusefulforrough
sharpeningoftoolsandisinkeepingwithmy'simpleaspossible'approach.Itis
veryimportanttodrilltheholecorrectlysothatthewooddoesnotsplitwhenthe
nailisdrivenhome.
Usingthebitofmybowdrilltofinishofthenailhole.

ThenIgluedandnailedthepegboxtotheneck.
Nowforthepegs.Ibelievesmallbowlatheorpolelathemayhavebeenused,
(Ratherinterestinglygiventhatperiodinstrumentstringsaremadefromgut,Ihave
readthattwistedgutwasusedforpolelathestrings),butunfortunatelyIdidnot
havetimetomakeasimplelathe,sodecidedtomakethepegsbyhand.Istarting
usingelderberrywood(Ialsousedthisforthenut)Ireallylikethiswoodand
wouldrecommendit,itisclosegrainedandcanhaveanattractiveyellowcolour,
butdidnothaveenoughofit,sousedlilacthereafter,asIhadforthefingerboard.
Isplitoutthepegsblankswithanaxeandclubthenroughlyshapedthemwiththe
samesmallaxe.Thenthepegblanks,heldattimesinaspeciallymadejig,were
finishedwithchisel,scraper,andknife.
Seriesofpicturesoftheprocessofhandmakingpegs:

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Usingabowdrilltomakeastringholeinapeg,whichIamholdingonceagainin
mypegmakingjig.

Runningapieceofstringfromthepegboxtothebridgetotesthowthestrings
wouldlie,Imarkedthepositionsoftheouterstringsonthebridgewithabradawl,
andthenuseddividerstomakethepositionsoftheotherstringholes,copyingover
themeasurementsfromaroughtemplate.
Markingstringpositionsonbridge

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Iusedalongbowdrill,(itneededtobelongtoallowitkeepthebowclearofthe
lutebodywhendrilling),tomakethestringholesinthebridge
Drillingholesinbridge

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Markingapieceofwood(roughedoutasusualwithaxe,andthenplanedagainsta
benchstop)whichwillserveasthenut.

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Mylutewasjustaboutcomplete.Itonlyremainedtothinkaboutthefinish,fretit
andstringit.

Iusetheafiletoroundandsmoothallsharpcornersonthelute.Afterscraping,
forfinalsmoothinghorsetailsor"shavegrass"wereoftenusedinearliertimes
(theywerealsousedforscouringpewter).Therearemanyvarnishrecipes
survivingfromtheMiddleAges.Thereisatheorythatasortofeggtemperawas
usedtogivea"blond"finishtothesoundboard.Ibelievethatsoapwouldhavebeen
usedtomakepegsturnmoreeasilyasithadbeenaroundforalongtimeinthe
fifteenthcentury.
Bywayofanepilogue,hereisaverybadlimerickrelatingtothefactthatworkmen
oftengaveanimalnamestotheirworkholdingtools(sawinghorse,benchdog
chairmakersdonkey,etc)andworkedwithoutscrewvices,causingmewonderhow
earlierluthiershadclampedandheldtheirworkpieces,whichiswhyIentitledthis
projectasbeinginsearchofthelutemaker"sdonkey.
Itmaycometoyouasnosurprises
Thattherewasanoldlutemakerwhopossessednovices.
Whenthingswentwonky
Hereachedforhisdonkey
Asitwasoneofhisfavouritedevices.
WhatIshoulddonowistomakeanotherlute,whichwouldsurelyturnoutbetter
thanthisfirstprototype,toconsolidateandreinforcewhatIhavelearnedaboutthe
oldmethods...
AndrewAtkinsonconcludedthisseriesoflecturesattheLuteSocietybyplayinga
pieceonhisnewlystrunglute,usingaplectrumithadalivelyandstrongsound.

EditedforthewebbyJamesJacksonandDavidvanEdwards
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TheLuteSociety:BuildingLuteOriginalMethods

IncommemorationofthehardworkofAndrewandthewebsiteteam,thisgalliard
(/vanilla/lutesoc/uploads/buildingluteoriginalmethods/Andrew'sGalliard.pdf)was
writtenbyJamesJacksonforrenaissancelute.

Bibliography
Besidestheworkscitedinthetextabove,thefollowingareofinterest:
Edlin,H.,WoodlandCraftsinBritain(NewtonAbbott:DavidandCharles,1949)
Goodman,W.L.,BritishPlanemakerssince1700(NeedhamMarket:RoyArnold,3rd
edition,1993)
Harwood,I,"Afifteenthcenturylutedesign",TheLuteSocietyJournalii(1960)pp.
38
Jenkins,J.G.,TraditionalCountryCraftsmen(London,Routledge,KeganandPaul,
1965)
Knight,R.,"ACarpenter"sRulefromtheMaryRose"ToolsandTrades,vi,pp.4355
Kylsberg,B.,"ASeventeenthCenturySawatSkolklostersCastle,Sweden"
NewlsetteroftheToolsandTradesHistorySociety,31,pp.2733.
Salaman,R.A.,ADictionaryofWoodworkingTools,c.17001970(TauntonPress,
1990)

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