Books › An encyclopedia of the violin, 1925 › scan 156
Scan 156
An encyclopedia of the violin, 1925
18 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 132. See the scan on archive.org.
1for it must be placed well in the center of the stick, along its entire length, so that the button which forms the head of the screw may be able to turn around smoothly on the head of the stick, supporting itself with the utmost regularity on all parts of the lower end of the stick; and so that the screw of the nut, in its forward and backward movement, may also follow the perpendicular line of the bow along its entire length. The drill intended for the purpose should be taken, and, while working, care should be taken that the drill be held horizontal to the stick of the bow.
3Whenever the drill-lathe is to be used, it should be fastened to the end of the bench by means of a vise.
5At the end of the stick, on the side which is to receive the button of its screw, a small circle is made in the wood of the stick itself, to prevent the button from shifting, and to keep it constantly on a level with the stick. It is unnecessary to give any explanation of this little process; by merely looking at a stick, it is easy to see that with a circular saw a line may be drawn entirely around the stick, in order that with the aid of the knife and file the small circle in question may be made.
7The Nut.—The nut is unquestionably the most difficult part of the bow to make. No matter what pains one may have taken, no matter how hard one may have labored on the stick, if the nut is not set in the right way, the bow will always be a poor one. The essential thing is to fit the nut in such a manner that it allows the wedge box which receives the hairs to be placed in the correct alignment with the head of the bow.
9A piece of ebony from 22 to 27 centimeters (8 1/2" to 10 1/2") long, is trimmed with the plane and given the same thickness as the bottom of the bow, and the same breadth as that of the nut when the latter has been mounted on the bow.
11A model of the nut should then be made, taking that of the bow which is being copied, and using the process which we have already described in making other models. The model is placed on one of the flat sides of the piece of ebony and, as usual, the outlines of as many nuts as the piece of wood can furnish are traced.
13This done, the saw is used to separate each of the pieces which is to be made into a nut; then, the superfluous wood should be removed with the saw, the small crosspiece which is found on the front of the nut should be formed, and a knife should be used to give this little piece the graceful shape which it ought to have, while avoiding hollowing out the two sides or cheeks of the nut.
15The hole which is to form the wedge box to hold the hairs is then drilled, the procedure being the same as that used for the wedge box at the head of the bow.
17If it seems desirable that the heel end of the nut be rounded, the angle found at this place should be sawed and rounded off afterward with the file.
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