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M KING B ROQUE VIOLIN BOWROGER ROSE describes the delicate process of making a long, ligh t Baroque vio lin stickMany of the techniques used in mak ing a Baroque bow are quite different to those used for a mo dern one.Of all the early models, I f ind the B aroque violin bow th e m ost dem anding to make as it is rather long for itswe ight - althou gh it is already much shorter than the mod ern bow. A typica l Baroque violin bow s p layinghair-length is up to 60cm (compared to 65cm for a modern bow), but the weight is only around 50g (a modernbow w eighs in at 60g ;a Baroque cello or bass viol bow is typic ally S 5-90g). I often m ake a bow to a particularwe ight or match it to a particular instrum ent or player s need, A heavy, unresponsive instrum ent wiil needmuch m ore bow than a light, responsive instrum ent, for instance.So, althoug h I use machinery to cut therough shape of the bow, I base the fina l dimensions on previous examples tha t I have made over the yearsand establish the final size by jud gin g how the bow stick feels in the h and. Many existing bows fro m before1720 have no screw ad justme nt to tension the hair but instead use a clip-in f rog. I use this system for somebows, but most players prefer a more m odern typ e of fro g w ith a screw ad justme nt. [Roger Rose describeshis me thod for mak ing frogs using mamm oth ivory in The Strad, July 2006.]STEPS 1-3

This beautiful pattern shows exactly how snakewood got its name

n] Such a long, light bow requires very strong wood. Snakewood{piratlnera guianensis),vjh \chgrows in central and South America,was used for bows in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. It isbeautiful and good to workwith, and its hardness keeps sharp detail.Its strength varies from tree to tree, a fact which becomes apparentwhen the w ood is cut (each individual block of woo d w ill be assessedfor its suitability for different kinds of bow, and a certain amount ofwoo d w ill always end up being discarded). But with a specific grav ityof around 1.30, snakewood is too heavy fora modern bow.

Marking out the nead wim a template

[2] After selecting the 5nakewood,the profile ofthe Sticks are drawn outon a plank.The sticks are then cut out on a band saw. usually sawmy own logs, to ensure that the sticks are cut on the quarter w ith thegrow th rings across the bow, as this is the strongest direction o f thewood. usea template of aeroply to mark the shape of the head.

[3] Having cut ou t the stick, then plane the inside of the stick andshape the inside of thei eadwith a file and ascraper. use the insideof the stick as the face surface, and piane the rough dimensions ofthe top. measure at frequent intervals using a vernier calliper,because accuracy is very importa nt and it is all too easy to removetoo much material.

Shaping the inside of the head with a file

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STEPS 4 8

tl if Mcli s wi lh \ taull-nose plane

The face of the head is leftbare,with no facing plate

[6 ]

[4] While the sides of the stick are still parallel. markacentre line andsaw to length.Once the rough size is achieved leaving eve rythinga millimetre oversize), start reducing the w idth of the stick near thehead.Thi51 do using a bull-nose plane, leaving the head of the bovt/parallel soasto be able to hold it in a vice. find it easier to set thestick out in this way and to d rill the wedge mortise in the head usinga machine vice on the drill press.This will keep everything lined upand square,sothat the head and frog will be perfectly in line witheach other. Later on in the process the use of measuring toolsbecomes impossible and the experienced eye takes over.

[5] The wedge mortise is opened t o its final shape using a small chisel.I then begin shaping the head using many files and scrapers rather thansharp-edge toolsasthe wood is sohard. shape the face of the head first,setting the final width that will control the w idth of the hair-band.Thehead ofaBaroque bow does not haveafacing plate and so the wedgemortise must not come too close to its edge,asthis would make it veryprone to splitting.The hair-band on a Baroque bow is much narrowerthan on the modern bow. ThenI rough out the rest of the head shape.Having the head shaped at this early stage allows me to start planingthe octagon shape of the stick withou t the head gen ing in the way.[6] Stili keeping the dimensions amillimetre or so oversize, ptanethe stick to an octago n using a small block plane.

Planing the stick w ith a small blocit plane

Opening the mortise with a slotting dri The stick is held in a lathe for drilling

17] I drill out the mortise for the frog adjustmen t and clean it upwith a chisel.

[8] Then I set the stick in afour-jaw chuck in a lathe to drill the endfor the adjusting screw.While the stick is in the lathe, turn the nippleon the end of it. It is usually 6mm in diameter, t.

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STEPS 9-11

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The handle with its nipple and the bun on w ith its m atching recess

ig the stick, using the knee to achieve an even tu fve

Rounding the stick with a scraper

19] This nipple is designed to fit into a matching recess in the adjusterbutton,which acts like a ferrule, taking the strain o f the hair tensionaway from the hole for the adjusting screw and keeping the end ofthe stick from splitting.

At this stage I like to make sure that the bronze screw eye that willattach the frog to the adjusting screw runs smoothly in the stick.Thisis to avoid any trouble w ith the fitting and smooth run ning of the frog.

I plane the frog end of the stick - the handle - to its final dimensions(it remains an octagon) and fit the frog to the stick. Once I am happywith the alignment and fit of the frog, the hole for the bronze eye canbe drilled in the frog and the frog fitted to the stick.

The bow is now at a rough stage with the frog fitted and runningsmoothly and both the mortises cut.The final dimensions o f the stickare. of course, criticai to the b ow s strength and balance - and,therefore, to its performance.n o ] I leave the bend ing of the bow stick until this stage. My startingpoint for this is the experience gained through curving the otherbows I have made, but the curve can be altered in order to adjustthe performance of the bow.

The stick is heated with a hot-air gun or over an electric hotplate.When it is hot enough to bend witho ut burning,Iuse my knee toachieve an even curve, heating a large area of the stick to avoidkinking.Comparedwith the modern bow, the Baroque bow uses muchless, if any, inward curve of the stick,andtoo much curve could resultin the bo w being quite unstable. Some final adjustments can bemade even after the hair is in the bow.

[ ]Now it is time for the final shaping of the stick, which I do witha scraper, if the stick is to be round, it can change enormously inthe rou nding process and so the dimensions as an octagon must beon the fu ll side. If it is to be an octagonal, flutedstick, the fluting iscarved with a shaped scraper.The fluting runs along about two-thirdsof the bow s length.The handle can also have a reededgrip, whichI carve wit h a shaped scraper.

With snakewood, the finish is critical as every scraper and file markwill show w hen the stick is polished.Ifinish the stick with wax. asanyvarnish wo uld fall off snakewood in a short time.The wax finish willimprove with ageaslong as the player wipes away any rosin from thestick after playing.The stick can be easily cleaned using methylatedspirit, with a little wax if needed.This bow is made to my ow n design,based on anonymous Baroque originals.

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