My Latest Two Violins

[Cliff Green]

Thank you for the pictures of your peg process John. I have a small hobby lathe, Sherline, which doesn't have a compound slide. I'm surprised you don't do more shaping of the thumbpiesce with the lathe. I've envisioned a template blade much like the ones used in shapers for moulding. Do you use the same tool for all of the turning. I assume you have a compound slide for the 1:30 taper.
30 yrs ago I worked with a gunsmith part time for a year mostly inletting and bedding stocks. Occasionally he would let me mind his lathe which was great fun. I've always wanted a proper one but could never justify the expense for my simple needs or find a used one that I thought I could outfit and trust.

[John E Giarrizzo]

Do you use the same tool for all of the turning. I assume you have a compound slide for the 1:30 taper.

The tool shown in the pictures is the same used for all the operations. I set up for each single operation and do the same on all pegs being made. Then switch to the next operation. The positioning of the peg is repeatable, therfore they can be taken out and replaced precisely for each stage in manufacture.

30 yrs ago I worked with a gunsmith part time for a year mostly inletting and bedding stocks. Occasionally he would let me mind his lathe which was great fun. I've always wanted a proper one but could never justify the expense for my simple needs or find a used one that I thought I could outfit and trust.

My lathe is a 12" Craftsman, which was made by Atlas. Probaly 50-60 years old. I bought it about 40 years ago. Rebuilt it. That's why it's orange. It does have a compound slide, set for the 1:30 taper. Although I do touch up the taper with a standard peg shaver.

I've spent many thousands of hours standing at a lathe in my lifetime. Served several years in a tool and die making apprenticship, and many years after that as a prototype machinist/model maker in an engineering department, then as a mechanical design draftsman.

Perhaps without a compound slide you could just sort of approximate the taper with a file, then finalize with a peg shaper.

John