Author: Chris Wells

 

 

 

A number of people have asked me why the 6 Course Renaissance Lute project moves so slowly.

My answer is a simple one: I cannot move faster.

I have also  been  asked why the lute looks so cumbersome – and this is easily explained: what you see in the photos is not the lute; it is the mould, or template, around which the lute body will be shaped.

The photos above show the first part of the actual lute – the neck-block, which resembles a sharp nose, and is carved from Poplar wood. (I chose Poplar because it has been traditionally used for that purpose; it works easily, and has good ‘resonance’).

The next step is to prepare thin ‘planks’ (known confusingly as ‘ribs’), and bend them around the mould. They will be glued edge-to-edge, and to the Poplar neck-block….thus forming a real lute body, which can be lifted off the mould.

That same mould will be used again to make more lutes: 6 Course or 7 Course Renaissance Lutes.

So much I understand; I move from lesson to lesson.

Of course, I am by nature a finicky sort of fellow, and I expect my silversmith training of long ago reinforced the trait- but at any rate, since I do not have a Master at my elbow, I must find out for myself how much ‘attention to detail’ is required.

For the time being I err on the side of detail, and caution….

As Dad said about Boat-building: the first step is the hardest.

I have been meaning to begin this sand-dune restoration project for a number of years, and now – at last – I have taken the first step.

The sand-dune in question stretches north of our Boatshed, and is covered with aggressive plants which do not belong: Acacia saligna, Acacia cyclops, Olive, Coastal Teatree etc. I will replace them with  local species, in the usual Boatshed fashion: bit by bit.

One hundred years may or may not be time enough. We shall see….

To my eye, this is beginning to look like the mould of a Six Course Renaissance Lute.

It’s still early days, of course – but I am confident.

There are ten cross sections in all, and I proceed at snail’s pace. Just as well the apprenticeship is a lengthy one….

 

 

Slow going….

….but the Tortoise eventually triumphed, so we are told.

As Dad would say: I choose to believe because it is impossible.

 

Next task: the cross-sections.

Rarely do we get windless moments in winter.

Sam and I arrived at just the right time.

Not even a ‘zephyr’….

 

Katsuyuki Nishijima was born in 1945.

 

So far, so good. The mould takes shape.

My handsome Luban Low Angle Block Plane (manufactured by Qiangsheng Tool Company) has come into its own. I used it to shape the spine profile, and it seemed to understand exactly what was required.

I have taken note of that: if all else fails, reach for the infallible Low Angle Block Plane….

 

Sam and I walked up to the Estuary.

Clear skies, sea breeze.

A perfect day.