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While spruce is used for the soundboard because of its tone-producing qualities and light weight, maple is used on the back, sides and neck because of its density, strength and beauty. Because of its density, maple is ideal for the back plate, which can be either one piece, or, more commonly, two. Though thinly graduated (carved to desired thickness), the back must act more as a reflector than as a resonator, making rigidity very important. Although other woods are sometimes used, traditionally, much of the violin's structural strength and beauty comes from maple, especially that found in certain areas of Eastern Europe. Suitable maple can be highly figured (flamed) or quite plain. Highly flamed maple is prized for its beauty by both maker and player alike. After all, the violin is intended to please the eye as well as the ear.
Today's luthier still uses many hand tools quite similar to those employed by the old Italian masters. These include various rasps, clamps, knives, gouges, forms, templates and other specialized tools.
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Next, the wedges are split down the center.
The two halves are then glued together like bookends. The
grain of the wood, which comes from the annual growth rings,
now runs evenly across both pieces.
Sometimes, instead of being cut on the
quarter, book-matched and glued, the maple for the back is
cut or sawn longitudinally in straight lengths. Wood which
has been split or cut in this fashion is said to be cut on
the slab, and is often used to highlight the figure on
one-piece backs.
The thickness of the top and back plates is
determined by time-tested patterns. The template is laid
over the plates, and the pattern drawn on, leaving contour
lines similar to those found on a topographical map. This
helps the maker maintain the proper thickness or graduation
for the top and back. The graduation will be different in
different areas of the plates; the center and edges tend to
be thicker, while the central areas above and below are much
thinner. Using hand tools to carve away the excess wood, the
violin maker adjusts the final shape and dimensions of the
instrument based on the template.
