Here are some photos of the layout stage. I am still struggling with getting the rusty nails out of the box without bashing the crap out of it in the process, so that might take a while. Meanwhile, neck carving can begin. I'll likely use the inside of the lid as the visible top since it is warping and it has better cleaner graphics. Shame to lose the tax stamp!
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Heres something to mull over Diane.
This shows the dot marks made with a T pin. I cut away the excess with spiral cuts, decreasing the depth of the cut as you get closer to the center of the scroll. Chisel away the excess.
Geared tuners definitely add weight at the head -- IF you are using them at the head, of course! My first one has guitar tuners and they are quite heavy. It makes the instrument tiresome to play. I'm hoping these sleeker ones combined with a hollowed pegbox will cut some of that weight. I might even chop off the scroll if it comes to that.
They have integrated fine tuners in the Witner tailpieces - very refined looking. But you can easily add "aftermarket" fine tuners to any tailpiece for not much money.
I am about to order a fingerboard, nut, saddle and 1/2 size tailpiece/cord. I don't really feel like I'd enjoy making a double-radius-ed fingerboard from scratch, that is for sure.
Conventional tuners are great, but it really needs fine tuners - well at least one - in order to finely tune the strings so (in my opinion) guitar type tuners are so much easier.
When I can find the time to start my next fiddle I will be using guitar tunes but at the other end of the instrument.
Looks pretty good. I'm at about this stage myself; I have a laminated neck blank laid out and a decent all-wood box.
I will probably not use conventional friction tuners, but I'll see what the local music shop has in it's junk box!