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Bending the rules: arching constructions

2026-01-16T10:12:00

Screenshot 2026-01-06 135457

How can luthiers create an instrument’s arching from scratch? Sebastian Gonzalez presents a possible solution to an age-old dilemma, using simple formulas and the latest technology

One of the most difficult parts of a violin to describe is the arching. While the outline can easily be taken from a picture, the arching requires multiple templates or casts for it to be recorded accurately. In the past few years, the use of laser (or structured-light) scanners has given us an incredible amount of data that we can process with computers…

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