Make an Electric Violin

In this tutorial, I will show you how to make an electric violin!

Files : http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1683282

Materials:
5.5mm plywood, Electric violin piezo mic : http://goo.gl/Cz63s9, Violin set : http://goo.gl/cye2ht, Fingerboard : http://goo.gl/vFTDoH, Guitar peg : http://goo.gl/kAg8qU, Violin strings : http://goo.gl/7njMgW

Tools: Laser cutter : http://www.troteclaser.com/, 3D printer : Makerbot replicator, Soldering iron : https://goo.gl/UDPpo6, Sandpaper, Dremel : https://goo.gl/iulZWA, Bench vice

Go and follow this link to get the layout for this.

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1683282

After downloading, cut out a 5.5 mm plywood with a laser cutter or a scroll saw using the downloaded file. This will become the bout and the neck part of your violin.

I used Fusion 360 to design this layout plan and Trotec laser cutter to cut it all out.

Clean all the ashes that may have been left from the laser cutter. I had to sand every edges since the laser cutter was not powerful enough to go through the wood cleanly.

After cleaning all the pieces, glue the pieces together using a wood glue. I used the Titebond because they have a very good strength. Be sure to use a clamp!

Sand all the edges again to align the pieces that you glued together in the previous step.

Using a rotatory tool, sculpt the neck so it becomes more comfortable to hold and press against the fingerboard. Sanding it afterwards is a good idea.

A metal piece will need to be used in the violin to hold the neck and the bout together. If we just use a glue to attach the neck to the bout, it will be too weak for holding the 4 strings on the violin.

Print out the angle guide and bend it using a bench vice.

Attach the neck to the bout. The metal piece we prepared in the previous step in designed to fit into the slot on the two components. I had to cut the end to make it a little bit short.

Drill the bottom of the bout so that it fits the end button. An end button is a piece of ebony wood designed to hold and support the tailpiece.

Apply two coats of Danish oil finish. This step is optional, but it will make the violin look much better.

3D print the enclosure, the nut and the piezo mic holder. You can download the files on Thingerverse .

Link:

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1683282

Attach the nut, pegs, enclosure and the fingerboard to the violin.

Enjoy your DIY violin. Thanks for reading my Instructable and be sure to subscribe to my Youtube channel.