Plane

• 1). Saw a piece of wood in half to be used as the front or back plate of a violin. A high quality seasoned wood such as spruce or maple should be used for constructing high-quality violins.
  
  
• 2). Smooth the exterior side of each plate is to the desired arch using a gouge and planes. The grain of the violin plates is usually positioned at right angles to the grain of the violin edges for increased strength.
  
  
• 3). Position F holes in a violin plate as the plate is held in the cradle using circle cutters, a saw and knife. The violin plates are now turned around in the cradle to allow the interior of the plate to be reduced for sound quality.
  
  
• 4). Plane the interior arch of the violin using small rounded planes known as finger planes. Gouges are used to remove large amounts of wood from the plate with finger plane, and rounded metal scrapers are used to smooth the plate.
  
  
• 5). Reduce the plates until they reach the desired resonance by tapping the plates with a tuning fork. The violin plate is planed and smoothed until the desired arch is created. Polish each violin plate using dried horsetail, a plant found in stream beds.