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Originally posted by Banjobandit501

So as i mentioned in previous posts im wanting to start building my own fiddles. Im trying to start collecting tools and other costs of cradles and sharpening stones and such. I found this on ebay and I paid $375 for this, I feel like this is a good start. What do yall think?

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There are some good tools there, especially the Herdim clamps. It's not a bad start. I'd probably use the chip carving knives as utility knives, but the straight razor could be reground and made into a good knife. The steel in old razors is often excellent. I have an assortment of old razors that were given me by a high end knife maker. He had already reshaped the blades into several different shapes so I could just do the final grinding and honing. I used one of them as my workhorse for several years.

The chisels look decent from afar. It's harder to say about the gouges. A couple look like they're worn down to stubs, so the hardest part of the blades may be long gone, but it's a start.  You'll probably need to spend some time lapping them and grinding to get them into good shape, but that can be part of the fun in finding an old tool. I can't tell what model of block plane you have, but the block plane is one of the essentials.

There's an assortment of finger planes. They are important tools for making, so if yours are well made, they'll be very useful. They can be fussy to set up but when they work well it's a dream.

The scrapers look like a mix of shapes that come from sets. They ought to be decent. You'll need a burnisher for them if you don't have one. 

The ad said in working condition but who knows? I sure dont. But im glad you see some quality there. Thats what I was hoping for. Im wanting the "worn in" feel anyway. Is some of this stuff..? I guess standard? I mean to be honest im not 100% sure what some of it is.

That's super exciting! Good luck

What is in the case at lower left, and just above it? Is there a peg shaper - is that one to the right of the case?

I see now in the top of the case is just a chisel and maybe a file holder, but I don't know what's in it.

Why worry what anyone else thinks? You must have thought it was a good buy. That’s all that matters.
If you are going to make instruments you will need self confidence. If you plan to sell them you need burning self confidence.

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Originally posted by Banjobandit501

The ad said in working condition but who knows? I sure dont. But im glad you see some quality there. Thats what I was hoping for. Im wanting the "worn in" feel anyway. Is some of this stuff..? I guess standard? I mean to be honest im not 100% sure what some of it is.

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It's a somewhat random assortment of tools. A few are violin-specific, a lot are more general-purpose. A lot of the tools in the picture are setup and repair tools, so those will come in handy later. There are a few things you'll need for making that aren't here, but if the gouges are decent, they're a start. Many of the tools and jigs can be made at home--you can make a cradle following a number of designs at very little expense.

Edge tool setup is a very personal thing. This is why a luthier would recoil in horror if you borrowed one of his knives or chisels without express permission. I would expect the tools to need some work to get them cutting their best regardless of the description of them as working order.

You can of course build up a collection of tools through buying lots like this one, although you may end up with a lot of tools you don't use. It may be worthwhile to make a list of the tools you need so that you can focus on the essentials first as you venture into making. 

Well considering I had very little luthier related tools prior to this, ill take it. I could tell these were most likely better name tools. I didn't really care what anyone thought I just wanted some insight because im new. I wanted something that told a story and was good quality. I feel this is a great "starter" set. I know there's many things not included and I will still have to purchase many other items. But this is stuff I will need. I dont have anyone to show me these things and all I have is what I do my own research on.

If you’re looking to make a violin yourself, I would highly recommend you read Roger Hargrave’s free pdf on “Making a Bass.” It is one of the most comprehensive tutorials for making bowed string instruments. Even though the process is making a bass, the techniques demonstrated (minus the different style of back) are the same for violins. It even includes instructions for ground and varnish making and application.

As advertised, a new book has just dropped that summarizes the making process of the Newark school from the perspective of a student’s notebook. There was previously an excellent book, “The Art of Violin Making” that covered much of the Newark school’s methodology, and that remains a highly regarded reference. You can’t go wrong with Sacconi’s “The ‘Secrets’ of Stradivari” either, as it’s packed with great information.

These are all excellent resources for information. You could also learn a lot by bringing a violin to the VSA convention in whatever stage of completion you can reach by November. There you can sign up for a meeting with a hors concours maker and get some excellent feedback. When I was making my first violin, I took it there and showed it to every major maker who I could. They all gave me some wonderful advice,
and since my violin wasn’t completed yet, I had the opportunity to take some of it before finishing the violin.

More excellent information is available to you and at greater ease than ever before. Take full advantage of it!

I think this is a very good thing, violin repair, I wish you good luck.