As is the case with guitars, the soundboard is the most critical part of the instrument in terms of sound production. The wood should be quarter-sawn and free of defects, and ideally have no run-out. This is even more critical for the lute, as the glued contact area of the bridge is relatively small, and short grain will significantly weaken the join. In the image below, the two halves of the soundboard have been joined, and you can see a band of light in the lower half, which is reflected from a strip light. If the wood was short grain, there would be a step in this band where the join is.
You can also see the design of the rose in the form of a printout glued to the soundboard. This acts as a guide for the initial cutting out.
The next 4 images show the cutting out process. I made 2 very fine chisels just for this process – one straight and one slightly curved. It’s a very delicate process, requiring very sharp tools, a steady hand, and good lighting (and for me, my highest magnification glasses!)
The next stage is the trickiest – carving the channels into the surface of the rose. I modified my carving knife for this job to have a finer tip, and made the edge as sharp as possible.
The finished rose was not quite perfect, but I was very happy with it for my first attempt.
Next up – soundboard bracing and the bridge.