Elie Riachi - 3-20-2005 at 03:17 PM
Dr. Oud or any of the Oud makers on the forum;
I have always wondered about whether or not the ends of the braces should be feathered off to where they are not glued to end ribs such as seen in
this link you posted http://www.art-robb.co.uk/pic3.html Not being glued means allowing more freedom for the board resonate lengthwise without fixing the location of
the braces as nodes as much lengthwise but they are still nodes for vibrations of the sound board that are parallel to the brace's length. Glueing
the ends on the otherhand seems to serve to strengthen the way sound board is attached to the end ribs.
Have you braced using the feathered braces, what has been your experience / observation?
oudmaker - 3-21-2005 at 10:04 AM
Hi Elie
I have never seen a bracing not glued to the sides on ouds. Classical guitar bracings are feathered under the bridge but they are not cross bracings
yet close to the rossette it has two cross bracing which are glued to the sides. The lute top you are refering has cross bracings but it is not clear
that they are to be glued to the sides. On oud we also feathered slightly towards the ends. I saw ouds with broken tops just because the last two
bracings under the bridge lost their connection to the ribs.
Regards
Dincer
Dr. Oud - 3-21-2005 at 07:00 PM
I've never seen an oud with the braces not glued to the sides on purpose... The finer ouds I've measured do taper the ends of the braces about 1mm
from the center to the ends, but without attachment to the sides the face would fail rather easily. Guitar bracing that is feathered out short of the
sides is usually done with a much thicker soundboard, and some other braces are very well supported, some by vertical posts. Most ouds have the braces
merely butt joined to the inside of the top rib. The short braces seen over the Rose on Aret's lute are meant to support only the rose, as the braces
above and below appear to go all the way.
Elie Riachi - 3-22-2005 at 12:05 PM
Thanks Mr. Dincer and Dr. Oud. It sounds that it is a good idea to glue braces end and definetly the two above and below the bridge.