Slicing Strads

would be nice but is too expensive. 

Casts of 1727 and 1704 Stradivarius violins helps me make up my mind about which gouge to choose for the fluting and where to target the deepest point. 

Apart from the choice of the gouge, the depth is always one crucial decision to take when cutting the fluting. Stradivari seams to have gone down to a thickness of 3.5 mm when fluting the c-bouts. For the rest of the fluting, he went to 3mm. Further into the arching, the fluting is at times considerably deeper - as can be seen in the second section of the cast in the back.