The first two ribs

Here are the first couple of ribs (there will be thirteen in all) fitted to the lute form. The yew wood was taken to a thickness of 1.5mm on my drum sander before bending into the correct shape. The thin black dividers (I have always called them stringers - is that right?) are cut from maple veneer (0.6mm) stained black. These are bent to shape in a  hacksaw slot cut into the top of my bending iron.

The yew has a lovely grain, but it is really wavy and so it's very difficult to plane the side of the rib ready for fitting the next one. I have instead made much more use a small file for this step.