Recently a friend asked me if I would help his daughter make a ukulele. And after some discussions and planning, we agreed that rather than charging him for doing the work, he would buy two sets of materials and I would make one for myself and help her with hers at the same time.

So, after a few weeks of planning and research, we are getting close to finalising designs and ordering the materials.

Now, while a uke isn't a guitar, they do have a lot in common. And it should be a lot quicker to build than a guitar.

So, if the interest is here, I'd be more than happy to post a build diary with pics. What do you all think?

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

If you're up for it zen.
I'd love to look in -.

All the best musicians have a Ukulele or two, i believe.

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.. is this thing on?

Definitely! The uke is a fun instrument that even a numpty like me can pick up. It would be fascinating to see one built from scratch.

Mandolin next ..?

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Veni, Vidi, Aesculi
(I came, I saw, I conkered)

cheers guys,

looks like I'm keeping a photo diary.

Construction wise, ukes are pretty much the same as acoustics. So it should be useful to anyone interested in building their own acoustic guitar. And it should be equally relevant to anyone interested in a flat top mandolin too.

Looks like we will be building two Tenor Ukuleles. I've spent the last couple of weeks working on plans. Ruth found a pic of one with a cutaway, so I've managed to scale that up into a drawing for her approval. I am going for a standard body. Once the drawings are agreed, I'll turn them into templates and moulds, and we'll be ordering the woods.

But to wet your appetites...

I've already come up with a theme and ideas for inlay for mine. So watch out for something on some unusual inlay techniques, this will be a first for me. And as I would have to modify other truss rods, I am considering making them from scratch.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

i have read that George Harrison traveled with two ukuleles - the story goes - it was just incase he ran he ran into someone who could also play. Ukulele duets! i cant wait!
zen - you and Ruth should make dvds.

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.. is this thing on?

Isn't making the d*mned thing enough without having to learn to play it too!!

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

OK..

drawings approved...

Moving onto the cutting list, templates, and moulds.

Woods are pretty much decided too.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Quote Stan:

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i have read that George Harrison traveled with two ukuleles - the story goes - it was just incase he ran he ran into someone who could also play.

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Or because when your plane goes down and you're stuck on a desert island, it's better to have two paddles for your raft.

Quote grab:

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Quote Stan:

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i have read that George Harrison traveled with two ukuleles - the story goes - it was just incase he ran he ran into someone who could also play.

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Or because when your plane goes down and you're stuck on a desert island, it's better to have two paddles for your raft.

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Zen has converted me on Ukes: amongst other things they make a great starter intrument for kids. (If you can stop your three-year-old playing it with their feet, that is).

However, my mate left his banjo on the back seat of the car whilst he went shopping the other day. When he came out of the lift on his way back he could see that the glass of his rear window had been smashed.

He ran back to his car that to find that some bugger had put another fecking banjo on his back seat!!!

OK... things have started moving.

I've bought all the materials for the jigs, and cut them down to size ready to cut out templates and moulds over the next couple of days. Both instruments will be made with Hawaiian Pheasantwood backs and sides with Red Cedar fronts. These have also been ordered from the USofA and should arrive in the next few days.

Tools are being serviced and sharpened. And I'm preparing a second order from the USA with the neck woods, hardware, internal body woods, bindings etc.

And I'll get some pics to post now things are getting interesting. With some details of everything done up to now.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

latest update...

Bloody Paypal!! But excellent US Postal Service. Body woods are in the system and due soon.

Finished the jig for building joining the fronts and backs today, pics on the way, and almost finished the templates for both ukes.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Things are moving...

I've spent the last couple of weeks building jigs and moulds... Here they are.

[image][/image]

And a jig for jointing the fronts and backs...

[image][/image]

We spent the afternoon preparing the backs for jointing. Using a shooting board to plane the edges on the two halves of each back ready for jointing. Like the wood? It's Hawaiian Pheasant Wood, and this piece is exceptionally pretty.

[image][/image]

And this evening we joined the first back in the jig. We'll start tomorrow by joining the other back and then go on to prepare the fronts for jointing.

[image][/image]

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Quote zenguitar:

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Isn't making the d*mned thing enough without having to learn to play it too!!

Andy

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thanks zenguitar - looking great and excellent photos to -

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.. is this thing on?

Wow those cramps are pretty cool. Did you make them yourself?

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Not much in life worth running for. Or from.

Wow, your jigs are better quality than my finished DIY jobs

Did you do anything to stop the backs from sticking to the jig ?
what type of glue did you use ?

Gorgeous Zen. Fancy moving on to a lapsteel slide guitar next (I could use a week on the south coast...)

Hewesy

Cheers guys...

Quote Dynamic Mike:

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Wow those cramps are pretty cool. Did you make them yourself?

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No, although once you have one you can see how easy it would be to make as many as you need. They are called Klemmsia clamps and they are a type of cam clamp. They are very popular with guitar makers for a number of reasons, they are very light, it's possible to put them in place one handed and then use the same hand to keep things together and free the other hand to tighten the clamp, it can apply a lot of pressure but in a very controllable way. In the UK you can buy them here and StewMac have their own versions too.

Quote Jumpeyspyder:

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Wow, your jigs are better quality than my finished DIY jobs

Did you do anything to stop the backs from sticking to the jig ?
what type of glue did you use ?

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Cheers Jumpey... If you look closely at the pic of the back jointing you can see the end of a strip of newspaper. It lies between the jig and the glue join. I wipe the paper with candle wax but that's not essential, some of the paper sticks anyway and you still have to plane and scrape the surface true on the outer side and thickness from the inside. I'm using Evostick PVA wood glue, in theory Titebond or Humbrol is marginally better as it has less slippage when it sets. But for something this size it isn't significant.

Quote Hewesy:

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Gorgeous Zen. Fancy moving on to a lapsteel slide guitar next (I could use a week on the south coast...)

Hewesy

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Cheers Hewesy, I thought you would have finished the lapsteel by now!! And besides, it would take longer than a week. But if you have a workshop I'm more than happy to visit with my tool boxes as long as you feed me and take me to the pub every night

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

And just so you know what it looked like when it came out of the jig...

[image][/image]

I just ran a scraper over the join to see how it looked.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Quote zenguitar:

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Cheers Hewesy, I thought you would have finished the lapsteel by now!! And besides, it would take longer than a week. But if you have a workshop I'm more than happy to visit with my tool boxes as long as you feed me and take me to the pub every night

Andy

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Sadly not mate, woodworking course ended and the summer beckons!

I might just get back to you later in the year though, I'm sure something could be arranged (the Sunn needs a new nut too..!).

Hewesy

I might just take you up on that Hewesy, although I'm sure the Sun runs on hydrogen, not nuts!!

Meanwhile....

Now both backs are jointed, we are working on the fronts.

[image][/image]

This is the first one after planing the jointing edge. A nice piece of Western Red Cedar. And it smells wonderful when you plane it

[image][/image]

And here it is in the joining jig. Notice how I am using one of my planes for clamping? The two halves are very different thickness, so I clamped the plane there to control the thinner side across the full length of the join. Not essential, but it does ensure that we can minimise the amount of wood work on the 'good' side to maximise the bookmatch.

We already made a start on the sides, here's Ruth working on the 1st.

[image][/image]

She's planing the good side to remove the sawing marks. Once it's true we'll flip it over and thickness from the inside.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

A shorter day today.

Took the first back out of the jig and cleaned up the glue line. Then jointed the second front and clamped it in the jig overnight.

The Pheasant Wood has been generally pretty good to work, but it is hard on cutting tools and can tear out even when using a toothed blade. So this afternoon I used a cabinet scraper to clean up the good faces of one set of sides which worked nicely and solved the tear out problem.

So now we have several days of thicknessing ahead after making a start today.

[image][/image]

You can see Ruth measuring with a dial calliper which can comfortably work to 1/20th of a mm. The side is divided into a grid with chalk lines and the thickness is measured in the centre of each block. And the measurement is chalked in the block so that once it's completed you can look over the entire piece and spot which areas are highest. Then its a simple matter of setting the plane to a fine cut and planing off the highest numbers, then the next highest PLUS the area you planed before, and so on. For the first few stages you avoid the lowest areas completely. Then you get the chalk out again, draw a new grid, and start the process once more. I prefer drawing the grid freehand and with little attention to accuracy. That ensures that you are taking measurements across the whole area rather than concentrating on a single grid. In the photo you can see we divided the side into three strips lengthways, for the next stage we divided it into four strips, but with longer sections.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Simply amazing. Can't wait to see it Zen.

Young Ruth looks like a natural too, good to see she's getting into it.

Quite a USP, "guitar for girls, by girls..."


Hewesy

Cheers Hewsey,

I've spent the last 2 days thicknessing sides. Yesterdays pair went fine, but today's had awful tear out so I spent most of the day working with a cabinet scraper. However, all four sides are now down to 2mm max, with a couple dipping down to 1.9/1.95. When it comes to bending them, I'll probably take them down to 1.7mm in some areas first. But before then, there are two backs and 2 fronts to thickness too.

Meanwhile, the rest of the materials have been ordered and should be here by the end of the week. So it'll be on to preparing neck blanks, truss rods, fretboards, braces, bindings and inlays etc.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Had a few days thicknessing the backs. Finished the first this afternoon, down to around 1.65mm, thick and made good headway with the second one.

And the courier delivery arrived at Stanstead this afternoon. So not long to wait.

Meanwhile, more planing tomorrow, and more aches and pains tomorrow evening. At least I get an excuse to go to the pub !!

More pics when something interesting happens.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Dear zenguitar, why dont you use a sander, like a floor sander, for thicknessing?

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.. is this thing on?

Quote Stan:

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Dear zenguitar, why dont you use a sander, like a floor sander, for thicknessing?

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A couple of reasons.

The main reason is that sanding furs up the ends of the wood fibres, whereas planing and scraping cuts them cleanly. Where the surface has to be joined (like joining the sides to the front and back) you get a far better glue joint. The dust that sanding produces gets into the grain and compromises the strength considerably. And the furred fibres don't take the final finish as well.

And the other reason is that mechanical sanders just aren't that accurate. I've been working to 1/20th of a mm, you just can't do that with a sander. On mass produced instruments sanding is the default because of the sheer time required for thicknessing by hand, even with cheap Chinese labour it isn't cost effective. But when you are making by hand, you have to put in extra hours so there is no point in compromising on materials. And getting those details right gets the very best out of the woods.

Now, this a project with a friend, not a commercial job. But if I was running a commercial workshop I would compromise. I'd use a mechanical sander to shift the bulk of the material, and then finish off with the plane and scraper to have the maximum control and best finish.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Deep Joy..

I received a parcel from Luthier's Mercantile International on Monday. Full of woods and bits... Mmmmm

So, the main thicknessing of fronts, backs, and sides is finished. I spent yesterday afternoon largely bewildered, making sure I had all the bits I ordered and then worrying in case I'd made any mistakes. But all was fine and well, so I got on with making some jigs last night and this afternoon. Here's a pic..

[image][/image]

Both ukes will have a Mother of Pearl (MoP) ring bounded with wood purflings for a soundhole rosette. And as both soundholes are going to be different sizes I had to knock up one for each. The package from LMI had a 1oz pack of 0.050" white MoP slab. So I'll need to cut a number of segments for each radius to make up each MoP ring. I'll be rough cutting them by hand, but once that's done I'll need to use the other jigs I'm working on to get the inside and outside curves good. Once that's done, I need to make perfect butt joints so that the segments can be joined invisibly. So what you can see in the pic are the 2 jigs where I've cut and hand routed channels to seat the pearl sections, a final step will be to cut a slot through the groove where I can accurately run a file to finish the ends of the pearl strips so they mate perfectly. The big thing with a screw through the middle is a fly cutter that I modified a few years ago, replacing the cutter with a holder for a #15 scalpel blade. I did consider making a circle cutter for my Dremel router base, but on balance I decided not to. The modified fly cutter is very accurate and makes a much neater cut than the best downcut router bits. So, once I made the cuts with the fly cutter, I used my baby router plane to clean out the slots. Yes, before power routers we used router planes to cut slots, grooves, and cavities.

You'll be seeing both again when we inlay the rosettes into the fronts soon.

And after finishing those, I started preparing a neck blank and cut off the end section to make the headstock. I'll grab some pics tomorrow so you can see what's involved.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Starting from where I left off, I promised some pics of the preparation of the 1st neck blank. Here goes..

[image][/image]

This shows both neck blanks side by side, Peruvian Walnut from Luthier's Mercantile. On the left, the blank as received, and on the right the other one with then end cut ready for flipping over to make the headstock.

[image][/image]

And this shows the end flipped over so you can get a clear idea of where it goes. Just needs to be glued, like this...

[image][/image]

Don't you just love all those clamps? I'll grab a pic tomorrow when they're removed so you can see clearer.

And then while that was sitting around waiting for the glue to dry, I made a start on the first back stripe. So it was out with one of the Dremel's and the router base, a test piece to take some measurements, and then laying out the straight edge to rout along.

[image][/image]

And then moving the straight edge to widen the channel to take the inlay.

[image][/image]

The back is about 1.7mm thick, and I routed the channel just over 0.8mm deep. If you want a closer look at the channel, here it is..

[image][/image]

The channel is about 3mm wide. The strip to fill it is made up of 5 strips of 0.6mm coloured veneer. Once it was all prepared I did consider dropping in the individual strips in one go. But eventually, I thought better of it and glued the strips together into a single piece. Tomorrow I'll tidy it up and flatten one edge to sit in the bottom of the routed channel. If the fit is loose, there is some maple we can use on either edge to fill the gap neatly.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

More pics...

Yes, I have been getting on with more work!!

Starting with the necks, here they are again. The first neck glued and the second ready for cutting.

[image][/image]

I've since cut and glued the second neck blank too.

And here's the first back strip ready to be inlaid.

[image][/image]

It's also now glued in and setting overnight. I'll plane and scrpae it back tomorrow.

I also glued up the other back strip ready for inlaying tomorrow.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

This just has to be the best post ever on SOS. Thanks for all the effort that's going into it, the photos really bring it to life. I'm getting really excited about it being finished & it's got nothing to do with me. Actually, I think I'm getting impatient, any chance you could work a bit faster?

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Not much in life worth running for. Or from.

Thanks Mike

There's good news and bad news...

Sunday is a day of rest, but despite that I'm working on making templates for the headstocks. Yes, both will have different designs. Nothing like making extra work for myself !!

But today I planed both headstocks on the neck blanks true and square, and marked out ready for routing for the trussrods, which should be done on Monday.

I routed the channel for the second back strip.

[image][/image]

And glued it ready for planing back on Monday.

And if you want to know how the first came out, here it is.

[image][/image]

Notice the artistic arrangement of coloured wood shavings

And here's a close up so you can see better.

[image][/image]

It's a detail, but it does start to make it look like an instrument instead of woodwork.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

The wood grain is beautiful -

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.. is this thing on?

Yes Stan,

It's Hawaiian Pheasant Wood and it earned it's name because the grain looks like the markings on a pheasant. It's fairly tough on tools though, you need to sharpen regularly. And the markings mean that, like with any figured woods, there is always a greater risk of tear out while you work.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Not the day I planned today..

The 2nd back strip glued in just fine, but there is some small gapping on either side so I need to fill that.

And I discovered that I don't have a small enough router bit to cut the correct channels for the truss rods, and that the neck blanks aren't wide enough to clamp on a decent fence. So I have to order a 3/16" router bit. And instead of using a fence, I have to make a template so I can use my router's template following attachment to make an accurate cut.

So instead, I made a start on cutting the pearl rings for the soundhole rosettes.

[image][/image]

And here I am at work. I knocked up a quick jig to support the pearl blanks and used two set's of compasses with scribers instead of pencil lead to score the cutting lines. Then it was out with the jeweller's saw and the sandpaper. You can see closer here.

[image][/image]

After scribing, I run pencil lead in the groove to see it clearer. And once it's cut out, I used sandpaper wrapped around wooden blocks to get to final thickness. You can see the sections I cut previously in the first pic.

And a word of warning. The dust from Mother of Pearl is an irritant. Take care not to breath it in. I hold my breath while cutting, because I can't get on with a dust mask. And the cutting jig I use is drilled to take a tube that I intend to connect to a vacuum if I am doing a lot of pearl cutting in future.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Have you ever noticed that while you work hard every day, progress seems to come in big steps? You spend a few days working with apparently little to show for it, and then you have a day when you achieve several targets one after another.

So, after a few days with the jeweller's saw and sandpaper... yesterday I finally had cut enough MoP for both rosettes. So today I made more progress on the necks.

Step one was to cut a 12mm wide slot in a piece of MDF so I could use the template following adaptor to run a nice, neat, straight, slot with the 3/16" router bit in both necks, ready to accept the truss rods.

And once the jig was made, it was attached to the first neck blank with double sided tape and the slot cut in several passes.

[image][/image]

And once it was finished, it looked like this.

[image][/image]

And then all that was left to do was to apply the router to the second neck blank and do it all again, like so....

[image][/image]

And once that was done, there was no excuse for not cutting pieces off the ends of the neck blanks to build up the heels. So, for once, I got on with the job in hand and it wasn't long before I had made a few saw cuts, stacked up the 2 pieces on the end of each neck blank, and applied glue and clamps. Leaving enough from each neck blank to make neck blocks and end blocks for both ukes.

[image][/image]

[image][/image]

[image][/image]

And after that, it was time to look at the back strip for the second back. After gluing the strip at the weekend there were a few unsightly gaps that needed filling. I'd been far too neat applying the glue originally, so I'd made up a filler with wood glue, fine dust from scraping the back, and added some brown and black dyes. And once that had dried overnight I had to add a little more wood glue to finish off.

So with the heel blocks neatly stacked, glued, and clamped.. I could tidy up the back strip and see how it had come out...

[image][/image]

Pretty good I think. I like the combination of black and red. The black is pretty standard dyed maple/sycamore, but the red is Bloodwood veneer. It is a natural red wood, and retains it's colour unlike Purpleheart and other coloured woods that can fade to brown with time. You'll be seeing more Bloodwood over the weeks

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

So with the neck blanks all prepared, it's time to get on with the fret boards.

I made a straight edge, marked and planed/sanded one end at 90 degrees, scored a centre line with a scalpel and then marked out the fret positions. Like so.

[image][/image]

And then on to cutting the slots. The saw is a good quality one I bought many years ago, but it is quite slow because I stoned most of the set off the teeth to make sure the slots are the right width. Then a carefully placed square as a cutting guide. With care and patience you can do a very accurate job with simple tools.

[image][/image]

I completed 11 out of 19 fret slots on the first fretboard this afternoon. So another busy afternoon tomorrow.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Not a lot to add...

Finished cutting the fret slots on the second board today...

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

With both fretboards slotted.

[image][/image]

It was time to mark out the taper and plane to shape. Working from the centre line, I marked the correct width at the nut and 12th fret using compasses and then scored the fretboard edges with a scalpel. And then with an accurate line it was time to get the shooting board out once more and a sharp plane.

[image][/image]

This board has the right side already tapered and I'm working on the left side. It's important to plane with the grain to maintain control and avoid tearing into the grain. And a closer look will reveal that it's set-up to plane left handed. Being ambidextrous does make jobs like this a lot easier. But it also means that the heels of both palms are pretty sore tonight... when using a shooting board, you grip the body of the plane rather than the handles. Pushing with the heel of the hand and guiding with the fingers.

And here are both fretboards after tapering.

[image][/image]

I haven't trimmed them to length yet. I'll wait until later in case I want to put a fancy shape on the tongue that goes over the body.

And then to finish off the afternoon, I finished fitting one of the truss rods.

[image][/image]

Not sure about tomorrow... it appears that there could be an interruption during prime ukulele building time. Ingerland are playing an important fixture in what our American cousins might call The World Series Cup of Soccer.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

hi andy,

i haven't posted on this thread yet but i had to chime in to add my two cents and say you're doing a beautiful job documenting the project here. i'm not a builder (i try to stay away from anything that can lead to fewer fingers than i started with ;-) but i'm a sucker for the home-improvement/furniture building shows on tv and i love to see craftsmanship at its finest. keep posting pics and i hope they play as nice as they look.

cheers,

phil (aka d)

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"Patsy had the drug tolerance of Keith Richards and the moral rectitude of Brian Jones." - Dr. Walter Bishop, "Fringe"

Many thanks Phil...

I still have all my fingers. Attached too, not in a box under the bed

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Andy - I too have been following this thread with great interest, and I have to say your work is outstanding! I really can't wait to see the final result.

Dan

Many thanks Dan.

After a day off for football purposes, I was back to work today completing a few small jobs.

Finished fitting the truss rod in the second neck. Then glued veneers to the back of both fret-boards. Both necks have a veneer between the fretboard and neck which will show as a coloured line once finished.

Then I planed a straight edge on each of the 4 sides, ready for final shaping and then bending.

And finally, I marked out the templates to finalise the location of the soundholes and rosettes.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

I have to echo the thoughts of previous posters by saying...absolutely phenomenal stuff Andy. I've been fascinated by the process of building guitars for many years now (I seem to remember the trigger was hearing the story of Brian May building his signature "Red Special" guitar with his dad from wood from a family friend's 18th century fireplace mantelpiece!) and remain in constant awe at the talent and craftmanship of those that can (as oppose to those like me that can't...or rather, would love to but would probably end up an appendage or two down at the end of the day...;)). Not to digress too much from the thread topic but have you done any more build diaries Andy? If so, it would be great to read them!

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www.myspace.com/thisburningage......www.thisburningage.com

Many thanks Friday. This is the first build diary, but once it's all finished, and I have regained my sanity, I might do another if there's enough interest.

I am trying to keep it interesting as well as informative, and doing as much as possible with basic tools. Although it's possible to spend a fortune on specialist tools, it's not essential. And if you learn to build with hand tools, you will develop a better understanding should you want to go on and invest in the specialist tools.

Anyway, today I trimmed off the veneers on the fretboards. They look like this now.

[image][/image]

Those lines should look good once the fretboards are attached to the necks..

And I spent the rest of the day working on the headstock designs. It's easy to put something together, but I want to get something that looks right, and takes into account the hardware and decoration.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Some catching up to do...

Yesterday we rough cut out the fronts and backs...

[image][/image]

So today I made a start on bending sides. First of all getting everything laid out and ready to go.

[image][/image]

Then I made a start on the first side. And here it is after the first bend.

[image][/image]

And here I am a little while later, close to finishing.

[image][/image]

A few seconds later, I made this video clip dropping water on to the bending iron so you get a good idea how hot it is. Hope it works...

[image][/image]

And finally, here's the side completed.

[image][/image]

Yesterday, I also cut the channel to inlay the rosette on one of the fronts, I'll try to remember to grab a poic.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Fabulous.

Great stuff, but you do realise you're going to be asked to leave the luthier's magic circle after posting explicit details like this

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Not much in life worth running for. Or from.

Really good to see such care and attention to detail - I simply don't have the patience for work like this!

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It wasn't me!
(Well, actually, it probably was)

Thanks guys

Quote Dynamic Mike:

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Great stuff, but you do realise you're going to be asked to leave the luthier's magic circle after posting explicit details like this

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LOL... think of me as the Penn & Teller of Luthiery. The principles are straightforward, but the devil is in the details. But in all seriousness, it's not fancy woodwork. Nothing more complicated than a butt joint or a lap joint. Luthiery is two things, simple woodwork done carefully and accurately, and a good understanding of how the instrument works.

One of the reasons I wanted to post this diary was to show how straightforward it is to make an instrument. Ukuleles are great because they use all the same design principles and processes as a guitar but small enough to build on a kitchen table. I'm working on a small section of workbench in Mark's garage, you can see how small an area it is from the pics.

With the exceptions of using a router to make the moulds and cut the truss rod channels and a Dremel to rout for the back strips, everything has been done by hand. All of those can be done by hand with simple hand tools if required, and even the moulds aren't necessary. The bending iron and thickness calliper are specialist tools, but there are ways to make simple versions for yourself.

Anyway...

Here's a pic of both backs and sides roughed out. You can also see the channel for the rosette on one.

[image][/image]

I finished bending the first set of sides.



Then I bent the first side for the second uke. And finally, I made a start on the hardest side, the one with a cutaway. The tightest curves I've ever bent, was nerve wracking at times!!

[image][/image]

Andy

--------------------
When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Finished bending the sides today. Then moved on to working on the necks.

Step one was to pin the fretboard to the neck and then use a scalpel to mark out it's location on the neck blank. The secret is to use some small panel pins and drill through a couple of the fret slots to locate them. That way you can use the locating pins later when the fretboard is glued to the neck and be certain it's in exactly the right place.

[image][/image]

Once the exact location of the fretboard is marked out, it's time to rough cut it to width. I've put both side by side here in the pic so you can see the difference once one has been trimmed. At the heel and nut I've gone close to final width, ready for carving.

[image][/image]

I have since planed the heel end down close to the final length for a 14th fret neck/body joint. At the same time I have adjusted the cut to approach the correct neck/body angle.

Andy

--------------------
When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

So, on saturday I popped the first pair of sides into the mould and glued in the heel and body blocks...

Here it is in the mould...

[image][/image]

And here it is pulled out this afternoon...

[image][/image]

Then today I fitted the second pair of sides into their mould, made and fitted the heel and body blocks, and glued that up.

Made a start on glueing the kerfings to the front of the cutaway uke. And I am all prepared to do the first rosette.

Andy

--------------------
When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

So, I made a start on the kerfings yesterday, so it was time to finish the side I started.

Here's a couple of shots showing the specialist tools... clothespegs.

[image][/image]

[image][/image]

And then I made final preparations for inlaying the first soundhole rosette.


[image][/image]

Andy

--------------------
When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

I left it last night preparing the bindings for the rosette.

Usually, I would use 1mm wide veneer strips for inlay. They are nice and easy to lay in the channel with the mother of pearl, although a little fiddly.

But the 6mm wide veneer strips I am using for the front and back perflings are long enough for guitar sides. And there was enough left over for the back strips, rosette, and other details. And I do hate wasting decent materials, so I decided to use those. But that meant some creative thinking to work out the best way to install them.

The rosette designs both have a ring of pearl bordered inside and out with 3 coloured rings of veneer strip. The pearl is about 1.5mm thick. So the problem was how to successfully glue the thin strip of pearl between 6 wide strips of veneer.

The solution was to use the bending iron to pre-curve the strips, and then use some MDF discs as formers to glue the 2 sets of three strips together like this.

[image][/image]

This is the first ring half done. You can see that I lined the MDF ring with masking tape then I glued the 3 strips together in the middle, taped to the former, and then applied glue and worked out to one end. And then I worked from the middle to the other end. Here are both sets glued.

[image][/image]

Tomorrow, I'll remove the tape. Then I'll either saw, plane or sand the rings down to the same thickness as the pearl and maybe get them all glued in place.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

I know you all love the pics... so here's a few more...

[image][/image]

The front kerfings on the first uke completed.

[image][/image]

And here's the front kerfings on the second uke all clamped up. Had to do a test run first to make sure I had enough pegs and clamps!!

[image][/image]

And I did promise to show the glued veneer strip rings after taking them off the moulds. Worked out nicely. But still at 6mm high, a lot taller than the pearl segments.

[image][/image]

So here I am cutting a ring in half. Once I finished cutting both rings, I had to sand them nice and neat. A couple of test fittings, and then it was out with the glue. The veneer and pearl rings fitted nicely. OK, I could have posted another pic of them after glueing, but all you would see would be a brick sitting on top of a board to clamp them down.

But I promise to post a pic of the completed rosette tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the search goes on for number 15 Swann and Morten scalpel blades. None to be found in Plymouth or Tavistock today, and even worse, not a single shop that generally carries them. So I'll just have to order some online. Those blades are the ones I need for my modified fly cutter. I still have to cut the channel for the second rosette, and I have to cut both soundholes later, so the blades are essential.

Andy

--------------------
When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

fantastic thread zen..

you mean these?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/10-x-Swann-Morton-No-15-Scalpel-Blades-Sterile-FreeP -P-/120588621178?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_BOI_Medical_Lab_Equipment_Medical_Specialisations_ ET&hash=item1c13a4557a

and if not, if you can source a canadian supply, close to the east coast, i would be willing to track em down, and send them over the pond for you..

you know..admiring artisan, to experienced luthier.



--------------------
music is my girlfriend

Many thanks for your kind words JJ,

And those are, indeed, the blades I need. Not a bad price either as it includes P&P. Fortunately, I don't need the Sterile ones as I'm not planning on any surgery any time soon. There are other things I need to buy, so I'll shop around in case I can include the blades with another order, but I have bookmarked that link just in case.

Meanwhile, this afternoon I got out the scraper and levelled the rosette which is now looking good. As always, scraping back ends up leaving some marks and scrapes on the front too which will need sanding back. I'm always in two minds whether or not to put a protective layer on the front when I scrape back. On the one hand it will protect the front, but on the other hand it will prevent me from getting the inlay flush to the front. Perhaps I'll try it the other way on the second uke as it's an ideal opportunity to make a comparison.

Anyway, here are a couple of pics showing the scraped back front with it's body and the part carved neck. You can see the bruising on the front from the scraping, but it will come out nicely when it's finally sanded. And they give a sense of all the bits coming together as an instrument too.

[image][/image]

[image][/image]

And after that I worked on the heel block for a while. I had to trim it down a little. Initially I'd noted that I would have to allow for the length of the neck bolts, but it slipped my mind when cutting and preparing the block and glueing. My mistake, but no harm done. And it's part of the learning curve as it's the first time I've used this method of attaching a neck. And once I'd tidied up, I drilled the heel block to take the neck bolts.

You can see them here.

[image][/image]

And here's how they look from the outside. I've put on the inserts that will eventually be drilled and screwed into the heel itself, which will be one of the tasks coming up soon.

[image][/image]

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

For any of you who might have been worried after a close up look at the front after scraping down the rosette....

[image][/image]

... here it is now I've sanded it nice and smooth again. Much better, don't you think?

Andy

--------------------
When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

It looks fantastic, it's really starting to take shape. What has suprised me is that you haven't actually done anything yet which I feel is beyond the capacity of most people, or used any tools the average bloke hasn't already got in the garage. Apart from the pegs!

I know this is an arrangement with a friend rather than a normal commission (& also that you're making two) but is there any chance of a breakdown of the hours worked & the cost incurred when you finish? I hope you're enjoying making them as much as I am following this post.

--------------------
Not much in life worth running for. Or from.

Thank you Mike

You are right, they really are beginning to take shape now. At first we were just dealing with pieces of wood, joining them and thicknessing them. But increasingly now, you can see the instruments appearing at every step which is always very rewarding and gratifying.

And yes, there are far less specialist tools required than people might think and even those that are used are not essential. When I was at the Totnes School of Guitarmaking many years ago each workbench had 2 planes (with standard and toothed blades for each), 3 chisels, 2 gouges, a rasp, a scalpel, a marking gauge, a 6" steel ruler, a cabinet scraper, and a chalk pencil. And for the entire class there were a few saws and hammers, a single router, a Dremel, a thicknessing calliper, a bending iron, a go bar deck, a few jigs & moulds, and a load of clamps.

Don't get me wrong, all of the specialist tools you can buy from luthiers suppliers have their uses and I will be purchasing some more soon too.

But when I started this build diary I was hoping to show that it wasn't essential to have all of the specialist tools. That is was possible to make a good quality and attractive instrument on a workbench with basic tools. Although there has been a lot of crossover in the last decade or so, there are essentially two traditions in luthiery. The European tradition has been based on basic hand tools and the traditional Spanish method, and the North American tradition has been based more on using jigs and machine tools. And we are fortunate to be able to pick the best from both traditions. Learning to build in the European tradition teaches you a great deal about how guitars work and develops your intuition for the materials used. The North American tradition gives you consistency, repeatability, and the science. And I think both are worth learning.

As you have seen, the woodwork is pretty simple. No fancy joints at all. There are, however, a few caveats. The simple woodwork has to be done very accurately in places. You do need to know how to set-up and sharpen your hand tools and be comfortable and confident using them to achieve that degree of accuracy.

When the project is finished I plan to do some summing up. I'll be listing the suppliers I used, giving a guide to cost and time. What I might also do is add a lesson on sharpening planes, chisels and scrapers.

Anyway, back to work tomorrow. Time to make a start on the braces for the fronts and backs.

Andy

--------------------
When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Got the main braces for the front and back done today. Planed to thickness and then planed the curves on the edges that glue to the front and back. Here are the front ones..

[image][/image]

Once they are glued in place, they'll be carved to height and shape.

Just need to finish the fan braces for the front now.

And then I have to do the same for the second uke once I've inlaid the rosette.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Had a very productive day yesterday, but no pics to show for it. The two ukes have been getting out of synch due to a lack of consumables. I've been carrying on as best as I can to make the best use of the time, but it would be far better if I could get both back in synch again.

So, I've been shopping on town and on line. The #15 scalpel blades are in the post, as are the bits to complete the Go Bar Deck (I'll explain about the Go Bar Deck soon, it's important). Thanks to Mark's generosity I've also been able to order some more specialist tools (to speed up future projects) and the materials to make another Uke once these are finished.

Anyway, this afternoon I finished planing the cedar for the tone bars on the first uke. So it now has a complete set ready for glueing to the front and back.

And with some time on my hands I took the chance to make the 12th fret inlay for Ruth's Uke...

[image][/image]

... Looks good so far. Just need to inlay it now. There will, of course, be pics when I get to that stage.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

The scalpel blades arrived. I ordered 15A instead of 15, but they work just as well. And I just ordered some 15's so I have them when I need them especially.

So I celebrated by cutting the channel for the second rosette and inlaid it this afternoon. I'll post pics tomorrow once it's cleaned up after glueing overnight.

Over the last couple of weeks I've let the two ukes get out of sync. I've done several things on one but not the other. Largely because I needed to order various things.

More to do tomorrow, but it does depend on what arrives in the post

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Cleaned up the rosette today, and it came out fine.


[image][/image]

You can also see the note inlay glued at the twelfth fret. The yellow is acrylic paint. The technique is to apply the paint and let it dry, then use a spot of superglue on the inlay to hold it position while you score around it with a scalpel to mark the position. The score marks show better against the yellow. Then I got out the Dremel with a very fine dental burr to rout the cavity. Once routed, I mixed some epoxy and coloured it with black and brown dye. Ebony isn't jet black, the brown helps the stained epoxy blend into the wood better.

On monday I'll sand it back and get a pic or two so you can see better.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Taking a day off ukuleles tomorrow. Visiting our chums at Sound Gallery there. But I did get some work done.

The courier arrived this morning with a useful package. Some 5mm GRP rod that I need for the Go Bar deck... more details soon with pics

Also in the package were my metal powders for inlay...

[image][/image]

Here's Ruths octave inlay after sanding back. Should look good once the frets are in place and it isn't sitting in a sea of ebony. I'm very pleased because I managed to get a very good match when colouring the epoxy resin I used to glue it. I'm considering engraving a highlight or two to really bring it to life, but I'll wait until the neck is fretted before deciding.

You can also see the other fretboard drilled for the octave marker, and the MOP dot I turned for it. I've since glued that in place too. The Idea was to have a total eclipse. The pearl dot for the moon, set in a metal powder and epoxy mix. Hence the metal powders mentioned before. I have aluminium, copper, and brass powders but this is the first time I've tried this method so I'm improvising a lot here. I mixed brass and copper together with the epoxy, which is a known technique (the metal powders are the same used for putting a metallic finish in moulded fibreglass). But as I am inlaying into ebony, I thought I should add some black dye too, to disguise the epoxy. However it's looking far too subtle right now. The idea is to sand back the epoxy/metal powder mix to reveal the metal itself. But the black stain is making it look very dark. If I'm lucky, it's just the stained epoxy coating the metal powder efficiently and sanding will reveal shiny copper and bronze. But I won't know now until wednesday. But I will put up a pic of how it comes out so we can all see. And if it really doesn't work right, I can always carefully rout out the pearl and epoxy, make another pearl dot, and try a mix without the black dye. And if I need a few attempts... there's nothing wrong with an inlay covering the 11th, 12th and 13th frets

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

I have loved watching this take shape. You have the patience of a saint.
Great now they are taking shape. They look amazing.
All the very best.
Vinny.

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http://www.myspace.com/vinnyburns

+1

They really are looking great! What sort of finish do you intend on applying?

Dan

Quite apart from my admiration of the skills, not to say patience, involved Zen should also be congratulated for the way in which he has explained each step in such a detailed yet easy to follow manner. On top of all the hours spent building these two instruments (and teaching his new apprentice) to then find the time and energy to write the whole thing up (plus take the pictures) is quite remarkable and is greatly appreciated.

Well done Zen and thank you

Chris

PS I've also developed an urge to learn how to play the Ukulele (I'm going to buy my son one for his birthday)

--------------------
http://www.random-thought.co.uk/

Many thanks guys..

The finish will be French Polish !!! Hard work, but worth the effort. And no need for a spray booth. I have the compressor and spray gun, and cellulose too, but need a decent dust free, clean, space to get best results.

Meanwhile, I sanded back the inlay today... and it wasn't even worth taking a pic. Yes, the pearl dot was fine, but the metal in the stained epoxy was hardly visible. So I drilled it out, made another dot, and then did what I should have done before. I made some test pieces and filled them with different combinations so I can see what works best. An example each of all three metal powders with clear epoxy (no black stain), all three metal powders and superglue, and the copper and brass powders mixed with epoxy and yellow acrylic paint. Tomorrow I'll sand them back and see how they all worked.

After that, I finished preparing the second set of braces ready for curving. And then I'll build the go bar deck and start glueing braces.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Quote zenguitar:

---

The finish will be French Polish !!! Hard work, but worth the effort. And no need for a spray booth.

---

You just reminded me, a few years back some jobsworth assistant in a local chemist refused to sell me a 20ml bottle of spirit for French Polishing. This was despite the fact I had a £20 note & there was an bargain booze shop next door! Fortunately the chemist just laughed & told her it was okay.

Maybe she was right though because I made a right mess of it & ended up having to remove it & spray it. Funny, it looked so easy whenever my Dad did it!!!

--------------------
Not much in life worth running for. Or from.

So true Mike, but the great thing with french polish is that you can always wipe it back and refinish it. And it's a great excuse to buy methylated spirits

Meanwhile, I've finished the go bar deck today. And here it is..

[image][/image]

Since I took the pic I dismantled it again, cut off the excess length on the vertical struts, and epoxied the top nuts for the base board in place on the threaded rods. So it'll be quicker to assemble when needed.

The boards are 20" x 24" x 18mm MDF, and the go bars are 666mm long and made from 5mm GRP rods. There are 30 of them, and I found some nice rubber tips for them too. In the pic you can see how the top board is being flexed by the force they provide.

Lots of fun

And that means I'll be glueing braces soon.

Andy



--------------------
When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Ingenious!

--------------------
.. is this thing on?

Hi Stan

Go Bars are actually quite an old technique. Used by piano makers to attach the soundboards because you can get a lot of clamping pressure in a very small area, and you have a lot of control.

Here are a couple of pics of the braces being glued to the 1st front.



[image][/image]

[image][/image]

It was a little fiddly getting everything in place. And there were a couple of 'explosions' with go bars flying everywhere when I didn't get them lined up properly. But looking good now.

And before applying the braces, I remembered to get the circle cutter out and cut the soundhole out. Not the easiest thing to do once the front has been curved by attaching the braces.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Greetings Earthlings, a day of Deep Joy and a minor hiccup was had today.

Despite my fears, the go bar deck hadn't exploded in a shower of GRP and softwood over the weekend. So it was just a matter of removing the bars to get the front and start work. However, I'm still getting a feel for this new go bar deck and learning how to fine tune it.

[image][/image]

So here's the front ready for me to plane the tops of the braces down close to their final height. But if you look carefully you can see that the brace closest to the camera hasn't glued along it's length. You can clearly see a small gap. And once I started planing, that gap opened up. And the middle brace had a similar problem too, with the same side coming loose.

Nothing to worry about. Once I had planed the braces down it was straightforward to get some glue in there and clamp both braces securely. LIke this.. and you can see the arch on the front now too.

[image][/image]

Nothing wrong with making mistakes, as long as you learn from them. So I thought about it and realised that these GRP bars are a lot more powerful than I expected. I've previously used wooden laths that were also a little longer. The problem was caused by too much clamping pressure. So, with that in mind I moved on to glueing the back reinforcement strip. Like so...

[image][/image]

I had to adjust the deck anyway, but I made sure that I reduced the pressure as well. It's not easy to see, but I have much less bend in the bars now.

Once that was done, I got back to working on the braces for the second uke. So, the ones for the front are now ready, and the ones for the back are almost finished. I also decided to reduce the height of those braces, and the back braces for the 1st uke. They need to be planed down anyway, and to be honest, they were a little too tall. That didn't help the clamping with the go bars either.

So, tomorrow I'll be glueing the back braces on the 1st uke, and finishing making the braces for the second one.

Finally, there were a couple of bonuses today too. This morning I picked up a package with a full Koa set of back, sides, and front, for another tenor uke. I was expecting another delivery in a couple of days with the rest of the woods for that uke, some more funky tools, and the machine heads and french polishing materials for the current pair. But when I got home I found that that had arrived too. So lots more toys

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Here's the first back all glued. Once I sanded the back re-inforcement I cut the sliots for the braces and applied glue and go bars...

[image][/image]

Then I got on and examined the machine heads. Gotoh ukulele pegs with adjustable height posts.

[image][/image]

[image][/image]

Andy

--------------------
When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

it's late, I should be in bed...

more pics...

[image][/image]

[image][/image]

[image][/image]

Andy

--------------------
When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

I planned to say more yesterday, but it was very late when I finally got to post...

The pics yesterday were of be glueing the bridge plate to one front, the back reinforcement on the 2nd uke, and the soundhole cut in the 2nd uke.

Today...

I was glueing the back braces on the second uke (no pics, because they would be similar to those I already posted), and then I was shaping the braces on the front of the 1st uke.

[image][/image]

[image][/image]

[image][/image]

tomorrow I hope to make the fan braces for the 1st front and glue them in place. Then at the weekend I should be able to attach the front to the sides. I'll also try to glue the braces to the 2nd front too. So, plenty to be getting on with.

Andy

--------------------
When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Happy Birthday Andy

--------------------
http://www.random-thought.co.uk/

MHR Andy

The Ukes are looking fab, just don't read this months Guitarist column from CSM

Hewesy

Cheers guys..

And now you just know I'll have to get Guitarist to discover what you're talking about !!!

I'll be back later with today's diary and pics, but now I have to go and actually do something to photograph !!

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

A productive afternoon

made a start on the fan braces for the first uke front. And I cut down the 1st uke body depth to taper from the bottom to the heel.

[image][/image]

Marked up the taper and then attacked the body with a razer saw and a tenon saw for the neck and heel blocks. And then fitted it into the mould to sand everything level.

And here it is finished and waiting for the front to be fitted.

[image][/image]

Another small step, but one that makes it look more and more like the final instrument rather than a set of parts.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Quote zenguitar:

---

Andy

---

Happy birthday Andy.

I have been following this thread for a while, waiting for the right moment to post.

Love what you are doing, love the pics.
So happy you are doing something you love.

Warmest regards to you.

M

thanks for this thread Zen - it would have made a good film.
Slightly jealous of your workspace - I live in a flat in inner London. Maybe one day...

I gather it was your birthday recently, hope it was a good one. I find they seem to come around a bit too quickly these days, scarily quickly.

Indeed there is a lot that's drool-worthy here

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It wasn't me!
(Well, actually, it probably was)

Many thanks guys,

I did have a good birthday thanks, although I am sure the Earth's orbit around the Sun has accelerated in recent years. That would explain the birthdays seeming to get closer together, and it would mean that I am not staying up too late at night, it's the days getting shorter

And I don't have as big a workspace as you might think Fletcher. I'm working in Mark's garage which is actually quite full. I have bench space about 4' wide and less than 2' deep, there is a Workmate there that I have used occasionally, the go bar deck was standing on that, but has migrated to sit on an old side table that is stored there. This really is something you could build on a kitchen table with a little planning. The go bar deck takes a bit of space, but it packs flat when not in use (and if you have enough space between the kitchen worktop and the wall cabinets you could use that instead of building a go bar deck, as long as the cabinets are securely fitted to the wall).

I'd love to move back to London if I could.. Perhaps I could write a book... 'Build a Ukulele on your Kitchen Table' !! I could include plans for Soprano, Concert, Tenor, and Baritone instruments, plans for all the jigs. A list of tools and materials. Step by step instructions. And detailed photographs of every stage. I'd need to build several instruments so I could illustrate the differences between using the most basic tool set, and using some of the more specialist tools....

OK... where did I put that lottery ticket?

Meanwhile, back in the real world, I did get more work done today. Feeling more than a little fragile when I woke up, I resorted to some buttered toast and coffee.. a Universal Cure-All. Then it was off to finish the front fan braces I started yesterday.

[image][/image]

Here they are clamped up in the go bar deck. But to get to that stage I had to finish notching the bottoms to sit over the bridge plate, plane a taper along the length, and then shape the ends so that they mated neatly with the cross brace. Then it was out with the glue.

Next, it was time to carve and sand the back braces. I just took a big chisel to them, first removing the excess to bring them down to the right height, then carving away the sides to leave a neat V shape. You can do this with a finger plane, but I haven't got one... yet!! You can buy them from luthier's suppliers, but someone has promised to pass on a couple they inherited at some point so I'll wait a while and keep on doing it the old fashioned way until then.

Once the bulk of the material was removed, it was time to get out the rough sandpaper and ten finish off with some fine paper to remove the sanding marks.

[image][/image]

A day off tomorrow, and then on monday I just need to give the finger braces a final shaping and sanding, trim the cross braces to fit inside the sides, notch the kerfings to accomodate the braces, and fit the top to the sides. That will be a big step towards the finished instrument, and I'll be able to finally adjust the heel of the neck so I can start making progress there.

Andy

--------------------
When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Today was a good day for you picture fans.

I trimmed and shaped the fan braces. And then spent a while with a scalpel cutting the notches in the kerfing that accomodate the braces.

[image][/image]

It needs a little patience to ensure that the front sits neatly on the kerfing with the centre lines of the front and sides perfectly lined up. Because once it's glued, you can't change your mind.

And here are the pics of the front clamped up. I made a special effort to arrange the go bars in an artistic manner

[image][/image]

[image][/image]

I also did some work on the 12th fret inlay for the second uke. We'll see how that turns out on wednesday. Tomorrow I have to go to town, but before I leave I'll remove the uke from the mould and get a pic of the front glued on.

Andy

--------------------
When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

I had reason so spend a few hours in and around Exeter today. Had a bit of a look see to see if I could find signs of a Uke Factory.

I can report no obvious signs, so these guys must have an underground operation.

--------------------
Madman_Greg

Quote Madman_Greg:

---

I had reason so spend a few hours in and around Exeter today. Had a bit of a look see to see if I could find signs of a Uke Factory.

I can report no obvious signs, so these guys must have an underground operation.

---

LOL

That's because I'm near Plymouth.

Anyway...

No real work done today, had to go to Plymouth. But I did remove the uke from the clamps.

[image][/image]



Not quite as good as it looks, it slipped a bit under the clamping pressure and left a gap as the brace rode up in the notch. But easy enough to re-open a section and re-glue properly.

And here's the 2nd fretboard inlay.

[image][/image]

Not as neat as I'd like, but not bad for freehand routing around the pearl dot. The surround is copper powder set in super glue. Looks like it will polish up nicely. I'm going to think a little more about what I've learned from the process before I decide whether to keep it, or to replace it again. It might be worth drilling it out again!! The new option I'm considering is to fill a full circle with the copper powder/super-glue and then when it has set, drill out the bulk to inlay a new pearl dot. Maybe I'll make a test piece first to see how well it works.

Andy

--------------------
When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

This afternoon I prepared a test piece for the inlay. Drilled a hole in a piece of scrap MDF and filled it with copper powder and super-glue. I'll sand it flat tomorrow and see how well it drills to take a pearl dot.

But what you really wanted to know was what went wrong glueing the front, and what happened next.

[image][/image]

You can see how the front shifted and rode up on the front brace, leaving a nasty gap.

So I needed to open up the glue joint again. From the middle brace on that side, right around past the upper brace, over the heel block, and past the upper brace on the other side. And the way to do that is to heat an old table knife. You don't want a sharp knife. The idea is to use heat to break the glue join, not cut it, especially as a sharp knife risks doing a lot of damage if you try to force it.

[image][/image]

So here's the knife heating up on the bending iron. I could have used a gas torch to heat the knife. But it would be very easy to get it way too hot, so I reluctantly decided to be sensible.

Then it was a matter of slipping the hot blade into the gap and then patiently working it around until I had released enough. And it looked like this.

[image][/image]

[image][/image]

A closer examination revealed that I needed to make a fillet between the cutaway and the front, as that was the main cause of it moving when first glued. So I sanded a thin wedge from an off-cut from the front. The binding will cover all my sins here

Then it was time to get the clamps out. A piece of thick MDF as a baseboard, some cork and thin MDF for clamping cauls, and some more glue.

[image][/image]

I'm much happier now. Everything is properly lined up again.

Tomorrow, I glue the braces to the other front. I'm working on the headstock designs too. I've made a couple of drawings, but I am tempted to get out the laptop and finally learn how to use the open source CAD program I installed months ago. It might be worth the effort. I can print out very accurate drawings full size on paper and glue that to MDF to make templates for cutting the headstocks and accurately drilling for the machine heads. And besides, if I can work accurately in CAD I can get some very accurate templates machined in 1/4" acrylic for future projects. Which could make a real improvement in quality, consistency, and speed of production.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Fantastic Zen, what's great for the rest of us is it shows that even the great can make mistakes, and more importantly then show how to resolve the issue. There's always a belief that the craftsmen get it right every time, which is probably the number 1 reason why amateurs get put off trying. What happens when it goes wrong? But it seems to me that knowing how to fix a problem is probably more important than building it in the first place!!

If you can spend time with CAD plotting and creating templates, I reckon you'd have a captive audience here for Uke builing packs mate. Can you scan your paper/card templates in to plot?

Hewesy

Thanks Hewesy,

I think it's important to show things 'warts and all', things will go wrong from time to time. And when they do, they can usually be put right. In fact, I would go as far as saying that it's important that you do make mistakes. You learn far better that way. Fixing the problem teaches you a lot, and understanding why it went wrong teaches you more. And you remember what you have learned by experience.

I don't have a scanner, and don't usually have any need for one. My technical drawing skills are very good, but it's probably better to use those to get the best out of CAD than to scan in drawings.

Just need to learn how to use it!! Although I tend to learn well when I have a real world need, so I'm optimistic.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

I agree Zen, and its great to see.

I have access to a couple of large format scanners if you need any help chap.

Look forward to seeing the next stage.

Hewesy

Quote Hewesy:

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I have access to a couple of large format scanners if you need any help chap.

Hewesy

---

Ohh don't tempt me. I'll have to get a decent drawing board with accurate parallel motion, some new squares and stuff, and an ultrasound cleaner to service my technical pens. Would be far better to win the lottery and buy Autocad and a PC to run it on

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Hi Zen

Still enjoying every stage of this build - cheers for sharing

I've got CAD and large format scanners printers + plotters.

I'm crazy busy at work for the next couple of months but if you've got reasonable 'sketches' I could probably get stuff drawn up and output sorted for end of september if its any help.

Many thanks Jumpey, that's a kind offer.

It's shouldn't be necessary, but you never know. If I am having an 'Ideal World' moment... What I want is a very affordable CAD program for basic 2D technical drawing that outputs Autocad files. A Virtual Drawing Board...

Meanwhile...

This afternoon I tried glueing the remaining 2 braces to the 2nd Uke front but it wasn't having it. I got one in fine, but the second exploded in a hail of flying go bars and took out the first. I replaced them both, and all seemed fine. But 10 minutes later the second exploded again. Discretion being the better part of valour, I left the 2nd in place and decided to glue the 3rd on monday. And as it's been such a pain (I even reshaped the braces just to be sure today) I've decided to use old fashioned clamps!! The other front and both backs were fine, but this front is just refusing to play fair.

However, I did manage to match the neck to body join on the 1st uke and mark the neck ready to drill for the neck inserts.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Back to work again this afternoon. And time to finish a bunch of smaller tasks.

First was glueing the final, reluctant, brace. No more exploding go bars.. it was easier (and safer!) to use some clamps.

[image][/image]

Then I glued the kerfings for the back of the 1st uke.

[image][/image]

Next, I worked on the heel block of the 2nd uke, ready to drill it for the neck bolts. And finally, I shaved down the back braces for the 2nd uke and made a start on shaping them.

Tomorrow, I need to remember to take along my brace drill so I can fit the neck fittings to the neck.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Another good day today.

I managed to shape the back braces for the second uke, then shaved and shaped the front braces for the same one.

I drilled the heel of the 1st neck ready to take the neck inserts.

And here's the 1st body with the back kerfings.

[image][/image]

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

The Curse of the Wandering Drill Bit

When I looked again at the holes I drilled top receive the neck bolt fittings, I wasn't satisfied. The first hole took a while to get started, and in the process went for a stroll and went in a few mm off line. I toyed with the idea of fitting the inserts anyway and then plugging and re-drilling the heel block in the body. But in the end, I couldn't face fixing it that way, it had to be done right. I had to plug the hole in the neck and re-drill properly.

So I grabbed a piece of scrap from the neck and with a big chisel rough shaped a big dowel. Then I chucked it up in the drill and turned it down to size with sandpaper. All was going well until I grabbed the mallet to 'tap' the dowel firmly into place. A couple of enthusiastic 'taps' later and I managed to shear the heel off the neck. OOPS

But it was a nice clean break. And instead of panicking I grabbed the glue and stuck it back together. The secret is to resist the temptation to experiment, just get some glue on it and apply clamps. The two parts usually fit together perfectly well but every time you chicken out and try test fitting the pieces together, you run the risk of doing more damage.

[image][/image]

As you can see, it went together nicely. And the glue line will be at least as invisible as the glue lines for the stacked heel because the grain is a perfect match. It will only take a few minutes to trim off the plug and mark out for re-drilling tomorrow.

Rather than dwelling on the problem, I made progress on the second front. I finished sanding and shaping the braces and then made the bridge patch and glued it up on the go-bar deck.

[image][/image]

Then I strolled up to the village to buy a lottery ticket. After that bad luck I reckon I am due for some good luck

Then it was back to work and time to trim the braces and notch the kerfing ready to fit the back to the first uke. Here it is with the back held in place with masking tape so I could mark out where the braces will meet the sides.

[image][/image]

Then I copied the marks over to the top of the kerfing, marked the areas to cut out, and got busy with a scalpel. I also marked the braces where they went over the sides, allowed a little extra for the width of the sides, and trimmed them back too.

I still need to profile the ends of the braces and make final adjustments to the kerfings, but once done I'll be able to fit the back just as soon as I've marked out the repaired neck heel and drilled it properly.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Off to work shortly... But before I go here's yesterdays work.

The repaired heel came out fine.

[image][/image]

You can't see the repaired break, and I've already drilled the new hole for the fittings.

Then I got the back close to final fitting, and glued the fan braces to the second front.

[image][/image]

The go bars are being far better behaved now

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Another fun and productive day today.

I fine tuned the neck fittings until everything sat true. And I have pictures to prove it!!!

[image][/image]

[image][/image]

And once that was done I made the final adjustments and fitted the back. And suddenly the go bars are being very well behaved again.

[image][/image]

I did leave one of the neck bolts loosely in the hole to save time refitting it. It's the top one that is closest to the front bracing. I've done a few test fittings working through the sound hole and I could get both in, but the top one was quite fiddly so I thought I'd save some time later.

Next stages are to fit the top and bottom to the second uke, bind the first uke, and to finish shaping the 1st neck. So plenty to be getting on with.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Nice to see the development really coming on.

Why are there 'tabs' either side of the back, in the picture?

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It wasn't me!
(Well, actually, it probably was)

Old habit Folderol, it's how I was taught at Totnes many years ago. The idea is that you have somewhere to handle the front and back when you are working on them before assembling the box. It reduces greasy fingerprints and the like.

Definitely useful on a guitar, but to be honest it hasn't made much difference on the uke as it's small enough to handle carefully anyway.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

A day of distractions today.

But before we attacked the kitchen worktop, I did manage to remove the go bars and trim the top flush.

[image][/image]

[image][/image]

And I must admit that we did spend some time just looking at the results. I'm very pleased with the results. And once it's all neatly bound it's going to look great. I've never been a great fan of green and blue, but that back stripe looks excellent so I've added it to my list of known 'good inlay/binding' for future reference.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Wow! It's really looking great! I can't wait to see it when you've bound the body!

It's such a pleasure to watch this taking shape. Thank you for taking the time to post all of your progress - I know how much of a pain it can be sometimes, but it really is appreciated.

What sort of binding have you in mind?

Dan

Looks beautiful.

Comment about the 'handles' is obvious when you know, isn't it?

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It wasn't me!
(Well, actually, it probably was)

Cheers guys.

If you look carefully at the pics showing the backs and fronts, you can see the handling tabs on them all Folderol

And as for the bindings Dan.. the cutaway Uke will have Curly Maple bindings with blue and green perflings. The non-cutaway Uke will have Bloodwood bindings with black and red perflings.

Back to work tomorrow

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.