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Thread: A new set of ukuleles
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21st November 2020, 06:02 PM #76GOLD MEMBER
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Spent some time making new tuner keys for the Grover machine heads. They come with plastic ones in either white or black, neither suit the look of a bespoke instrument. I cut down a piece of off cut from the neck lamination and went to work on it. Started at 8 mm thick x 14mm wide and sanded a radius into either side, then drilled the hole for the shaft to insert. Sanded each one to shape on the disk sander and finally hand sanded.
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21st November 2020, 06:47 PM #77GOLD MEMBER
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Nice job!
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21st November 2020, 10:28 PM #78Member
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Love it!, looks absolutely amazing.
Neck and matching machineheads are perfectly executed.
I tip my hat to you.
I tried making some for a build but ended up with a square peg, round hole situation .
Will have another go after seeing how good yours turned out Cal.
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23rd November 2020, 08:34 PM #79GOLD MEMBER
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Thanks Ian!
Thanks Mark! I was a bit concerned about cutting up the original ones to get them off the tuners, there was no going back! I had a bit of a think about how to rough shape them before they got too small to work with and I’m glad there were only 4 of them, would hate to have to make a set for a 12 string!! They were also a bit of a test for hacking the Gotoh tuners up. At $37 the Grover would be not too bad to replace but the Gotoh’s at $125 a set are not something I would like to stuff up.
Cheers Cal
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24th November 2020, 08:06 AM #80
Its first class Cal. You have been pulling out all the stops on this last batch.
Regards
John
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25th November 2020, 11:14 AM #81GOLD MEMBER
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Thanks John!
Well the Tenor ukulele is finished.
Just to recap the timber used in it are:
King Billy Pine 3 piece soundboard, Weeping Cherry back and sides, Tasmanian Myrtle burl rosette, tail end graft and headstock veneer (Paua inlay of a Blue Wren), Wenge and Claret Ash binding, Wenge fretboard, Western Red Cedar braces, the neck has 7 pieces laminated together comprising of Huon Pine, Jarah, Claret Ash and Wenge, the bridge is Indian Rosewood with a bone saddle and a hint of Paua shell, Grover machine heads with timber’s from the neck as buttons (or keys)
I had issues with the finish on the soundboard once I had attached the bridge and I couldn’t remove the marks from it with French polishing. I opted to put the Shellac in the spray gun and give it a blast, it’s ended up a bit orange peal on the surface of the soundboard and I’m worried about cutting it back to polish it up again.
On to the baritones!!
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25th November 2020, 09:22 PM #82
A very handsome instrument. The headstok looks great now the tuners and strings are there so the bird stands out from the burl.
Regards
John
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26th November 2020, 10:21 PM #83GOLD MEMBER
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A new set of ukuleles
The neck is on this one!
After the joint is rough cut on the bandsaw, the real work begins, because this neck is Myrtle and fairly hard for a neck, I decided to wet down the timber to make it a bit easier to pear down with the chisel.
I am aiming here for a bit of relief off the soundboard, this keeps the strings closer to parallel the length of the fretboard. Not normal for a store bought ukulele.
Once the chisel work is done it comes down to sanding the joint to a tight fit.
Also have to check to make sure the neck centre lines up exactly down the centre of the body.
The neck is now glued in place and has a thread insert in it to accept a m6 hex head bolt.
This one fit nicely!
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27th November 2020, 11:10 AM #84GOLD MEMBER
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Sensational work Cal!
I'm in awe!
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27th November 2020, 07:51 PM #85GOLD MEMBER
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A short clip so you can hear how it sounds, this is necessary because it’s not just an object to observe or feel, it has to be played!
Cherry tenor ukulele with King Billy Pine soundboard. - YouTube
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28th November 2020, 11:25 AM #86GOLD MEMBER
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Lovely tone Cal!
Thanks for taking us on the journey with you and sharing your joys and a few difficulties.
I do mostly appreciate them for their wood and your skills
Cheers, Euge
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28th November 2020, 06:53 PM #87GOLD MEMBER
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Thanks Euge!
Here is some work on a Wenge fretboard, it starts off at 55mm wide and 6mm thick after resawing and a few trips through the drum sander. I mark out the fret position with a knife on a piece of masking tape stuck to the board so I can see it. I then use a square to score the width of the board and remove the tape. Then mark the position of the fret dots and drill them shy of the final depth.
Here I just use my square and a pull saw to cut the slots, the two bolts on the saw is holding a thin timber depth gauge so I cut to the correct depth.
After the slots are cut, I then radius the fretboard using 80 grit paper on the radius block. If you were to look at most ukuleles they have a flat fretboard, the radius has a nice feel to it so I do it.
After radius sanding is almost over I re-cut the fret slots to the correct depth again. This then means that the slots now follow the radius and the tangs on the frets perfectly. I then cut the board to the correct width and taper to suit the neck.
Then add the fret dots with a bit of super glue and continue up the grits sanding until 2000 grit. A little bit of shellac and then a bit of Neil’s Aussie Oil and a hand polish.
Then I install the frets and cut the end to suit the sound hole.
As far as I can see, most luthiers glue the fretboard to the neck prior to shaping so I do things a bit differently, but I’m ok with that
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4th January 2021, 11:44 PM #88
Why aren't you happy with the sound? (It may not be the thickness of the top at all)
I finished my first Tenor Ukelele very recently (so I only know what I read on the internet). I used Victorian Ash for the neck and bone bridge and nut. Tasmanian blackwood sides and back approx. 2.5 mm thick - Bunya Pine top approx. 2 mm thick, but sanded back until I heard a "drum" like sound when I held the top wood by the corner and tapped the middle with the fleshy part of my index finger. Now finished, it has a lovely warm tone and its LOUD. I think that if you use a softwood for the top, 1.7-2 mm is near enough to the mark. And the sides don't matter that much, but the stiffer (denser) the wood on the sides and back the louder the ukulele.
I am not convinced that all of this care makes as much difference as many luthiers say. The top wood obviously matters, but Robert O'Brien (look him up on You Tube) make a guitar out of (high density, stiff) card board.
Ukeleles are always a bit "twangy" when compared to guitars... but this one is chalk and cheese when compared to cheap store bought soprano.
When I finished the fret wires were uneven on the fretboard and that caused a lot of buzzing on some of the strings. Ukeleles and guitars have to be "set up" - this includes filing back the fret wires and adjusting the bridge (again look it up on You Tube).
+ C 20201231_153015.jpg
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17th January 2021, 02:37 PM #89GOLD MEMBER
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Another ukulele almost complete. If only I didn’t have to work for a living, these are taking longer than I first anticipated.
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26th January 2021, 04:59 PM #90GOLD MEMBER
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Well another ukulele complete and happy customer too! This is one of the Huon topped Sapele baritones. My friend collected it on the weekend and is now at home in Geelong.
I have another of these to go and the two silky oak baritones.
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