Some Edge Binding

So after a quick look inside and a few measurements as well, I decided there was enough material at the joints between the top and sides as well as the back and sides, to add an edge binding.  I decided on a simple rosewood dark/natural, single layer strip around the top and bottom.  I had a couple of blocks of rosewood from a friend of mine that seemed like they might do the trick.

 They were already squared up, so I just sliced off a series of plates about 2mm (.080”) thick on the table saw.

 I then clamped them to a flat board, and using a utility knife, I cut off ribbons about 6.5mm (1/4”) wide.  I sanded the edges square and moved on to routering in the groove.

To do this, I made up a router jig that clamped to my router table fence that would allow just the right amount of bit exposure.  I made sure the end profile of the jig would allow access to the smallest portion of the Ukes waste.  I set the depth to slightly less than the 2mm thickness of the binding strips.  This would allow a bit of overhang to be scraped and sanded off later.  Better a bit proud than shy at this point.  After several test passes on scraps, I plowed into the edges of the Uke.  All went well and the groove came out perfect.

Next I set up my section of iron pipe with my propane torch inside to do the bending of the binding strips.

  The strips are very stiff and would not conform without breaking if they were not preformed.  I soaked the strips in a cooler (Go Lakers!) in hot water for about 15 minutes.  It is important to have an adjustable torch flame at this point because the pipe will rapidly overheat if the flame is not adjusted down quite a bit!

By slowly working the wet strips over the hot pipe and applying a bit of light pressure, the wood will soften and bend easily.  They will stay pretty much where you set them once removed from the pipe as well.

I pre bent all the sections of the binding strips and marked them so I knew where they fit when I glued them in place.

For this build, since the wood is mahogany, I decided to use CA glue to attach the bindings. Although I have not done it, I understand CA will discolor spruce over time and should not be used for spruce instruments.  In hind sight, the CA worked very well, however, the mess on my fingers stayed around for several days before it decided to relinquish its grip.

I began with medium thickness CA glue and it seemed to work out quite well.  Accelerator was a must as the open softer core of the mahogany plywood quickly absorbed the CA.  After it was glued in place, I went back and rewet the attachment joint with thin CA and applied a bit more accelerator.  There are a few small gaps that will be filled with a mixture of adhesive and rosewood sanding dust as a filler.  This fills up the gaps quite nicely and is virtually invisible when dry and sanded as long as the gaps are reasonable.

I continued working around the edges until both the top and bottom bindings were attached.  I did get a chance to do a bit of scraping with the cabinet scraper and a stiff sanding block with 120 grit paper.  The joint at the top is almost complete and I will get to the back binding next time I get to the shop. 

  So far, so good I think.  I am happy with the new look.  I ordered a wood rosette for the sound hole inlay instead of the wet-n-slide decal that came with the kit.  I think this will add a bit more character.  More to come! 

It's Here!

I received my Uke kit last weekend and I had a chance to begin a bit of work on it.  I thought I would start out with the unpacking and a good look at the initial instrument design and construction.

I was pleasantly surprised with the overall instrument.  The design, though very simple, looks like it will lend itself to a nice playing instrument when completed.  The sound of the main box seems very good for a plywood material construction.  I must admit, I was a bit disappointed the top was not solid.  I guess I didn’t read the description close enough.  That being said, I think I can make a nice looking and playing instrument from this kit.

It was packaged quite well and arrived undamaged and nicely arranged.  The instructions seem quite thorough and should be complete enough for even a beginner to follow to completion.  It looks like the two biggest tasks will be filing, and shaping the neck to match the pre-fretted fret board and the clamping and gluing portion.  As with most instruments, there are very few “flat” places to clamp up when gluing,  a bit of creativity will be handy when it comes to this portion of the build.

Given the lack of edge binding, the open edges of the plywood top and back are visible.  Although this appearance isn’t bad or anything, it just doesn’t say “quality” like an edge binding would.  The insides seem to quite well finished.  Most of the braces are at least partially sanded and the glue joints seem neatly done without excessive drips or errors.   A bit of work in there with a sanding stick will go along way towards a nice finish.

Overall; I like it, I think it’s going to work out quite well.  After all, it’s a $50 instrument.  My goal is to make it seem  like a more expensive hand built, with a few custom touches.  I am looking forward to “spiffing it up” a bit.  More on that next time.

Looking forward to a nice little winter project!

Well, the hope is to start a Uke kit project this winter so I have a nice new instrument to play with soon.  I have done lots of looking around at kits and others build sites and I decided I didnt want to start from scratch on this one.  Having done that with my acoustic guitar, I am kind of excited to try a kit this time.
So, here is the plan; I have ordered a concert size Uke kit from Grizzley.  I know, I know, a machine builder who makes wood instrument kits?  but they seem to be pretty well liked by the folks that build them, so I thought, what the heck, give it a shot.  At $50 how can you go wrong for a real mahogany instrument.  We will see I guess.
So, my feelings about the kit are centering around the fact that it appears very plain and will need a bit of embellishing to make it look like a custom, hand built instrument.  I am planning on adding a rosewood edge binding to the top and bottom corners and maybe some lamination or an inlay on the head face. A lengthwise inlay on the back might be kind of spiffy too.  Another idea is to add a real wood sound hole perfling.  I will need to do some research to see if I can find something like this to inset.  We will have to wait and see.  I have no idea how the top and back are attached to the sides of this kit, if there is not enough material at that joint, routeing away a notch there would not be smart.  I will have to wait until the kit arrives.  I am looking forward to this build, it should be fun.  My son has a Uke and it sure is fun to play.  Like an old tractor, its pretty tough to use it without having a smile on your face.