Making an Ukulele #1

May 31, 2018.  Day 1.  3 hours.

1. Choosing the wood and size.  

I chose Koa wood from Nahiku Maui to make a concert-sized body.

I chose bloodwood for the fretboard and bridge.

2. Curling the sides.   

First I wet the wood and bended it over heated pads.

Then I clamped it into a mold.

3. Bookmatching the front and back.

I sanded down the sides of the top pieces until they fit flush together.

Then I glued the two pieces together using braces and clamps as a guide.  I repeated these steps for the back pieces.

4. Attaching the wood for the neck.

One of the ukulele-makers used a bandsaw to cut the top off at an angle.  The wood is mahogany.

I glued the pieces to each other, creating an angle for the head.

The head clamped to the neck.

 I glued and clamped 2 blocks of wood to the bottom of the neck, to create the base (that will eventually attach to the body).  End of Day 1: the neck, the top, and the bottom of the ukulele.

June 5, 2018.  Day 2.  3.5 hours.  (Total 6.5 hours).

1. Adding head and tail blocks.

I sanded the edges of the sides, and then glued them together to head and tail blocks.  It's starting to look three dimensional!

The side pieces, now glued together, went back into the mold.

2. Adding Kerfings.

I glued/clamped the Kerfings to all 4 edges.  These are the linings that will provide greater surface areas when it comes time to attach the top and back of the ukulele.

3. Tracing the top and back.

Tracing the top piece of the ukulele

Tracing the back piece of the ukulele

4. Starting to create the sound hole.

I used a weight to glue a circular brace around where the sound hole will go.  

Mike, one of the ukulele-makers, added a herringbone pattern rosette for me.

5. Forming the neck.

One of the ukulele-makers used a bandsaw to start shaping the head/neck.

End of Day 2: top, back, side, and neck/head pieces.

June 14, 2018.  Day 3.  3.5 hours.  (Total 10 hours).

1. Shaping the head/neck.

Various graters, files, and sanding devices used to shape the head/neck.

Creating the rough shape with graters and files.

Fine-tuning the shape with sandpaper.

2. Sanding the top of the body

I used a large piece of sandpaper to make the surface flat/level, where the top will later be attached.

3. Marking the top/body

The neck was temporarily attached to the body, to help visualize where the top piece will be attached.

I drew markings on the top piece (for where the body will eventually be glued on) and the body (for where the braces will go).

4. Making braces.

I used a rotary to form notches for the braces.

I cut little pieces of wood and filed them down to fit within the notches.

I shaped the braces with a razor and sander.  In this picture, the wood brace on top has not yet been shaped.

Ukulele-making is very detail-oriented.  This little notch is so the brace doesn't bump into the support circle around the sound hole.

One of the ukulele-makers drilled out the sound hole of the top piece.
End of Day 3: head/neck, bottom piece, top piece, body with braces.

June 19, 2018.  Day 4.  4 hours.   (Total 14 hours).

1. Making/Attaching Top Braces

I used a razor, sander, and utility knife to finish making and shaping the top braces.  I glued them to the top piece, using sticks to hold them in place.

A zoomed-out view of the braces being glued down.  A lot of my time was spent carefully cleaning off the glue after it squeezed out.

2. Finishing the Inside of the Body

My teacher Mike helped carve away part of the Kerfings so they were less bulky, and then I sanded down the inside edge.

3. Lunchtime

Here are my fellow ukulele-makers.  We eat lunch together at a nearby food court.

4. Attaching the Top to the Body

I glued the top and body together, carefully cleaning off all the glue that squeezed out.

I added these funny-looking clamps to hold the top and body pieces into place.
End of Day 4.

June 28, 2018.  Day 5.  4 hours.  1 hour for sticker.  (Total 19 hours).

1. On my spare time, I made a logo sticker which will eventually go on the inside of the ukulele.

Lien means lotus.

2. Shaving Down the Top Piece

One of the ukulele-makers did this part for me.  I had to decide at this point whether to have binding (plastic along the edges).  Though I prefer the appearance of no binding, I decided to go with binding to add durability to my ukulele.

As an aside, here's a picture of Mike (my ukulele teacher's) backyard.  He's a bonzai expert and owns over 200 plants.

3. Attaching the Neck to the Body

I sanded both pieces so they fit together smoothly, and then used wood glue and 3 screws to attach the neck to the body.

4. Making Back Braces

Another decision point was whether to make a curved back vs a straight back.  The curved back is trickier to make but theoretically could have a more resonant richer sound.  I went with a curved back, and here we're using a big sanding machine to add a curve to the braces.

Making back braces is otherwise similar to making front braces; these pieces were shaped with an exacto knife, razor, sanding block, and patience.

End of Day 5.  Starting to be able to visualize what it's going to look like!

July 3, 2018.  Day 6.  3 hours.  (Total 22 hours).

1. Covering the Screws.

I glued a little piece of wood to the inside to cover where the screws connect the neck to the body.

2. Making Back Support Pieces.

I cut, sanded, and glued some strips of wood onto the back to give more support to where the two pieces are bookmatched together.

3. Bending the Back.

When attaching the back braces, I had to use this contraption to force the back piece into a curve.

4. Starting the Fretboard.

I measured out the dimensions of the fretboard sides.

Then I sanded the sides down.
End of Day 6.

July 12, 2018.  Day 7.  4.5 hours.  (Total 26.5 hours).

1. Finalizing the Inside.

I made all my final sanding touch ups to the inside edges, knowing that they're going to be sealed up soon!  Here's the inside of the back piece.

My ukulele teacher Mike signed the inside for me, which was my sister's idea.  Mike had me sand off his first signature so he could get it just right.  Thankfully, he was happy with the second signature.

The completed inside of the front/sides.

2. Attaching the Back to the Front!

Attaching the back piece was a similar process to attaching the front piece.  It required a lot of curling clamps.

A view from the front.

3. Starting the Bridge.

I sanded down these white pieces that protect the strings.

I glued this piece into place and filed it down until it was flush with the wood.

I drilled 4 holes into the bridge, where the strings will eventually go.

End of Day 7.

July 17, 2018.  Day 8.  3 hours.  (Total 29.5 hours).

1. Cutting a Bridge Piece

Cutting a piece for the bridge.  These little contraptions get so specialized.

2. Gluing the sticker.  

The edges of my label were coming up, so I tried to add a dab of super glue to get it to lie flat, and ended up getting super glue all over the inside of the ukulele.  It was a disheartening moment, and I did not take a picture of my sadness.

3. Adding Binding

I spent the day gluing/taping binding to the front and back of the ukulele.  It was a frustrating process, and I couldn't get it to lie as flat as I wanted.  All in all, not a great day.

Here's the back, with the binding taped on.

And here's the front.  End of Day 8.

July 31, 2018.  Day 9.  4 hours.  (Total 33.5 hours).

1. Dr Aaberg, of the urologists I work, with has also made ukuleles at this workshop.  When I told him my last day hadn't gone perfectly, he told me sometimes when he'd arrive at the workshop he would find that the menehune (hidden little craftspeople of Hawaiian mythology) would have fixed everything.  Lo and behold, I took a 2 week break from ukulele-making to go to a wedding in Portland and when I returned, my ukulele looked better than ever.

All the tape was removed, and tiny gaps where the binding didn't lie flat had been filled in.

This little piece on the back had been artfully designed to cover a slightly larger gap.

Thanks, menehune! 

2. Carving the Head.

I never realized how many designs there were to choose from.

I chose these stencils to trace the head.

We used these sanding devices to shave the head to my traced lines.

I apparently drew the head on higher up than I was supposed to, so my neck is going to look too long.  I'm hoping this is the sort of thing only I will notice.

I chose out a piece of koa wood to add to the head, so it will match the body.

3. Shaping the Fretboard.

I added pegs to help hold the fretboard in place on the neck.

Then I shaped the bottom of the fretboard.

I chose to cut it in a curve that hangs right over the sound hole.

I marked where my fretboard dots will go and chose what size/color they'll be (small, white).

My ukulele with its friends.

End of Day 9.

Aug 9, 2018.  Day 10.  3 hours.  (Total 36.5 hours).

1. My teacher Mike etched my logo onto the head for me.  I'm not sure exactly how he did this but from what I can gather, he carved away wood to create my design using a dental tool, filled it with ebony sawdust, and then sealed it in with super glue.

Ebony Sawdust

My lotus symbol.

2. Making the Fretboard.

Mike had already added the finger markings in for me.  I sanded and buffed the fretboard.

I cleaned out the sawdust.

I hammered in the frets.

I filed down the frets until they were flush with the wood.

I sanded/filed the frets so they are beveled and won't cut when you run your fingers up and down the fretboard.

End of Day 10.

Aug 14, 2018.  Day 11.  3.5 hours.  (Total 40 hours).

1. Attaching the fretboard.

I glued on the fretboard.

2. Making the bridge.

While waiting for my fretboard to dry, I shaped the bridge.

Bridge after sanding.

3. Sanding the neck.

After the fretboard was finished drying, I sanded down the sides of the neck until it was flush with the fretboard.

End of Day 11.

Aug 28, 2018.  Day 12.  4 hours.  (Total 44 hours).

1. Finishing the Head and Neck.

Ukulele Workshop - Main Garage

Ukulele Workshop - Side Area

I took a trip to Alaska and while I was away, the Menehune completed the head by gluing on my koa piece and drilling holes for the tuners.

The Menehune also made the finishing touch on the neck by adding side fret markers.

2. Finishing the Hat.

It was a day of making final touches. 
I finished shaping the bridge and used pegs/holes to mark where it is going to eventually attach.

I glued on the specialized ornament to the back of the ukulele.

I started shaping the nut that goes between the head and neck.

And I sanded everything... a lot.
End of Day 12.

Sept 9, 2018.  Day 13.  2 hours.  (Total 46 hours).

1. It was the final chance for sanding, so I sanded everything a lot.

2. I covered up the fretboard and bridge areas.  It was a short day, because I've run out of things to do.  My ukulele-making teacher Mike is going to apply the lacquer next!

Tracing out the area for the bridge with tape.

Taping up the fretboard.  My henna has lotuses that match my logo.

Waiting to be lacquered.

Sept 25, 2018.  Day 12.  3 hours.  (Total 49 hours).

1. Sanding and Polishing

Mike lacquered the ukulele about 6 times.  I removed the "orange peel" texture with fine steel wool, and then wet sandpaper (600, 1200, 1500).

I added some shine back in with polish.

End of Day 12.

Oct 4, 2018.  LAST DAY - Day 13.  3 hours.  (Total 52 hours).

1. Final Polishing

I used the rubbing compound and then the brown polish for the wood.

And furniture polish for the fretboard.

2. Final Touches

Making the holes bigger for the pegs.

Curtis, one of the ukulele teachers, making the final adjustments to the nut.

3. The Final Product!

Me with my ukulele.

With my ukulele-making teachers.

My ukulele making class

My uke!

My ukulele at home