Ok building two ukuleles is just too great. While the glue dries on one I’m cutting braces for the other. I’m making great progress and really getting in the groove. I have to say, I love sculpting braces. Designing the layout, making the interlocking pieces, trimming them down and setting them in place… it’s all very zen. Times flies by when I’m cutting braces. Here are some pictures from the last couple of days.
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- Matanuska – bracing is all done and the sound board is ready to be glued
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- Matanuska – Bright Maple braces on a redwood sound board
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- Matanuska – in our custom made solera and clamped down tight
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- Ed – Curly Maple soundboard with interlocking braces
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- Ed – trussed up tight in the solera; gluing the soundboard
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- Matanuska – sound board glued in place and she’s out of the solera
Hey that’s a neat idea on the solera! I’ve never seen one like that.
It’s adjustable too. Fits either a concert or a tenor in my signature keystone shape. I need to put some legs on it to raise it up a bit. That would make it easier to get the spool clamps in quickly.
It was nice to meet you the other day Chris. Are you building ukuleles too?
No building for me yet, I’m saving up for the Stew Mac kit right now. I’ve done a couple of Grizzly kits but never a scratch build. Mostly just living vicariously through blogs and forum posts.
The Stew Mac soprano kit was my first ukulele. When you build the kit go online and Google the kit by name. I found some revised instructions by a guy in Australia I think it was. They were very helpful and made several suggestions that were quite useful. I think there are even some YouTube videos on building that kit as well.
I’ll keep that in mind.. I’ve watched a LOT of building videos kits and scratch videos. I think my favorite are Pete Howlett’s