Argapa Ukuleles

Bar frets

2012-01-29T20:03:00.000+01:00

For the first time for quite some time, I'll make bar frets on the little koa prototype. I use a brass strip from a hobby store, 1x3 mm. In order to make it stick properly in the slots I cut small barbs with a knife.

Back glued on new solera

2012-01-28T20:47:00.000+01:00

I have a few other ideas to try when it comes to glueing the back, but this low tech method seems to work. I like tying with string, but it's a pain to wind it back up afterwards.

This little soprano has come together so quickly I'm considering bar frets; that should slow me down some.

Koa soprano on the solera

2012-01-25T22:24:00.000+01:00

Or workboard thingie with interchangeable soleras. Anyway. The neck is shaped and sanded smooth and appears to have a good fit already. But the clamp I made to secure the neck needs longer screws - an excuse to go shopping for screws tomorrow!

To make the neck angle I'll put a spacer under the neck when the back goes on. More about that later.

In the back of the pic you can see the little vintage Kumalae (or Kumulae?) that I got from my mate Brian, a beirdo. I am refinishing it after a bridge repair.

Neck carved, sides glued

2012-01-24T22:21:00.000+01:00

Have been somewhat confused since we had burglars here during the weekend. But things are more or less sorted now so I did a few things on the koa soprano.

I installed lining strips and blocks, and today I glued the sides to the soundboard.

Then I took ten minutes and carved a neck. Lovely to work with, that Spanish cedar. Carves easily.

The concerts are getting more layers of tru-oil as well, but I have to sync that with the family being out.

Koa sides bent

2012-01-20T22:06:00.000+01:00

Just to finish a hectic week on a high note, I bent a couple of sides. I put them in the new solera jig thingie to see if it works, and of course it did.

Couldn't put tru-oil on the concerts as the smell has gotten stronger than I remember, and it disturbs my family. I'll wipe some on tomorrow and let some air in during the day.

New tools and stuff!!

2012-01-18T20:57:00.000+01:00

I went on an online shopping spree around christmas, and made four purchases. Today when I got home from Burkina Faso the fourth and last was waiting for me.

So here it is, the fruits of an investment / reckless cash dispersal, from left to right:
From metmusic.com I got bone blanks for saddles, a japanese gouge for shaping braces, and 48 violin pegs.

Then from an ebay merchant I got 40 metal tuning pegs for 72 dollars including shipping.

Bottom right is the fantastic string spacing gizmo from Ken Timms (Timbuck). He had a spare prototype, and now he has my endless gratitude.

And. Top right. Is a miniature shoulder plane from Lee Valley in Canada. It is magnificent. I bought it not only because I'm obsessed with small planes, but also for shaping braces. Since the blade goes all the way to the edge I'll be able to use it right down to the soundboard. Nifty.

The detail pic shows the size, or tinyness.

First layer of oil on the concerts, and a go-bar deck!

2012-01-14T20:31:00.000+01:00

And guess who finally learned to post two pics at once?! It only took four years.
So. The small bridges are on. The string through method lets me keep the footprint down, and therefore also the weight.

I chose tru-oil this time, I tend to avoid shellac every time I work on more than one uke. I don't think I could get equal results on two or more.

But tru-oil is at least as good. The first coat is also very satisfying, as the colour darkens so much.

Then on to the next topic. My workboard for different soleras is almost done, small refinements are made as I go along. I've decided to make a soprano to test it. It's koa, but second grade. And as it is a first for the new method I guess I'll have to keep it.

I made a go-bar deck that is mounted on threaded rods, and you can see the bridge patch being pressed down into the solera's dish, taking care of the domed shape of the soundboard.

I'm excited. But who wouldn't be?

Bridge / bridges

2012-01-08T18:24:00.000+01:00

Looking sharp! Just the right width.

Bridge blank

2012-01-08T16:50:00.000+01:00

This chunk of rosewood comes from the same board that gave me tje fretboards, so the bridges will be a good match. It's raw and irregular in shape, but some time spent with the low angle block plane gives smooth and parallel surfaces.

The light coloured sap wood won't be around in the finished bridges.

Fretboards cut, planed and fretted

2012-01-07T17:40:00.000+01:00

Now I just need to file the ends smooth and glue them on.

Bridges will be of matching rosewood.

Workboard with exchangeable soleras

2012-01-05T17:41:00.000+01:00

It's not quite done yet, but it's getting darn close! The L-shaped brackets slides to the chosen solera and form a mold that will hold the sides.

On top of it all, a removable go-bar deck will be attached. I'm excited.

Neck blanks, after

2012-01-02T20:16:00.000+01:00

Yes, it could! With a new blade in the saw it only took five minutes. And I got six more from a similar lump so that's eleven blanks.

I also got 14 one piece sides and sounboards and backs for about the same amount of piccolos. So production will commence when I've sanded everything to thickness. And finished the workboard with the solera inserts.

And, of course, there are the concerts, the resos, the koa sopranos. Suddenly 2012 feels rather laid out before me.

Neck blanks, before

2012-01-02T20:11:00.000+01:00

I had a lump of cherry with good grain direction, it could yield five piccolo necks. Or could it?

Solera insert

2011-12-27T22:26:00.000+01:00

Well the plan is to make a building board with space for different thin soleras, one for each size. Here you can see the tenor one being dished with planes and scrapers.

Being immensely clever

2011-12-27T22:04:00.000+01:00

I've finally made new perspex templates, and here you can see me tracing the contour. Not just once, but twice. To offset the line 5 mm I let the pencil go in a washer of suitable dimension.

You'll see where all this leads soon.

Backs are on, merry christmas

2011-12-25T20:23:00.000+01:00

Both concerts got a one piece back, which is now trimmed flush to the sides. Tomorrow I'll try to sand a bit and choose wood for the fretboards.

New radius dish, part II

2011-12-21T22:44:00.000+01:00

And hey presto, it's done. Apart from the obvious need to cut the base board to shape, but I can't run the bandsaw this late because of the neighbours. A few blobs of thick construction glue spread on and between the small blocks will secure it and make it even more rigid.

And the best things about it; no dust! No noise! No cumbersome sled jig for the lethal router! I'm so happy.

New radius dish, part I

2011-12-21T22:28:00.000+01:00

I got tired of my old dish that I routed out of solid MDF ages ago. So I decided to have a go at this method that I learned at Ukulele Underground. A 3 mm board will be forced down onto circles of small blocks, going from 2 to 6 mm. The distances and heights were worked out in Autocad.

The radius I chose for the dish is 2500 mm.

Glueing done

2011-12-20T07:32:00.000+01:00

All joints are done. The tape method is swell, and fast.

New jig project

2011-12-19T19:36:00.000+01:00

These are thin pieces of basswood, 5 mm. I glue them together with the tape method which seems to work great.

A lot of pieces will be joined, the result should be stunning (well, if everything goes according to my rather dim plan).

Back braces on the concerts

2011-12-12T19:44:00.000+01:00

I do it this way, but I know most builders glue the braces on the back first. I find this way lets me make sure all the measurements are correct and the sides are parallell.

These two are among my cleanest builds yet, I'm very anxious to hear what they will sound like.

Necks attached

2011-12-10T18:48:00.000+01:00

I think the pair of them looks reet nice. Next up; back braces and then the back.

Drilling

2011-12-10T18:27:00.000+01:00

Hey, this was an unexpected bonus. I just flipped the whole setup and clamped the perspex strip in my Zyliss vise.

In the pic you can see the angle attachment I have for my Proxxon drill. It's as small and versatile as a Dremel, but far superior in quality. The angle attachment makes a loud noise but is essential when I do this.

The procedure is a bit different from the one I use for the piccolos, you should be able to find that in earlier posts.

Aligning neck

2011-12-10T18:01:00.000+01:00

Prior to drilling from the inside of the body, I make sure the neck is straight and that the surfaces are flush. This is a new fangled method, using some perspex. We'll soon see how it works.

The hole for the barrel nut is made already.

Shaping necks, finished

2011-11-26T17:13:00.000+01:00

So the other one is done as well. Even faster since I didn't bother with pics. (But I did use my 12/36 mm Ibex finger plane with the curved sole on the back of the headstock. Sorry for not ranting about that one!)

Now they just need some sanding.

And this was to be a project, this neck carving documentary. I didn't mean it to end this fast. What am I supposed to think of now?

Shaping necks, final steps

2011-11-26T16:40:00.000+01:00

Finishing touch with the neck held in hand. This small knife is also of Swedish steel, a carving knife that I made even shorter by grinding away the back end of the blade down to the width of the tang, before I made the handle. This is a trick I learnt from my beloved wife.

The edge is ground straight on both sides, with no second bevel. Cuts clean and exactly how I want it.

Shaping necks, back of the headstock

2011-11-26T16:27:00.000+01:00

I won't say I wouldn't want a gizmo for sanding it to thickness, but my Little Victor plane and the Mother of All Chisels does the trick quickly.

Since I use wooden violin pegs on my ukes I don't worry about the the sides being absolutely parallell - and I quite fancy the tapered headstocks on vintage ukes. On them the tip of the headstock is very thin.

Shaping necks, carving

2011-11-26T16:16:00.000+01:00

A few minutes with the spokeshave, and then an old Swedish carpet knife (curved, on the right) and a Hock violin knife.

It's nearly done!

These posts have gone out in real time, with a break to play piano with Li.

Shaping necks, cont.

2011-11-26T16:05:00.000+01:00

After the two slanted cuts I put the neck-to-be in the carving jig and go at it with the mini spoke shave.

Li makes sure it looks big.

Shaping necks, for the concerts

2011-11-26T15:49:00.000+01:00

This is how I shape my necks initially. The small wedge is there to show the cut. I'll post a few more pics of the later stages on these ones.

Shaping the contour

2011-11-23T11:08:00.000+01:00

Small plane - check.

Messy bench - check.

Small wonderful shavings - check.

This pic has all you can ask for. Plus it shows how I shape the profile of the rim on one of the mahogany concerts.

Neck blanks trued

2011-11-21T22:43:00.000+01:00

Ten minutes with a sharp and properly adjusted low angle block plane, and I have flat crisp surfaces on the concert neck blanks. They've been measured and marked, soon I can start carving them.

With the sharp knives etc etc. Did I mention those before..?

Figure? Curl?!

2011-11-19T13:59:00.001+01:00

What's this? I can't believe it.

Hooray!

Splitting the alder log

2011-11-19T13:57:00.000+01:00

After reading a bit further about drying and resawing, I decided to get things going a bit faster.

Concert progress

2011-11-13T21:11:00.000+01:00

Now before you say anything, I know it looks like shit. And I know the workshop looks like this in all my pictures. But no matter what it looks like, the concert soundboards are braced with really nice spruce braces and another reso skeleton got clad. With cherry sides this time.

Next up, some overdue cleaning up.

Carved neck

2011-10-31T09:51:00.001+01:00

I'm pleased with this one. The neck is a bit beefier because of all the strings, but the little volute and the throat before the headstock feels really good.

Some rough shaping first with a japanese hand saw, then a stationary belt sander. But the detailing was all made with knives.

You can also see the mandolin tuners. Turns out they have a huge ratio, I didn't think of that when I ordered them. Tuning takes a long time, but hopefully that'll be better once the strings are stretched.

Finally in tune

2011-10-28T21:39:00.000+01:00

And that is in D-tuning. I tune all my ukes in C, but Ronald is a D guy. And I needed to try it to see if the soundboard would fly off.

I'll keep an ear open tonight for the sound of wood coming apart.

But the sounds I've managed to get out of it so far are convincing, it sounds really good. If only Ronald would come to pick it up.

Side by side

2011-10-20T21:29:00.000+01:00

I spent the latter half of the evening bending sides on the hot pipe, or bending iron really. The one piece rim I made for a concert was very challenging since it just happened to be of exactly the right length. So the bends had to be in the right places. But I have gotten better, and managed to get it right in just twenty minutes.

Then I went on to the first of the resos, which will be clad in cherry. I had a good set of sides, but it was of two halves. Luckily one of the reso skeletons had a dowel exactly in the middle, so the joint will be backed up there. I intended to use one piece rims on the resos as well, so the dowels are placed a bit inexactly.

The cherry one is spoken for, but I really don't know by whom. I think all who saw my prototype this summer wanted a wenge one, but I only have wenge for one more. The others will be as good looking or better. Now I make one each of wenge, walnut, ash and cherry.

The third side you see is for the other concert. It has blocks now, and will get kerfing soon. Both concerts will have a bookmatched top of the best mahogany I have, and a one piece back of mahogany that is a bit twisted in the grain. Looks lovely but I want the soundboard to be straighter than that.

But what of Ronald's tenor, I hear you (Ronald) ask. My bet is he'll get it with a passive pickup and that he'll sort the pre-amp a lot quicker than I can...

Pesky effin' electronics

2011-10-16T14:46:00.000+01:00

Shellac is all but done, it could do with a final glaze coat or a careful rubbing. And the tuners are in place, strings take forever to tune but it works! It sounds different from all my others, as was expected. I'm not used to the tenor scale, so I'm eager to get Ronald over here so I can listen to it being played.

And I got a pickup in place under the saddle. And it sort of works, but the preamp is nigh impossible. I am crap at electronics and have no clue at all.

Concert sides bent

2011-10-04T21:47:00.000+01:00

My first concert is under way. I let the shellac on Rockonald's tenor rest today and bent this one piece rim. I'll make two identical concerts of ye olde mahogany.

French polishing the 8-string

2011-10-01T18:59:00.000+01:00

I've been a bit reluctant to call my process of putting on shellac "french polishing" because of all the secret mumbo jumbo that is connected with the method. But after a few ukes and with increasingly better results I now call it french polishing.

This is me doing it, and for a base coat / sealer I used vernice bianca, a mixture of gum arabic and egg whites. It was something I read about and wanted to try. The gum arabic was dissolved in water, and it felt weird to apply the mixture to the seasoned and dry mahogany wood. But no harm was done, and maybe a few pores were filled.

It's a bit awkward to polish around the bridge and fretboard end, and for those areas I don't use the muneca but an eraser wrapped in cloth. The edges of the eraser are a lot easier to use in the corners.

Ron's tenor... and a couple of concerts?!

2011-09-25T16:15:00.000+01:00

Fretboard is finished, and glued to the neck. I sanded the body outside, in the forest behind my house, with our new cordless sander (to the right in the pic). It works great, and everything that helps to keep the dust level down is hugely appreciated.

I also made a very neat bridge of ebony, and it gets sanded underneath to conform to the domed soundboard.

But the strangest news is... the Argapa concerts took a leap forward when I sanded all the flat parts today. I made the necks last weekend. Look out, Ben and Brian! The parts can be seen behind Johan's jelly-fish-ulele.

Now; supper.

Ronald's tenor, back on

2011-09-19T22:23:00.000+01:00

How come I never thought of this before? With a magical mirror, I can show both sides in one pic! Oh the joy of discoveries...

The back went on yesterday, and I cut the overhang tonight. With knives and a chisel. Laminate trimmers and flush cut routers are for non vikings. And wimps. And posers.

Anyway, you should be able to see the ash peghead veneer and the ash heel cap, the latter of which is integrated in the back. Both pieces come from the same tree that was used in Jukka's and Aya's wedding uke (see label called something along those lines).

This tenor has moved on quite fast. I'm used to mahogany and the new mold works great. For finish, I'm considering egg white pore filling and shellac.

Bridge repair on a factory made uke

2011-09-15T18:17:00.000+01:00

A friend of a friend asked me to repair her uke. It's a decent concert, sort of blinged and with a plastic lacquer. Bridge have come clean off together with the lacquer (yes it was glued on top).

But wait a minute... Glued? Look at the underside of the bridge. It's double stick tape! Complete with fiber reinforcement! Some industrial grade, not carpet tape. It has bonded with the finish and it worked for a couple of years. Now it's hard and brittle. I had to pause chipping it off to document this.

This bridge is going to get a wood to wood bond, as it should have been in the first place.

Grant's 'ook-oh lay-lee strung up

2011-09-15T16:39:00.000+01:00

That's my new spelling, innit!

It was hard enough putting it down for the time it took to take the pic, so descriptions will be made in the upcoming video. Watch fb and the forums. I must try to record the sound with my Zoom, and then sync and... hm. Might actually be built in mic as usual.

Ronald's tenor assembled

2011-09-10T16:18:00.000+01:00

Holes are cut. Holes for tuners, hole for pre-amp, hole for endpin jack, soundhole and all the holes for the bolt-on neck.

Low tech circle cutter, II

2011-09-10T16:07:00.000+01:00

Done!

Low tech circle cutter

2011-09-10T16:03:00.000+01:00

Simple. Perfect. I never believed the hype.

Finish

2011-09-08T21:35:00.000+01:00

It's hard to take a decent pic of something shiny. But here's an attempt. There are maybe 6 coats of Tru oil on it so far, with some careful sanding in between. One coat was applied with the oil on a sandpaper, to grain fill. That gives you a slurry that is very hard to get even. I ended up rubbing the surface with my palms. I reek of Tru oil.

Scale length

2011-09-04T10:53:00.000+01:00

It's not always easy for me to get the distances right, and this new body shape tricked me a bit. But with the guitar sized template (and some luck) I could choose a new scale length that will give me the desired neck to body connection, neck length and neck block to bridge plate distance.

Phew. So it'll be 440.5 mm scale length plus compensation, and a 14th fret connection.

Now I just need to keep calm and remember which slots to use when sawing.

Ronald's tenor, sides glued to top

2011-09-03T20:14:00.000+01:00

Bracing pattern is sort of instinct based. I'll leave the back off for a bit so I can tap and feel after neck is bolted on, and the hole is cut. Then there's the issue of Rockonald's undersaddle pickup... I don't know anything about those yet, other than that they're lying in a heap somewhere.

The essence of Argapa bridge theory

2011-09-03T10:01:00.000+01:00

The unfinished bridge on Grant's uke, here with a replaceable pao ferro saddle. Some touching up, then glueing. But first, bike excursion with Ann and the wee monsters.

Tenor lined, Grant's uke sanded

2011-08-31T20:36:00.000+01:00

Just a progress pic.

Fretboard and stuff

2011-08-30T20:39:00.000+01:00

Good evening! I cut the slots and put the frets in tonight. In the pic the pao ferro fretboard just rests on the neck, and a rosewood bridge blank plays the part of mock up bridge. The pao ferro bridge blank was still too big to resemble a bridge.

No markers on this one, except for side dots. They'll be my regular 1.6 mm white dots.

Ronald's tenor

2011-08-28T17:30:00.001+01:00

Too late in the evening to drumsand Grant's fretboard, so I bent the sides for Ronald's eight string tenor. These are the first sides built to my new mold. I braced the top yesterday and today I remembered Chuck Moore's advice: make the sides before you make the top and back. And, they didn't crack. Bending iron was a lot hotter than usual today (I'm so impatient I always rush things otherwise), and the bending process was fast, smooth and turned out perfect.

Grant's fretboard will be sanded to thickness during the week, I might plane it down a bit first.

Stack of skeletons

2011-08-21T18:52:00.001+01:00

It came to me that I could sell these as innards for uvver peeps' reso projects. But can I be arsed? Can I hell.

All six turned out perfect. I was aiming at five good'uns so I'm well chuffed. But I'm leaving them at the cottage so I can get Grant's soprano and Ronald's tenor ready.

But I could order the hardware. Hm. Must check my Paypal account.

Grant, are you still there..?

2011-08-15T21:45:00.000+01:00

Grant, I thought, now there's a bloke in need of some good news. So here you are sir, maple binding is on and needs only some touch-ups.

And maybe a juniper fretboard? Hmm?

First skeleton assembled

2011-08-14T14:09:00.000+01:00

I love it when things work out (even if some brute force was involved along with a hammer). I drilled for dowels around the edge, and managed to get the two halves at the right distance.

Next time I'll use a pencil sharpener on the ends, it'll make it easier to press down the second half. And some distance blocks cut to exact height will also be good.

The one standing up is seen from its back, and the well for the cone needs a big cut-out from its bottom. But I have a bus to catch. And at home there are two acoustics waiting for some attention. So I'll leave this pile here at the cottage, hopefully I'll get here next weekend.

A luthier's lunch

2011-08-13T13:31:00.001+01:00

Pete Howlett phrased it nicely, about our task being to "combine 22 pieces of wood and make them sing".

But let me tell you, making a sandwich this good is quite a feat as well!

Reso parts routed

2011-08-12T20:11:00.000+01:00

With the templates I prepared, cutting these parts was easy. All are now shaped to their outer contour, and these two are the first ones with the inner hole pattern done.

I check the top one against the cone from my prototype, but it is a 5 7/8 cone, and this batch will get the 6 inch size.

Progress. Gotta love it.

Resonator production 2.0

2011-08-11T15:11:00.000+01:00

Here are the router templates I'm making for a quicker and more precise production of parts.

Hopefully I can get stuff done this weekend.

Piccolos packed

2011-07-18T11:48:00.000+01:00

Well they're done! An old bow case will get them to England. We're on the train as I write this.

I don't know what will happen to them, I might even keep one for myself.

Piccolos hung to dry

2011-07-15T20:04:00.000+01:00

Who forgot to bring in the laundry?!

Between coats, I wet sanded them. It turned out really good (though they feel like plastic).

Salvaging the alder log

2011-07-15T18:21:00.000+01:00

I tried to load a video of the event, but it didn't happen. So here's a still of us towing the log on a sub par cart. It is extremely heavy, so it was probably the last voyage of that cart.

Bridges carved

2011-07-13T17:54:00.000+01:00

The bridges were carved last night, in the pic they're lying on top of the ukes. I glued them today but I'm behind in updating.

Alder

2011-07-13T06:59:00.000+01:00

The kids and a couple of nephews help me rescue a fat log of alder that the local farmer felled. He wouldn't tell me why he'd done it, but was ok with me taking a part of it.

It cracked radially once we got through it, so it must have started to dry already. I'll put it on supports under the house for a few years.

Just need to get it back to the house, it's still where it stood.

Sunbathing, and house progress

2011-07-10T16:03:00.000+01:00

The house in the background has been built in eight days. In the pic it looks quite shoddy, the windproof fabric is a bit drab in colour. And the tarp suffers from a strong wind.

I've kept busy but managed to sand the ukes today. Maybe I'll cut fret slots tonight, if I don't go to rescue that alder log I got from the local farmer.

I give tanning the cherry a shot. Don't know if it's gonna turn out good or perfect.

Tan lines!

2011-07-08T01:56:00.001+01:00

I've heard that cherry darkens with age, but this happened in 60 minutes! The string I used to glue the backs can be seen, as if the wood was as sensitive as my pale carcass.

When they're sanded, I'm tempted to put them in the sun for a bit to darken.

And yes. They are the same size. It's only that the one on the left is cut to shape.

The primitive, lazy, intermittent builder

2011-07-07T10:02:00.000+01:00

Back goes on.

Yes, I'm still in the robe. Robe - ukuleles, pants with tool pockets - guest house build.

House is coming along nicely, I should let it be seen in the bacground in my next post.

Summer exile

2011-07-02T20:55:00.000+01:00

We're at the summer house, and I had to inform Grant that his soprano couldn't be finished under these circumstances. Some parts need to be done in the workshop.

I did bring three half completed piccolos though, they're so wonky and primitive that I could build them anywhere. Here I am shaping the heel on one of them, with a Hock violin knife. You can tell I'm concentrated - my toes are crossed.

Maybe I'll have time to finish one or two. I am building a guest house as well, it takes some time.

Binding, third attempt

2011-06-22T21:51:00.000+01:00

My thumb looks weird, doesn't it? First I glued ivorid binding on Grant's uke. It looked bad. So I removed it and put walnut binding on. But there were gaps.

I removed that tonight, cleaned out the channel and now I'm making a multi layered wood binding. It'd better be good.

Boxed up, with neck

2011-06-18T19:25:00.000+01:00

Looks a bit like a uke, now.

Short post, have to put the kids to bed.

Sides glued on Grant's uke

2011-06-13T20:19:00.000+01:00

Progress. From here it feels like assembling.

Completed, at last!

2011-06-11T12:31:00.000+01:00

So. Here's the group pic I've waited to take. Stringing up, tuning, de-stringing and adjusting, re-stringing, tuning once then twice again...

Hard work I tell you! But they are done. Maybe one of them needs a bit of tweaking at the bridge, but I don't have to ship that one until maybe wednesday.

And these were made for having some stock. But they're all sold now.

I started on three more this morning.

And yes, one is pink. It's for Aya, and I do hope it's the right nuance.

The most beautiful tools

2011-06-09T19:29:00.000+01:00

This is the high point of my career as a hobby builder. Steve Caldwell (aka ecosteel) of Weazel Wharf Ukuleles has sent me these hand made special tools for review. I could not believe my eyes when I got them today, they are so beautiful and they smell so good.

I will try them out right away, and tell you how it goes.

Thanks Steve!

Labels

2011-06-07T18:31:00.000+01:00

Brilliant pic! I was wondering how to mask number 34, and the stupid camera did it for me!

While I made and glued bone nuts, the art department made all the labels. Unfortuneately, the gold pen ran out of ink after three.

Resawn wood, and molds

2011-06-06T17:12:00.000+01:00

Sometimes I think this is my favourite type of blog pic - with loads of newly resawn wood. But then I take a pic of some extra nice plane shaving, or of a sharp knife.

Anyway, you can see some of the mahogany (2 or 3 sets), a load of really wide cherry boards, and some ash I thought was long gone. It comes from the same tree that provided the wood for the wedding uke I gave to Jukka and Aya. Next ash uke will get a cedar neck though, I couldn't get a neck blank out of it.

And I got some juniper fretboard and bridge blanks, it'll be fun to try.

Resawing mahogany and cherry

2011-06-06T13:39:00.000+01:00

This pic was taken early in the morning. Family was still asleep, and I wanted to resaw some wood before we leave the big workshop. Some cherry, some juniper, and the ancient plank in the picture.

I doubt you can see the scribbling, but it will be cut into at least seven sets of various sizes.

Molds, duplicating parts

2011-06-05T19:05:00.000+01:00

I asked my beautiful wife to help me screwing the templates onto the rough sawn parts, and shift them while I routed with a flush cut bit. But she chose to route, and I was was left with the shifting job.

But after half an hour we had all parts, and now the glue is setting. I plan to seal the inside surface with some epoxy to secure it against moisture and wear.

New molds

2011-06-05T11:16:00.000+01:00

Who will get the first Argapa concert? I'm making a mold just in case, and at the same time a new tenor size mold. The new shape will be more elegant than my earlier tenors, and Ronald will get to try it out on his eight string of mahogany.

Progress on Grant's uke

2011-06-01T20:37:00.000+01:00

Neck carved, sides bent, blocks and topside lining installed, soundboard braced (one brace left).

The Spanish cedar neck was dead easy to carve. And it's light. I like it.

Finish, and a new beginning

2011-05-29T20:10:00.000+01:00

The batch of five piccolos will get one or two more coats of tru-oil. I have a difficult time getting them shiny, more so than I thought I would from reading about it.

But underneath them, on the table, are a new set of sides for the soprano I'm making for Grant in England. The wood bent easily, but some oils came out to the surface. We'll see how it goes.

Reso full frontal

2011-05-25T20:24:00.000+01:00

Ta-daa! Flanked by number 1 and number 29, the resonator uke looks quite big. It fits snugly in a concert case I had lying around. I felt so lucky when I noticed that.

Resonator biscuit

2011-05-24T18:15:00.000+01:00

My best tip for those of you who build or just own a resonator uke is this: glue in a small pin in the hole under the biscuit. You're really supposed (I think) to screw it from the underside of the cone, but when adjusting height etc this arrangement makes it a whole lot easier to take it in and out.

Finishing

2011-05-23T18:42:00.000+01:00

Outside my luxurious crib, the reso sucks up the second coat of Tru oil.

Resonator dry fit

2011-05-19T18:56:00.000+01:00

Crikey! It lined up at first go!

I want a fretboard, I want one bad! Must make one... Must make the soundholes... Must glue the back on.

Resonator skeleton

2011-05-17T20:49:00.000+01:00

It is sturdy. It was my impression that this was a good way of making it, but yesterday I saw on Pete Howlett's site that he has invented another and perhaps a lot better method.

Oh well. I could say "next time" I guess. But I only need one, so I'll stick with this method. It should be done quite soon, maybe some of you will see it this summer at Hollesley.

Fourth bridge

2011-05-16T20:13:00.000+01:00

This is how I measure the location for the bridges. The clamped ruler secures it enough to drill the first two holes, where the brads go while glueing.

Stuff I made this weekend

2011-05-15T18:58:00.001+01:00

I was at the big workshop today, and managed to get some things done. Ronald's tenor neck was stacked and sawn, the wenge neck for my reso was sanded on a belt sander - wenge is so hard to carve I just ruined some knives on it.

I also took two of the cedar neck blanks I bought from Pete to the bandsaw, and from each I got two soprano necks and one piccolo neck. I don't know for sure if I'm going to make piccolos with cedar necks, but now I got them.

Finally, I attempted to make fretboards of lilac that was cut outside my house. But it had a spongy core, and I need to measure carefully to see if I can get pieces wide enough without resorting to flatsawn boards.

Bridge blanks of alder

2011-05-11T17:47:00.000+01:00

I had a cherry bridge lying on top of an alder piccolo yesterday. But it didn't look the part. So I'm making a blank now for two alder bridges. Alder's soft, so I'll let some superglue soak into the saddle area.

I could fashion a regular bridge with a small bone saddle, but can I be arsed? Can I hell.

Besides, the all wood bridge is part of the concept.

Soundwell bottom

2011-05-08T10:12:00.000+01:00

The bottom ring of the soundwell is glued in this star shaped contraption.

Resonator soundwell

2011-05-07T17:23:00.000+01:00

The laminated ring is glued to the top piece. I'll saw it to shape and cut some holes to reduce the weight. The wenge is almost resawn, I'll glue the plates tonight and maybe, just maybe, sand tomorrow.

But I have a load of piccolos crying for frets and bridges.

Argapa resonator

2011-05-05T07:16:00.000+01:00

I leaked it on facebook, but here's the first proper post. Coverplate and cone, and other bits, from Colin Oldham of Delta Resonator Cones. And you can see the first part of the plywood skeleton. The pot/pan with the yarn around it is the inside mold for the laminated well in which the cone will be, I glue 0,4 mm plywood together. It's exciting, but I don't really know what I'm doing.

Sanding sanding sanding...

2011-04-26T19:45:00.000+01:00

Whew! The three on the left are almost done. Will bring out the scrapers to get a good shiny surface when all five are sanded.

Scarfed neck

2011-04-24T21:19:00.000+01:00

Well you haven't seen me making one of these for a while - a neck with a stacked heel and a scarf joint. But this is for a very special uke. It will be of wenge, and I have to choose methods based on the available dimensions.

Weight will not be a concern on this one, let me tell you that. In fact, this will be the heaviest Argapa made.

Half the size, half the number

2011-04-24T20:30:00.000+01:00

Pete Howlett posted a great pic of ten tenors the other day, this is my tribute. I won't even mention he'd done them in eight days...

Neck joint explained

2011-04-19T14:30:00.000+01:00

Well here it is, I hope the scribblings are legible. See other posts labeled "Neck joint".

Kumalae, modified bridge

2011-04-18T21:10:00.000+01:00

Here's a pic of the new, lower profile of the original bridge. No room for string holes on the end, so I'm drilling holes through.

Really should have measured the string spacing, shouldn't I..?

Neck joint

2011-04-17T20:06:00.000+01:00

Neck joint number one of five, number two is also done but not in the picture. I make these by sanding the neck's end and heel area, constantly checking angle and alignment. I put Titebond glue on 90% of the area, and a drop of superglue at the top part near the soundboard.

Then I press them in my hands until the superglue sets, drill a hole from the inside with my angled drill, and screw the joint tight to press the Titebond.

Got it? I should make a post with some relevant picture. I might do that on the next one, tomorrow or tuesday night.

Kumalae repair, cont.

2011-04-16T21:05:00.000+01:00

A sliver of matching koa is fitted in a groove I made when I removed the knot holes and string slots. This will get a string through bridge. Not because of Argapa standards, but to ensure a proper break angle for the strings.