n00b luthier

tshirtandties

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 21, 2009
Messages
81
Reaction score
0
Location
Tamworth,UK
ok so today i picked my GCSE optional subjects for the rest of high school (this is in the united kingdom btw) and one of the subjects i picked was woodwork ( guess what im going to be making ;) ) and i just wondered if any of you guys have any tips and suggestions - im going to make it out of mahogany wood as that is the only wood that my school has that ive seen on a ukulele before, i'll probaply post more threads as i go through the process of making my first self made ukulele and i'll probz ask you guys for help along the way too, as the only thing i know how to do is put on/take off strings and take away the tuning pegs and putting them back on lolz

hope to see some replies soon! :shaka:

tshirtandties
 
I suggest asking the teacher if building a kit will be OK. Show him the online information ahead of time. If it's good with him, then get a Grizzly or Stew-Mac. Even though it's a kit, there are a host of woodworking skills you can develop doing this.

Class time is pretty short, it may prove too short to get the thing done. Of course, there is a lot of "waiting for the glue to dry time" involved. It could work.
 
For a first uke project, it would simplify the build if you opt for an instrument which does not have curved sides. Triangular bodied ukes are interesting, and ones with box shaped bodies are very successful. I've made both shapes (as well as "waisted" ones), and they can sound very good indeed. Bending the sides of a traditional figure eight uke is probably the single most tricky part of uke making - eliminate that requirement and it becomes much more do-able.

There is a wealth of information on line, almost too much. It could make your head spin!

Ukantor.
 
Top Bottom