Newbie questions.

Hi Everyone, been lurking over the last few weeks but this is my first post. I've migrated from the Banjohangout, having built some banjos recently, I want to try something different using new skills etc, so I'm going to build a tenor uke.
Last few weeks I've spent building things I need such as a bending iron, side mold, thickness sander(lathe driven) and 15ft radius dish.Now I'm getting close to actually starting, so here's a couple of questions and there'll be many more no doubt.
Firstly, is there a free side profile template to download?. I'm building in a 15ft radiussed back, which will be thicker at the tail block end than the neck, maybe 1/4" difference. I know the pre-bent side taper shouldn't be a straight taper, but should allow for the radius lengthways, and without a template I'm not sure how to accomodate this. I know I could oversize it and sand it in the radius dish prior to adding the kerfing, but that would mean a lot of unnecessary sanding.

Secondly, what are the ideal thicknesses for a tenor sides, top and back?
Hope all this makes sense, and thanks. Mike

I wouldn't worry about a side profile template. I doubt there are many of us here who use them. If your using an outer form you won't have problems. Make the sides a little wide of the blocks. After neck and tail blocks are glued in bring the sides down with a small hand plane. Don't go too far. The goal is to get close with a plane and finish in the dish. Then take to the dishes and sand until all sides and blocks meet the dish without gaps. Then glue in your kerfing just a tiny little taller than your sides. When glue is dry now bring the kerfing down to the sides with the dish.

Michael Smith said:

I wouldn't worry about a side profile template. I doubt there are many of us here who use them. If your using an outer form you won't have problems. Make the sides a little wide of the blocks. After neck and tail blocks are glued in bring the sides down with a small hand plane. Don't go too far. The goal is to get close with a plane and finish in the dish. Then take to the dishes and sand until all sides and blocks meet the dish without gaps. Then glue in your kerfing just a tiny little taller than your sides. When glue is dry now bring the kerfing down to the sides with the dish.

Click to expand...

Thanks, are you saying it's ok to have a straight taper when profiling the side, so long as the sides are wider than the blocks?. If so. how much wider? Mike

make everything .080"

mikeyb2 said:

Thanks, are you saying it's ok to have a straight taper when profiling the side, so long as the sides are wider than the blocks?. If so. how much wider? Mike

Click to expand...

Just make a the sides rectangular 1/8" wider than your tail block. After gluing the blocks in and the glue has dried take the sides flush with the blocks with a sharp chisel at the blocks then plane the rest leaving the sides slightly higher then they will be and finish in the dish. If you are unsure you can just set your glued up sides and blocks in the dish and get an idea of where and how much to plane down. Take care when you plane that you don't tear out going against the grain. After you get the hang of it it only takes a couple of minutes. It helps to have a interior clamp to force the sides against the form when sanding in the dish. You can take sides down very quickly in a dish.

There is no reason to taper them beforehand as far as I am concerned but you can just don't break them in the process.

thanks Michael and Beau, that's just what I needed to know. Mike.