Side Sound Port and Binding

BR Ukuleles

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Side sound ports are getting quite popular lately, and I've been trying to find a method to bind them that makes sense for me and the various timbers that I will need to use to match up with the bindings on the instrument.

This is the one that I've settled on and is the quickest of all the methods I've tried.

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First up I cut the binding and a backing veneer on my laser. Obviously if you have one you'd use it, but you could do this manually though it will take longer than the 10 seconds it take to cut these two. The backing veneer is 1.2mm thick and has an inner diameter 1mm less than the binding one. Just so it's a little bit easier to mate them up and the excess will be cleaned up after everything is glued in place.

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I now add the purfling strip to the outside. This is actually the trickiest part of the entire procedure.

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I bend the binding/purfling assembly on the hot pipe to conform to the area that I'm going to install and then lay out where I will cut the hole.

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I use a dremel with a cutting bit and then a sanding drum to sneak up on the line. Checking often to get the fit as good as possible. This is a job where patience and practice certainly pay off.

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And once the binding fits I bend the backing veneer to conform to the position it will have on the inside. Hard to tell from this photo, but there is a bend at each end of the ellipse.

It's glued in place on the inside and allowed to dry.
 
After the backing veneer is dry I then push the binding/purfling assembly into place and then wick thin CA all around and between the backing veneer and the binding. Clamp up with as many small clamps as practical. Sometimes its easier to just do a small stretch at al time as the area that you are able to clamp effectivly might be restricted. Then move the clamps along and do the next little bit. This is what I had to do on this one. With the CA though it takes less than 10 minutes to work your way around.

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Afterwards a bit of a clean up of that inner backing veneer to mate up with the binding, and leveling of that binding with the body.

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This will get some more clean up, but you get the idea of how the system works.
 
Many thanks for sharing Allen - I'm still trying to work up the courage to try a side port! Out of interest, do you reduce the size of the main soundhole at all?
 
Hi,
Thanks for sharing.
This is a good way!
I do it in another way. I start by saying I prefer thin binding without purfling for side hole.

I produce little wood chips and slowly I glue it aruond the hole up to have the desired thickness. I use acrylic glue for this because I need to quickly pasting.
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certainly I will have to find a better system, and yours is good
thanks
Francesco
 

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I really love the chorus of sound that pours out of a side port. It's like having a passive monitor for the performer because the sound is closer to the players ear. It sounds better even on my cheaply made Peavy.
 
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