DIY Sound Port

Jerryc41

Jerryc41

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In addition to the graphic, the new bridge, saddle, fretboard, nut, and tuners, I thought it would be nice to add a sound port to my Space Fluke, especially since there is no sound hole.

Since this is a Fluke, I thought a fluke would be an appropriate shape. I found pictures of flukes online, printed and traced one, and then cut it out and traced it onto the side of the Fluke. Fortunately, I had another Fluke with a sound port, so I checked that for placement.

The port added by Magic Fluke measures about 1" X 2", and the body of the fluke I cut out is just slightly larger. Cutting was surprisingly easy. I drilled a series of holes, used a Dremel to cut between them, and then filed the edges smooth. The are vertical bracing strips inside the Fluke, and Magic Fluke grinds them down almost completely near the hole when they add a sound port. I cut them back a bit, but I didn't want to go to extremes and mess up my work. That port increases the sound I hear by quite a bit.

So, if you're tempted to add a sound port, it's not as scary as you might think.

101.jpg 102.jpg
 
Nice job on the sound hole. Is it swimming upstream or down?
 
Very nice job Jerry. I've added preamps in a very similar way using a Dremel.

This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly West near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 6 acoustic bass ukes, 12 solid body bass ukes, 14 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 41)

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Very nice! I might want to try this for the fun of it. Not being much of a DIYer in the past, I have a few questions:

Did you use a hand drill for the first holes?

Which Dremel tool and accessories should I buy since there are so many? (anybody?)

Where did you find the fluke picture you used? I'm asking this because you brought my fluke back to life by aiming me at Neck Illusions so I could see the frets in a dark room. If I get around to trying this little project, I'd like to duplicate your fluke port and then will name the uke "Jerry" :)
 
Wow cool!! I didn’t know that fluke was also a kind of fish... but I guess now it makes sense why random fishing gear sometimes shows up when I search on eBay:p
 
Ed1 said:
Did you use a hand drill for the first holes? Which Dremel tool and accessories should I buy since there are so many? (anybody?)
Click to expand...
To make the starting hole, I use a Dremel spiral bit and cut a good portion with that. Then I use a narrow sanding tube to make the final size. Since I only installed preamps, I didn't need to do any finer finish, but I do have a few polishing discs and see a polishing cone online as well.
 
I also have a sander/polisher bit that is a gritty stone with an hourglass pinched waist profile. It's quite nice for rounding edges. Don't remember if it is a Dremel bit or another brand's.
 
Ed1 said:
Very nice! I might want to try this for the fun of it. Not being much of a DIYer in the past, I have a few questions:

Did you use a hand drill for the first holes?

Which Dremel tool and accessories should I buy since there are so many? (anybody?)

Where did you find the fluke picture you used? I'm asking this because you brought my fluke back to life by aiming me at Neck Illusions so I could see the frets in a dark room. If I get around to trying this little project, I'd like to duplicate your fluke port and then will name the uke "Jerry" :)
Click to expand...

After tracing the fluke onto the body, I used a power drill to drill the holes well inside the lines. It's easy enough to files and sand the outline, but I knew that if I drilled outside the lines, I'd have to make the entire hole larger.

The Dremel tool I used was cut-off wheel, but I was concerned about cutting into the body of the uke. If I did it again, I'd cut between two drill holes and use a hacksaw blade to do the cutting.

After drilling all the holes, I used a large file that has one curved side, since I didn't want the sides of the fish to be straight. I used smaller files at times, depending on how it was going. I used a small triangular file for the corners of the tail.

To find a picture of a fluke, I Googled "fluke images. Below is the one I used. I flipped it because I wanted it facing the other way. The body measures about 1.25" long. I didn't want to cut into the curve at the bottom. The cutting disks I used came in a pack of a dozen or more. I think the ones I linked below are the ones I used.

If you have any other questions, don't hesitate.

https://smile.amazon.com/Dremel-420...160H1R990N9&psc=1&refRID=YF806G9DB160H1R990N9

Fluke for Fluke.jpg
 
Kenn2018 said:
I also have a sander/polisher bit that is a gritty stone with an hourglass pinched waist profile. It's quite nice for rounding edges. Don't remember if it is a Dremel bit or another brand's.
Click to expand...

Anything that spins fast could remove too much material from the body. Medium grit sandpaper made quick work of sanding the edges smooth.
 
YUNI said:
Wow cool!! I didn’t know that fluke was also a kind of fish... but I guess now it makes sense why random fishing gear sometimes shows up when I search on eBay:p
Click to expand...

Yes, that is funny. When I look for a Fluke, I always add "ukulele" after it. I grew up on Long Island, NY, and fluke and flounder were popular fish among fisherman. We used a small hook for flounder and a very large hook for fluke. They are both bottom dwellers, dark on top, and white on the bottom. They have both eyes on the top side of their bodies.
 
There's a lot of great information in this thread. It looks like I need to get the right tools, buy a very cheap uke, and learn/practice how to use the tools before cutting into my fluke. Is there such a thing as "Hobby Acquisition Syndrome?"
 
Ed1 said:
There's a lot of great information in this thread. It looks like I need to get the right tools, buy a very cheap uke, and learn/practice how to use the tools before cutting into my fluke. Is there such a thing as "Hobby Acquisition Syndrome?"
Click to expand...

You don't have to spend a fortune on tools - unless you want to. Check inside the sound hole for obstructions where you plan to cut. You could buy a plastic uke for practice. The Fluke body is made from thermoplastic, so getting one with that material would be good. Remember: you can make a small hole larger, but you can't make a large hole smaller.
 
Now we just need a Flea shaped soundhole, although I think the Fluke shape will be more attractive!
 
Ukecaster said:
Now we just need a Flea shaped soundhole, although I think the Fluke shape will be more attractive!
Click to expand...

Hahaha, yes, fluke definitely is the better looking one. I think a flea would also be a lot more challenging.
 
Ms Bean said:
Hahaha, yes, fluke definitely is the better looking one. I think a flea would also be a lot more challenging.
Click to expand...

I have some flea profiles ready to go, but as you said, the shape of the fluke is better. I have a couple of Fleas, so I might give it a try. The outline of the flea might not look as good, though. It might not be obvious what it is.

Flea 1.jpg Flea 2.jpg
 
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