Building without power tools

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etkre

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Has anyone here made an ukulele with just simple hand tools (no power tools)? I've been watching way too much "Woodwright's Shop with Roy Underhill" and want to give it a go. I have access to plenty of power tools at work, but I feel like the process will be more meaningful if I go at it without them.

Any ideas, suggestions, or experiences?

Thanks,
Eric
 
Woa Buck! Power tools are useful for accuracy and doing the really boring jobs. Hand carving a neck and heel can be very rewarding - hand planing so really hard figured koa is back breaking and unrewarding because you will, at some point have to send it through a speed sander to get it accuratelt gauged.... beleive me, I've done it and total hand building for those supposed 'Zen' moments only gives pleasure to the peverse.
 
Pete makes a good point in that there is little to be gained from hand scraping sides to thickness other than the satisfaction of saying you have done it. I'd be tempted to decide just how primitive I wanted to be and then start out with the tasks that looked possible within that framework. At any point where it quit being fun - or the demands of the primitive tool requirement pushed the task beyond my skill - I'd capitulate to technology.

In short, give it a go if you want, but don't be afraid to compromise if necessary.
 
This is a subject that comes up now and then, and to answer your question, of the 160 fretted instruments and hundreds of flutes I have built, I have never built any of them without power tools. I am not sure what about using only hand tools would make the process more meaningful. For example, you could thickness your top and back plates using a hand plane, scraper and sand paper. If you get the wood from a lutherie supplier it will be 5/32 to 3/16" thick, and will take you a number of hours. You will learn about grain runout, that really sharp tools are a must and probably get sore hands and arms. Compare that to the twenty minutes it takes me to do the same thing using a band saw and belt sander. Also, if you don't have a hand plane, a good one will be expensive. On the other hand, bending sides over a hot pipe and propane torch is a very satisfying experince. So to really answer your question, you have to examine your motivation. If you only have hand tools and really want to build a uke, by all means go for it. But if you have access and know how to use them, the power tools make life much easier and generally contribute to a better finished product. Anyway, that is my two cents worth.

Brad
 
If you are working to some sort of a deadline (personal or commercial), it makes sense to make full use of power tools, jigs, formers etc. If you are building for the pleasure of making something very individual, then it can be most satisfying to do it "longhand".

Personally, I would quail at the thought of building a uke by hand from raw lumber, but it is do-able, and I can see the appeal.

Ukantor.
 
Thanks for all the quick and honest replies! I hope I didn't come off as belittling to those of you using power tools, your ukuleles are every bit as hand crafted as anything produced without modern technology. Like I said I've been watching too much "Woodwright's Shop," and romanticizing an era I've never experienced.

That said, I'll still probably take a go at it, and if things go south there's always power tools near by. :D

As kind of a warm up, I think I'm going to build a hand planer, purchasing a nice blade of course.

And as Chuck said, I plan to have fun doing this, ONCE!
 
When I was at college a guy came on the course who had built a guitar by hand - he sawed the wood by hand out of an old wardrobe. It was an extrodinary piece, a feat of endeavour, not particularly well made but a testimony to what could be done with hand tools. He was also a little odd...
 
I'd suggest building one using power tools first to see what is involved then see what parts of that you can do with hand tools. I think many of us are conditioned to work efficiently and be goal oriented so if we don't feel like were making progress then we lose interest. At that point, its hard to get yourself out into the shop when you're dreading a certain task and the next thing you know you've got an unfinished project to haunt you. If I had to hand plane a board down to build my first instrument then I wouldn't be building instruments.

I think you'll find, just by paging through any luthier forum, is how excited builders get over finding new ways to do something whether it be by hand or by power tools. I know that I like building jigs, tools etc just as much as building an instrument. I'm looking forward to my new DeSoutter balancing arm that is coming in tomorrow. Thanks to whomever posted that ebay link. I've been wanting one for some time but wasn't willing to shell out the $600 for a new one. :D

I'll primarily use it on my carved top instruments.

Andrew
 
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I don't use my balancing arm much but when I do I am thankful for the ingenuity of whoever designed it...
 
etkre said:
I hope I didn't come off as belittling to those of you using power tools,
Click to expand...

Not one bit buddy. We all started out with no tools.

I just have a 35 year head start on you collecting the stuff.
 
I have been flirting with a hand tool build for a number of years. Part of me want to do it, just because. The other part of me wants to one up my boys at work. Unfortunately, as I mentioned in another thread - I'm always busy and lazy when I'm not. :)

It's something I'll probably attempt once in my life. Maybe when I'm a little bit older and my physical labor is not needed as much in the shop.
 
koalohapaul said:
I'm always busy and lazy when I'm not.
Click to expand...
That's funny! I know exactly what you mean.
I used to watch that Roy Underhill guy way back when I was young and making 7 cents an hour. I lived in a pine forest then and was inspired to make my own shakes for a wood shop I was building. It took two months to split all the shakes I need. It was very satisfying. The shop burned down the following week.
 
We have built quite a few instruments - all with hand tools.

I would certainly agree that if you are working under pressure you can get a lot of things done quicker and in certain cases maybe also more accurately with power tools. On the other hand I would point out that we tried using (albeit handheld) power tools a few times and the results were not anywhere near as accurate as what we can achieve with hand tools. I am not trying to challenge anyone, just relating our own personal experience.
 
I am building my first uke at the moment with only very limited use of powertools (only a Dremel and a heatgun). It is doable for sure but it takes a lot of time and patience.
 
I say if you want to build with hand tools DO IT! It can be done and done well if you use the correct tools. They must be tuned and sharp, I understand power tools are not for everyone, and most people today do not understand the true accuracy that can be accomplished with hand tools. You do not need power tools to be accurate, but you do need the correct hand tools and you need to keep them finely tuned. I can say from personal experience that you can actually be much more accurate with hand tools if you actually have any skill with them. Building a hand plane first is an awesome way to go, on the correct track!
 
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Antonio Stradivari didn't use power tools and his violins are still around.
 
There is force and than there is finesse.
 
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