Figure I should joing the game

Steiner

Steiner

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I guess I can't spell the word join. But anyways, I'm in the process of building a ukulele with a couple much more experienced woodworkers so figured I would post some pics of my progress. It's a Walnut & Spruce tenor kit from Hana Lima. I'm attempting inlay as well using Larry Robinson's book. Here are some pics:
 

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Here's the start of my inlay and how I put a curve on the back
 

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That Kokopelli inlay looks great. I can't wait to see it finished.
 
The inlay is reconstituted stone and brass. I thought cutting it wasn't too difficult, but routing out the channels is lurking on the horizon and scaring the crap out of me. The whole uke has a lot of little detail problems that I learned from. Hopefully it all comes together in the end.
 
It is looking Fantastic! look forward to seeing more pics. Im thinking of buying the same kit how would you rate it? And did you buy the construction manuel with it ?



Thanks Perry
 
Already started on the Zebrawood, next time I'll get ebony for the headplate. I just used what I had sitting around.

I think it's a nice kit. The Walnut has a little curl in it. Nothing crazy but it's there. I got the ebony fretboard and bridge. I did buy the instruction manual. It's helpful, but if you want to do a bolt on neck, a lot of it is going to be useless because it's only for a Spanish style heel.
 
Pete's right about the ebony. There are well known inlay artists that won't inlay in anything else.
If you are routing zebra wood you would do yourself a favor in using a spiral downcut carbide bit, similar to what Stewmac sells. They're pricey but they cut very clean and your lines will be crisp whereas steel bits tend to fuzz up with softer woods.
Looks great. Good luck.
 
Inlay is kind of done. There's a ton of gaps that I need to fill. I figured it would be easier to do multiple pieces of stone instead of trying one whole piece and piercing the inside to cut out the hollow area. I think that made fitting it much harder. Plus I have absolutely no experience. Next time I'll do Ebony and use a better bit. I was using the 1/32" router bit from Stew Mac, but not the spiral downcut. As soon as it went into the wood you couldn't see anything. It just looked like wood fuzz everywhere. It made it hard to follow my lines. If I had air blowing the dust away I might have done a little cleaner job. I'm still pleased with the result considering my experience level.
 

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You mean letting CA soak through the entire piece of wood? If I do ebony next time is that still useful?
 
Steiner said:
You mean letting CA soak through the entire piece of wood? If I do ebony next time is that still useful?
Click to expand...

That's something I only do with soft woods. It makes the surface a bit harder and the outline will be less likely to fuzz up. No need to do that with ebony; it wouldn't absorbe any glue anyway. With the carbide spiral downcut blades you won't need to worry about any of this. Well worth the money.
Note: These bits are carbide and the small ones (1/32" tend to snap)
 
Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:
That's something I only do with soft woods. It makes the surface a bit harder and the outline will be less likely to fuzz up. No need to do that with ebony; it wouldn't absorbe any glue anyway. With the carbide spiral downcut blades you won't need to worry about any of this. Well worth the money.
Note: These bits are carbide and the small ones (1/32" tend to snap)
Click to expand...
Chuck..Do you ever use the scroll saw window technique ?
 
Timbuck said:
Chuck..Do you ever use the scroll saw window technique ?
Click to expand...

That's good option Tim and probably ideal for the type of inlay Steiner is doing. The fit is about as good as you're going to get. But it's kind of hard to do with multiple pieces that I do that often require fitting and filing. I also like to inlay right into the surface because it allows me the option to change things as I go. Inlay is a whole different art and skill unto itself and I'm still figuring things out.
 
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