More pictures of my Stew-Mac Tenor build and some lessons learned...

breitling

breitling

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Here is a recent picture of my Stew-Mac tenor build in progress. Its been a while since I posted the first pictures. The picture shows the body, sanded to 220 grit and the fret board with the fret install but not trimmed.

The biggest lesson learned: the importance of a good jig that produces perfect top/bottom side alignment. I had issues with my process and I payed dearly when I routed the channels for the bindings. An extremely sharp chisel and a slow, scary process of repairing the channels was what faced me.

I also am really disappointed with the quality of the Stew-Mac materials. I have two very large knots on the body: one on the top and one on the side. The knot of the side was exposed by sanding. I saw the knot on the top when I inspected the kit but I did not complain at that point, so... The neck has a giant chip on the side where the fret board will be glued to the top, near where the neck will join with the body. Not sure what to do about that (any ideas?). I would advise a complete inspection of the kit when it arrives. I did complain about some other issues and to their credit Stew-Mac was extremely open to making things right. Unfortunately I let the top and neck issues slide so I have only myself to blame. I still think they should not have sent me the kit with these poor quality pieces.

IMHO, if you buy the kit to learn about making ukuleles the kit is a great place to start that process. I would not expect more than that.

I plan on using shellac to seal the grain on the mahogany. Should I be concerned about bleed on my bindings? I think they are half rosewood that I got from Rocklers via a 99 cent pen blank.

Bob
 

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Looks good Bob. The folks at Stew mac are pretty easy to work with. They should be, they have most of our money.
One tip on your binding..... If you take off the hard edge and put a pretty generous radius in the binding you'll get more of a real, traditional rope look.
It's the correct sanding of rope binding that gives each segment of the rosewood and maple a sweeping curve instead of it just looking like checked binding. (It also makes it more comfortable to play.) Oh, and you'll be fine with the shellac.
Keep up the good work.
 
Chuck,

Thanks for the encouragement and advise. I looked at your attachment and I see what you mean, beautiful.

Bob
 
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I just love that binding. I tried it once but couldn't get it to bend without snapping or leaving gaps where the binding was supposed to bend.
Doug
 
breitling said:
Here is a recent picture of my Stew-Mac tenor build in progress. Its been a while since I posted the first pictures. The picture shows the body, sanded to 220 grit and the fret board with the fret install but not trimmed.

The biggest lesson learned: the importance of a good jig that produces perfect top/bottom side alignment. I had issues with my process and I payed dearly when I routed the channels for the bindings. An extremely sharp chisel and a slow, scary process of repairing the channels was what faced me.

I also am really disappointed with the quality of the Stew-Mac materials. I have two very large knots on the body: one on the top and one on the side. The knot of the side was exposed by sanding. I saw the knot on the top when I inspected the kit but I did not complain at that point, so... The neck has a giant chip on the side where the fret board will be glued to the top, near where the neck will join with the body. Not sure what to do about that (any ideas?). I would advise a complete inspection of the kit when it arrives. I did complain about some other issues and to their credit Stew-Mac was extremely open to making things right. Unfortunately I let the top and neck issues slide so I have only myself to blame. I still think they should not have sent me the kit with these poor quality pieces.

IMHO, if you buy the kit to learn about making ukuleles the kit is a great place to start that process. I would not expect more than that.

I plan on using shellac to seal the grain on the mahogany. Should I be concerned about bleed on my bindings? I think they are half rosewood that I got from Rocklers via a 99 cent pen blank.

Bob
Click to expand...

How thick is the binding, and how deep did you route your channel? I'm planning to do a solid rosewood binding on my StewMac tenor. The sides are pretty thin, so I'm concerned that the router will cut all the way through the side and into the kerf linings. Is that a problem?
Mika
 
It is very much a problem if the kerfings aren't large enough. Rope binding require the biggest of kerfings due to the fact that you are routing a single deep cut rather than a stepped one. My rope bindings are about 1/8" wide X 3/16" tall. That's a lot of material to remove and you better be sure you've got the backing. Also, watch the shape of your kerfings when installing rope bindings. Depending upon your size, if the profile is too triangular you could be in for trouble.
 
You got that binding at Rockers? for 99cents?? Sweet deal man. It looks really nice
 
ksquine said:
You got that binding at Rockers? for 99cents?? Sweet deal man. It looks really nice
Click to expand...

I used a pen blank that I ripped with my band saw to make my brick for the bindings. It worked pretty good and I had more than enough material for the bindings.

Bob
 
mwaller said:
How thick is the binding, and how deep did you route your channel? I'm planning to do a solid rosewood binding on my StewMac tenor. The sides are pretty thin, so I'm concerned that the router will cut all the way through the side and into the kerf linings. Is that a problem?
Mika
Click to expand...

Mika,

I did not use the linings from the kit. I used kerfing I got from StewMac and I routed a 1/4" by 3/32" channel. If you used the kits linings, i would imagine bindings are not possible.

Bob
 
breitling said:
Mika,

I did not use the linings from the kit. I used kerfing I got from StewMac and I routed a 1/4" by 3/32" channel. If you used the kits linings, i would imagine bindings are not possible.

Bob
Click to expand...

Did you expose any of the kerf linings when you cut in 3/32"? I'm using the same kerf linings that you used, I think (StewMac Mandolin size?)
Thanks!
Mika
 
Well yes, you will be cutting into the kerfing, but that's what it's there for. My sides are normally around .080" thick and my rope binding is .100" so it can be a bit disconcerting at first to notice all those little notches of daylight that you've just routed into your uke. Fear not though, once your binding is glued in, you are stronger than ever.
 
Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:
Well yes, you will be cutting into the kerfing, but that's what it's there for. My sides are normally around .080" thick and my rope binding is .100" so it can be a bit disconcerting at first to notice all those little notches of daylight that you've just routed into your uke. Fear not though, once your binding is glued in, you are stronger than ever.
Click to expand...

I'm going for it on the build I'm doing now. I'm more than a little nervous ;)
 
Routing a binding channel, especially a deep one is probably the scariest procedure we do. A couple of words of advice, considering your experience, your techniques, and the quality of your tools and bits.
When cutting such a deep channel I always like to make a shallow cut first, followed by a full cut. Otherwise it's a lot of material you're removing in one pass. I use the same bearing for both cuts but I just don't bottom out on the first one. Also, make sure you make climb cuts first to help prevent any tear outs. If you don't know what climb cuts are, refer to Stew Macs diagram concerning routing channels. I like to apply finish (or even thin ca glue) to the top and sides edges of the corners to be routed to improve the strength and integrity of the wood. Finally, make sure the uke body is secured in a good cradle or working base. Oh, and always test you depth and width on a piece of scrap first and make a dry run first with the router turned off if you are at all apprehensive.
Good luck.
 
After cutting binding channels freehand on two ukes with radiused backs, I splurged on the Stew-Mac binding jig. It really helped me achieve a more consistent binding channel on my current build and took away some of the scariness of the process. Pricey, but highly recommended.
 
mzuch said:
After cutting binding channels freehand on two ukes with radiused backs, I splurged on the Stew-Mac binding jig. It really helped me achieve a more consistent binding channel on my current build and took away some of the scariness of the process. Pricey, but highly recommended.
Click to expand...

Oops, my bad. In my comments above I've assumed that everyone has the same binding channel cutting jig that I have. I've done it by hand once. Only once.
 
Tattwo, the problem with that one is that it is for a Dremel Tool, which is underpowered and flimsy compared to a laminate trimmer or router. Also, it does not ensure that the tool stays vertical, which is especially important when routing an arched or radiused surface. I got this one, which holds my Bosch Colt laminate trimmer steady while the workpiece moves under it.
 
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Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:
Well yes, you will be cutting into the kerfing, but that's what it's there for. My sides are normally around .080" thick and my rope binding is .100" so it can be a bit disconcerting at first to notice all those little notches of daylight that you've just routed into your uke. Fear not though, once your binding is glued in, you are stronger than ever.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Chuck!
Your response answered my questions and addresses my concern.
Mika
 
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