Very first build-Kerfed lining help please??

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ucityuker

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Ok so I am to the point of gluing up the soundbox and I saw that people use cloths pins to hold the kerfed lining onto the sides. When I told my woodworking friend, he said they probably weren't going to be strong enough...Sure enough, he was right. The clothes pins that I bought were too weak. He had some small clamps for us to use. The question we have now is: Is there a "tried and true" method for installing these pieces so they are completely flush with the top and back for maximum glue coverage? I told him about gluing them on the uppermost part of the side (when lying in the assembly gig) and sanding them flush...He was hoping to glue them on the lower most part so the gig itself makes them flush. He said I should ask the pro's. [He belongs to a woodworking forum and loves it...was very happy to hear that I joined a uke forum. :) ]. Anyway, thanks in advance for the help.
 
1-Break your kerfing strips up into 2-3 inch sections.
2-Carefully sand the back side so that they are most bendable without falling apart. the bends on a uke are more extreme than a guitar so the kerfing acts a little more stubborn when gluing up.
3-Rubber bands around the front end (clamping)of your clothes pins will help with clamping pressure....

and if you really want a good clamp fit, take the clothespins apart, use a band saw to cut the profile of the kerfing into the clamping end. there is enough material to make it work.

Best of luck!
 
Like New Wave Uke stated you'll need to add elastics to the clothes pins, here's a pic of a violin I made with both clothes pins (with elastics on) and small clamps.

v007.jpg


One my current uke I just used the clamps as I had enough. I also went with un-kerfed linings like in a violin and shaped them after they were installed.

mm91xk.jpg


15zk32b.jpg
 
I agree with the previous post. Glue them in a little proud and sand them flush. Did you radius the top or back? If you did you need them a little proud to get the curvature correct anyway.
 
I have a bunch of the same clamps that Koa Soprano is using above. However, I use the mandolin kerfing from Stew Mac and I have found that the tension on them is so high that they don't allow the narrow part of the lining to mate tight to the sides without a lot of fussing. This is due to the angled shape of the kerfing. Lately, I have been getting great results from the small binder clamps from the office supply store. They are the same depth of the Stew Mac lining and allow me to get them tight to the sides.

It looks like in the case of Koa Soprano, that those spring clamps will work better because his is a solid lining without such a steep angle. Looks like they would be perfect for his application.
 
On Soprano ukes I also use those small metal clips, I make my own kerfed linings at approx: 6mm X 4mm..I cut the kerfs deep enough to leave approx: .030" of material to hold them together..they are mostly very flexible and fit in full lengths without breaking even on tight soprano waists..I find close grained sepele to be one of the best materials to use...sometimes if I do get a brittle section of lining I'll prebend it in the waist area,on the hot pipe..to help it fit without breaking...Here the Thread I started on brittle linings..Hope it helps.
http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/f...ing-kerfed-linings)&highlight=brittle+linings
PICT2324.jpg
 
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Thanks for all the responses, guys. You really answered all of my questions. I was fairly sure we had to glue them proud and sand them flush but we wanted to make sure there wasn't another way to do it. All of the responses led to another 'not so important' question. Can you explain how the unkerfed lining works. I have never seen that before. It looks amazingly clean. I would like to give it a shot on my next one. We made our own kerfing out of a scrap piece of oak that my friend had lying around the shop. As far as clamps go, we will just have to try a few different kind and decide which one we like best. The pieces were wet and clamped to the sides and he is going to let me know whether or not they are going to hold their shape. We shall see... I'll keep you posted. Thanks again for all the help.
 
They sell some small green clamps at home depot for 37 Cents each that work very well. They are small and much stronger than a close pin.
 
Michael Smith said:
They sell some small green clamps at home depot for 37 Cents each that work very well. They are small and much stronger than a close pin.
Click to expand...

These are actually the clamps I was referring to above. I was assuming the red ones were the same as far as tension. If the kerfing was more square and not angled these clamps would work perfect buth not so well on the material I'm using.

Regarding the solid lining. One of the purposes of the kerfed lining is to still have some wood left to support perflings and binding after routing the channels. I've never used solid linings so I have no first hand experience with routing binding ledges on an uke with them. So I'm just guessing that solid linings are more suited to an instrument without binding.
 
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Dominator said:
These are actually the clamps I was referring to above. I was assuming the red ones were the same as far as tension. If the kerfing was more square and not angled these clamps would work perfect buth not so well on the material I'm using.
Click to expand...

I have a couple of hundred of those Home Depot clamps too. I've taken a pair of pliers and bent the jaws inward to better fit my kerfings.
 
Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:
I have a couple of hundred of those Home Depot clamps too. I've taken a pair of pliers and bent the jaws inward to better fit my kerfings.
Click to expand...

Hey, why didn't I think of that. I've seen several discussions over the years about modifying the clothes pins but never thought to try to modify the metal spring clamps.

Chuck, what is your view about my response regarding the solid and kerfed linings as it relates binding? Am I off base on that one?
 
Dominator said:
Regarding the solid lining. One of the purposes of the kerfed lining is to still have some wood left to support perflings and binding after routing the channels. I've never used solid linings so I have no first hand experience with routing binding ledges on an uke with them. So I'm just guessing that solid linings are more suited to an instrument without binding.
Click to expand...

I'd say you're right on the money here. I remember the first build I did was a StewMac kit, and it came with solid linings/no binding. Ours have binding front & back and we use kerfed.
 
Dominator said:
Hey, why didn't I think of that. I've seen several discussions over the years about modifying the clothes pins but never thought to try to modify the metal spring clamps.

Chuck, what is your view about my response regarding the solid and kerfed linings as it relates binding? Am I off base on that one?
Click to expand...

Generally, I agree with you. I feel better having the additional material that kerfed linings offer behind my bindings. And it's mandatory when you add purflings. I do know people who double up their solid linings in such cases though. I think it's easier to get a better fit with kerfed linings.

I'll make a couple of hundred kerfing strips at a time and they are all slightly over sized. When it comes time to use them I will run four of the strips in the drum sander and resize them according to the binding/purfling combination in which they'll be applied. I'll then take the hard corner off by laying the strips in a board that has V grooves in it and running it through the drum sander again. Followed by a hand sanding.

One piece of advice I have to home builders out there is to profile your linings, especially the kerfed ones. I don't think anything looks as bad as looking inside a sound hole and seeing a square kerfing. Maybe it's just me but I think every component of the instrument should be created with an equal amount of attention to detail.
 
Don't worry too much about getting them flush, make them a little proud and then plane or sand them flush.
Click to expand...

Hmm, "proud" in this context does not translate in Minnesotan. What does proud mean here-sticking out a little?
 
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Doug W said:
Hmm, "proud" in this context does not translate in Minnesotan. What does proud mean here-sticking out a little?
Click to expand...

Exactly. "cutting 'proud' of the line" refers to leaving a little material between the line and the cut, so in this case it means sticking out. Had I been teaching myself and not learning from a wood worker I may not have known that either. :)
 
Exactly. "cutting 'proud' of the line" refers to leaving a little material between the line and the cut, so in this case it means sticking out. Had I been teaching myself and not learning from a wood worker I may not have known that either.
Click to expand...
Thanks. Now I am slightly smarter.
 
I think I might leave the non-kerfed lining alone for a while. I like the look but it seems it requires more expertise than I have. Besides, I would like to go with a binding next time. I will also profile my kerfing in the future. Ours is perfectly square. I noticed that all the ones available for purchase are profiled but I didn't think it make that big of a difference. It's all trial and error for me.
 
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