#002 has to sit for a while to let the Tru-Oil harden so it's on to #003. This is going to be my take on a travel uke. We're off to the tropics in seven weeks and it would be nice to take an instrument along.
One thought from the outset is to using a barrier coat on the inside to retard moisture changes since it will be going from very dry to very humid overnight. Another thought is to choose woods that will forestall any grief from officialdom. Much has been written here and on guitar forums about the possibility of losing an instrument to an overzealous customs person when crossing borders. This may or may not be much of a threat depending on who is doing the opining but why take a chance? So, there will be no tropical hardwoods in #003. A respected builder told me that he prefers to use well-tested woods because, among other reasons, his instruments are made to be playable for many decades. I certainly respect that opinion and practice but it seems far-fetched that anyone will want to play my little uke even ten years from now.
For the neck, I chose a piece of 2x8 red alder that has been in the woodpile for 24 years since I bought a bunch to make some furniture. I weighed it along with Honduras mahogany and Spanish cedar neck billets and the weight per cubic foot was about the same for all three. So, OK there. I recall reading once that red alder doesn't have a great reputation for stability. Again, that might depend on who is saying so but I have to believe that this board has been around long enough that it won't get all twisted up. Just to make sure, the neck blank was laminated and slotted for two carbon rods. Two rods might seem like overkill but they are a bit smaller than some at .22" diameter and it's no more work to cut two slots than one once the tools are set up. These are arrow shafts, which are readily available and inexpensive.
The body will be made out of some nice fiddleback myrtle from Island Tonewoods on eBay. Those folks put up some nice wood at reasonable prices and are a pleasure to deal with. This is a soprano set but I've sized the body as big as possible without running out of wood, so it's about halfway between a soprano and a concert. The scale length will be 14.75" (concert) with 14 frets to the body so that the bridge isn't too far south.
If the goal is to stick to North American wood, the fretboard presents a problem. Most domestic hardwoods are light in color. The most widely available exception is walnut but most walnut isn't as hard as the usual fretboard species. Some online research led to mesquite, which is quite hard and is occasionally mentioned as a fretboard material. The local hardwood supplier had a few boards, out of which was a single piece of slant-to-quartersawn. It has pretty large pores so the plan is to fill with epoxy before cutting the fret slots. Before cut, the surface of the board was a nice warm brown with a tinge of red and not much color variation in the grain. Much to my surprise, the inside was lighter, with a distinct grain pattern that includes a lot of gray. The bridge blank shown in the photo has the oxidized surface up so the difference in color can be seen. It will be interesting to see what the fretboard does over time.
Continued....
One thought from the outset is to using a barrier coat on the inside to retard moisture changes since it will be going from very dry to very humid overnight. Another thought is to choose woods that will forestall any grief from officialdom. Much has been written here and on guitar forums about the possibility of losing an instrument to an overzealous customs person when crossing borders. This may or may not be much of a threat depending on who is doing the opining but why take a chance? So, there will be no tropical hardwoods in #003. A respected builder told me that he prefers to use well-tested woods because, among other reasons, his instruments are made to be playable for many decades. I certainly respect that opinion and practice but it seems far-fetched that anyone will want to play my little uke even ten years from now.
For the neck, I chose a piece of 2x8 red alder that has been in the woodpile for 24 years since I bought a bunch to make some furniture. I weighed it along with Honduras mahogany and Spanish cedar neck billets and the weight per cubic foot was about the same for all three. So, OK there. I recall reading once that red alder doesn't have a great reputation for stability. Again, that might depend on who is saying so but I have to believe that this board has been around long enough that it won't get all twisted up. Just to make sure, the neck blank was laminated and slotted for two carbon rods. Two rods might seem like overkill but they are a bit smaller than some at .22" diameter and it's no more work to cut two slots than one once the tools are set up. These are arrow shafts, which are readily available and inexpensive.
The body will be made out of some nice fiddleback myrtle from Island Tonewoods on eBay. Those folks put up some nice wood at reasonable prices and are a pleasure to deal with. This is a soprano set but I've sized the body as big as possible without running out of wood, so it's about halfway between a soprano and a concert. The scale length will be 14.75" (concert) with 14 frets to the body so that the bridge isn't too far south.
If the goal is to stick to North American wood, the fretboard presents a problem. Most domestic hardwoods are light in color. The most widely available exception is walnut but most walnut isn't as hard as the usual fretboard species. Some online research led to mesquite, which is quite hard and is occasionally mentioned as a fretboard material. The local hardwood supplier had a few boards, out of which was a single piece of slant-to-quartersawn. It has pretty large pores so the plan is to fill with epoxy before cutting the fret slots. Before cut, the surface of the board was a nice warm brown with a tinge of red and not much color variation in the grain. Much to my surprise, the inside was lighter, with a distinct grain pattern that includes a lot of gray. The bridge blank shown in the photo has the oxidized surface up so the difference in color can be seen. It will be interesting to see what the fretboard does over time.
Continued....
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