The 2012 Cairns Ukulele Building Course

BR Ukuleles · Apr 22, 2012

Well, back from a couple of weeks of holidays, spent with my mate Micheal Connor, prepping ukulele kits among other things for an upcoming class the week leading up to the Cairns Ukulele Festival.

This year it's being held from July 2-6. We shot lots of video and I've condensed it into a short video to show some of what goes into getting all that wood ready to build an instrument in the limited time we have for the class.

This years instrument is a concert scale pineapple of Brazilian Mahogany. Some very old wood that will make for some fantastic sounding instruments. Hard to get planks that size anymore.

Also a special thank you to Bosko and Honey for allowing me to use a couple of tracks for something much more interesting to listen to than the machinery.

This course has sold out each year it's offered. If interested there's more info on my website.

tattwo · Apr 22, 2012

Great video! Thanks for posting it Allen

cclancy · Apr 23, 2012

Really enjoyed that video Allen but...bugger the course... I want to come & hang out with you and Michael in THE SHED!

Rick Turner · Apr 23, 2012

Allen, I'm really glad that whole thing is working out for you, Michael, Gabby and the whole scene there. I really enjoyed coming over and working with you on that.

BR Ukuleles · Apr 23, 2012

Yes, Micheal's place can give a bloke shed envy. Especially if you like big old cast iron. He's got pieces squirrelled away all over the place, not to mention all the wood. Hundreds of cubic metres stack to the ceiling.

And Rick, that first year of the festival spent working along with you was one of the highlights of my luthier career. You're welcome to enjoy my hospitality any time you want.

mrhandy · Apr 23, 2012

If you need help in the shop next time give me a call. I'd be happy to run that jointer and big bandsaw all day... I'm not that far, only on the other side of the earth.

ooh and thanks for the video, I very much enjoyed it.

BR Ukuleles · Apr 23, 2012

Yeah, we get a lot of people wanting to apprentice, or even just hang out in our sheds.

Bob Matthews · Apr 23, 2012

Great video and sounds, I really enjoyed watching it and listening to the playing

Bob

BR Ukuleles · Jul 2, 2012

Well, the class is underway with a great group of really enthusiastic people from as far as New Zealand this year. The weather is absolutely perfect and the open air facilities at the Cairns Woodworkers Guild make for a really pleasant place to work.

We hit the ground running with some glue ups that need to sit for a while in the clamps, so first up is glueing in the tail block and the neck to the soundboard. Then we have some time for a demo on bending wood and a bit to eat for morning tea.

After that we can level the tail block and get it ready to fit to the neck and soundboard

BR Ukuleles · Jul 2, 2012

Then there are linings to install as well as braces to glue to the back.

By the end of day one we have what looks very much like a ukulele. Glue will be cured overnight and ready for the back to be attached tomorrow morning.

Ronnie Aloha · Jul 2, 2012

Loved the color differences in the fresh cut hog versus the aged color of the exterior. Does the wood color change once a finish is applied too?

BR Ukuleles · Jul 2, 2012

It will get a bit redder with a finish, but it's the oxidation and UV that really does the trick. I have a Weissenborn from the same billet that I built 3 years ago that is now a deep brick red.

BR Ukuleles · Jul 3, 2012

Another great day with the class. The body is now closed up and yes, there was a little bit of air uke play going on this afternoon.

They must all be pretty keen, because even though the class was set to start at 9am, they were all eager to start with one even beating Micheal and I to the premises well before 8am.

Again, it's a pretty tight schedule we have to keep in order for joints to be glued up with enough time to set before we can take the clamps off and progress. So first up was to get the builders label on the back, level the linings and get that back glued on. We had a request from a couple of people for the addition of pickups to their instrument, so I gave them an option of either a MISI under saddle with on board preamp, or a K&K twin spot internal, as I have used both on several instruments and know that they work well in ukuleles.

We installed the K&K before the back was glued on, with all the jack holes drilled in the tail blocks for both the K&K and MISI. Makes life much easier this way.

Then there was the fret board which as many will know is a fair bit of work getting right. Especially when you have this many students whom have never done this type of work before.

By the end of the day the fret board was installed to the neck, as was the peg head overlay.

Levelling the linings.

Sanding the inside of the body.

Laying out the fret dots.

Gluing on the back.

BR Ukuleles · Jul 3, 2012

Drilling for fret dots.

Installing fret dots. They had the choice of Whit Mop, Gold MOP, Paua, or Pink Awabi. All in Cooktown Ironwood fret boards.

Using an arbour press for setting the frets.

And let's not forget the most anticipated and talked about part of this ukulele building course. It's the food. The catering that the women of the Cairns Woodworkers Guild provide is simply amazing. Home cooked meals that will put the kilos on to the point of needing a new wardrobe by the end of the week. They are even sending the students off with takeaway containers of left overs for their evening tea.

arpie · Jul 4, 2012

Terrific thread! I love the vid of preparing the uke kits! Look forward to seeing the finished products & hearing/seeing vids of them playing!

Roberta

BR Ukuleles · Jul 4, 2012

Another big day in the workshop and we've got the bodies add done and in their lacquer. This is the first class that I've taught that everyone liked sanding and really hooked in and did a fantastic job of it.

First up we flush trimmed the top and backs to the sides with a laminate trimmer. Didn't let students do that step as it's fraught with disaster if not done correctly. But then it was on to the sanding blocks etc. to get everything looking shmick. We then had to drill the peg head overlay for the tuner post, and then counter bore for the tuner bushing. All easy jobs with the right tools and a little guidance.

Then the big challenge for everyone is shaping the neck. We spent the most time with that, and it was interesting to see the varying shapes that came out of the class. Depending on their musical background seemed to determine the shape that they wanted for the neck profile. Everyone of them turned out great.

Finally I gave a bit of a lesson on spraying lacquer for anyone that was interested. 4 coats of satin lacquer with a light sand just before the last coat to give a really nice finish in a short amount of time.

BR Ukuleles · Jul 4, 2012

Beau Hannam Ukuleles · Jul 4, 2012

Nice one Allen. Do you get many woman at your classes? At Gilet, I think we had one in 5 years and she had never played a guitar before and was there just to get a good HSC mark!

BR Ukuleles · Jul 4, 2012

Lots of women in every course I've taught. Most times its split about 50/50 between men and women.

gyosh · Jul 4, 2012

Looks great! Makes me want to sign up and take Rick's class one more time or yours if I' ever get down to Aistralia

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