#006 Mahogany Tenor Under Way

saltytri · May 3, 2012

Time to get off the pineapple kick. On the shelf was a nice set of Honduras that will make a classic looking instrument. This being my first tenor, it is a proof-of-design prototype so the materials have been kept simple.

The rosette is black plastic and bloodwood. There will also be bloodwood bindings. The EIR fretboard is done and the neck is roughed out so it will start looking like a ukulele very soon.

tonewood · May 3, 2012

Lookin good

bluesuke · May 3, 2012

Looks nice. Did you finish #5 I was hoping to hear some sound samples of your work

ksquine · May 3, 2012

Nice!! Those braces look very elegant. Is that a carbon fiber bridge patch?

BR Ukuleles · May 3, 2012

Very tidy work as I've come to expect from you. Shouldn't be any problems putting that one into service.

saltytri · May 4, 2012

Thanks, gents!

Yes it's .030" CF, in imitation of (or should that be "in appreciation" of?) David Hurd's work.

#005 is in the finishing process, Tru-Oil over System Three Clear Coat. I'm going to have to work on the art of doing sound samples.

Here's the main lesson learned on this one (so far). I undersized the height of the sides by not allowing for the amount of rocker that results from a 15' radius on the back. In other words, by starting with sides that are cut in a straight line when laid flat, the sanding in the dish that is necessary results in the removal of a lot of body depth at the ends of the box. The extra length of a tenor over a concert makes a significant difference in this regard. Not a huge deal but my plan was to have the body turn out an eighth inch or so deeper at both ends. Live and learn!

BR Ukuleles · May 4, 2012

Don't worry about 1/8". I defy anyone to be able to pick it by sight, and I'd bet the farm than no one could tell the difference in tone or volume. In fact, you are the only one that would know. There are just so many other variables that will have more significant influence than that.

saltytri · May 4, 2012

Thanks, Allen, that is pretty much what my intuition was telling me. The success of this project certainly doesn't turn on that. I'm glad for the lesson but mostly the value and fun is in the fact that this one is earmarked for a friend and elementary teacher who wants to get more music into her classroom. Another convert!

finkdaddy · May 4, 2012

Beautiful label! Sarah will be very happy.

Liam Ryan · May 4, 2012

Cool label. What's the fish? How'd you do it?

bluesuke · May 4, 2012

liam_fnq said:
Cool label. What's the fish? How'd you do it?

it looks like a wahoo but I could be wrong

haolebrownie · May 4, 2012

With a name like Ono Ukulele, it better be a wahoo... Unless he means Delicious Ukulele.

saltytri · May 4, 2012

As I understand it, "ono" is a Hawaiian word that is used in kind of a slang way to mean that something is good (808 folks, help me out here if that isn't right). It also means the tasty fish known elsewhere as "wahoo" and maybe by other names for all I know.

The label is done with MS Word and printed on light brown paper with an HP laser printer. I found a wahoo on the net and did a bunch of changes in Photoshop. Simple.

saltytri · May 4, 2012

So, why can't a ukulele be delicious?

I've heard the word used for things other than food, like someone expressing approval when a pretty wahine strolls past. Can the word be used that way?

saltytri · May 4, 2012

finkdaddy said:
Beautiful label! Sarah will be very happy.

Don't tell her, it's a surprise!

haolebrownie · May 4, 2012

I guess I should have clarified my delicious ukulele comment. Ono is a Hawaiian word (not just slang) meaning delicious. In pidgin, it can be used in other ways. You usually hear it when someone is describing food.

I really like the name with ono not referring only to the fish. I thought it was a clever play on words!

saltytri · May 4, 2012

Thanks for that. You said more clearly what I meant - that the pidgin usage sometimes is a general term of approval that can apply to things other than food.

saltytri · May 5, 2012

Now on to the bindings. My way of bending them may be commonplace but here it is anyway. Four bloodwood strips were wet with water and wrapped side by side in a couple thicknesses of aluminum foil sealed at the ends to hold in heat. Using the hot pipe, the package was heated until the strips bent well.

As bending progressed, the assembly was put in the mold and further bending was done against the mold until the fit was tight.

Then, starting at one end, a few clamps were removed, the foil was stripped off, and the clamps were replaced. In this way, the foil was removed in three or four steps, leaving the strips clamped in place.

In a few hours, the wood was dry and was removed. There was a little spring back but the curves are very smooth so the bindings will probably go into place without much problem with gaps.

This may not work well with some woods that are inclined to discolor, such as koa.

saltytri · May 6, 2012

Sometimes you have to face up to the fact that a re-do is necessary. The bloodwood bindings just didn't meet esthetic expectations - there wasn't enough contrast with the mahogany to suit my taste. There was also a technical problem brought about my insufficient attention to fitting the bindings. Both woods were lighter than the cured CA, so tiny gaps were ugly. Actually, it was ugly enough that I almost tossed it over my shoulder. Reason prevailed, and the binding channel router made short work of getting rid of the bloodwood. A solid EIR binding went onto the back and the front was done with sandwich of EIR on the outside, bloodwood in the middle and black to the inside.

These photos were taken after wiping on a coat of Smith CPES.

saltytri · May 25, 2012

A couple of weeks have been spent on finishing. After the CPES, a couple of thin coats of System Three Clear Coat were applied and sanded. The, a couple coats of Casey Sealer and Filler brushed on and sanded. Then, quite a few coats of Tru Oil went on with rubbing in between using 0000 steel wool or green Scotchpad.

I feel like I'm finally coming to grips with Tru Oil. The key seems to be applying thin coats with a small cloth pad.

It doesn't flow out well so thicker coats leave marks that have to be sanded out. The last coat of Tru Oil just went on and, while it looks pretty good, it's by no means a final finish. The plan is to let it cure for a few days and then polish with Wool Lube and then wax.

#006 Mahogany Tenor Under Way

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