First off, I want this post as far from the Luthier section as possible.
I bought a Hana Lima kit to get a feel for what goes into making a uke. I am more of the 2x4 and lag bolts type of woodworker but I thought it would be fun. At the worse I would get a clock or birdhouse out of it.
So this
Ended up being this.
Yes the sound hole is VERY big. Note: when using a dremel to cut a hole – measure the radius to the OUTSIDE of the bit. Since this is possible a onetime thing I didn’t want to spend too much on specialty tools so had to do some improvising. I learned you can do a quite mediocre job with a dremel and belt sander.
I made the form using MDF. Big mistake but was free. That stuff is hard to cut.
The bender was a heat gun and some piping and worked quite well, you just need to be patient and don’t rush anything. It can be hot work so one needs some ale at the ready to keep hydrated.
(continued)
I bought a Hana Lima kit to get a feel for what goes into making a uke. I am more of the 2x4 and lag bolts type of woodworker but I thought it would be fun. At the worse I would get a clock or birdhouse out of it.
So this
Ended up being this.
Yes the sound hole is VERY big. Note: when using a dremel to cut a hole – measure the radius to the OUTSIDE of the bit. Since this is possible a onetime thing I didn’t want to spend too much on specialty tools so had to do some improvising. I learned you can do a quite mediocre job with a dremel and belt sander.
I made the form using MDF. Big mistake but was free. That stuff is hard to cut.
The bender was a heat gun and some piping and worked quite well, you just need to be patient and don’t rush anything. It can be hot work so one needs some ale at the ready to keep hydrated.
(continued)