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Graham- You really take this stuff serious. I did not realize posting on the forum was something I had to be so careful about, so as not to raise the ire of the masses. I have deleted the post. You should delete your post, which repeats mine, so that the masses of uke builders do not become...

Graham, If the location or content of my post disturbs you, which I would not want to have happen, just let me know and I'll delete it. No worries, Bob

Pete- Can you show me a link to where is that video posted? Thanks, Bob

Lets see, I would have to use bars 10' to 12' long. Using the ceiling sounds interesting, but I think portable decks are better for me.

Normally I have no interest whatsoever in computer done inlay and seldom take the time to even look at it, but the fact that it makes you able to continue your craft is pretty incredible for you. Great that you learned a skill that allows you to continue creating.-Bob

Spring loaded go-bars completely solve the problem of flying sticks. I used wood sticks for a long time, and also tried fibreglas rods. Both junk iMO! My bars are made with PVC, wood dowels, and springs. They are basically copies of bars that Romanillos taught me to make in Spain. Easy to make...

I overbend the fretwire on the radius roller, or by hand, so that I can lightly tap in both ends before pressing. I also cut fret slots slightly wider than some builders by using a .025 blade instead of a .023.

I do a lot of that too, but I don't like being confined to the size of the rollers for everything. I have a few different shapes and not all of my neck sizes and shapes fit the curve of the rollers. Carving tools are always needed for the volutes I do. I also use a Merlin carver and various...

Since we are doing a survey, I like a well done burst on the neck. Back when I had a repair shop, there were many occasions to use a burst on the neck to hide neck damage. On new instruments, it can have dramatic effect if tt is well blended into the shades of the wood. I have mostly done...

Here are a couple of other small drawknives. I have never tried those Flexcut knives and don't quite understand the flex concept, but they look interesting. My favorite is my Pfeil made one. Shown with the natural handles. The other one is an eBay find. These tools are hard to sharpen really...

Thanks for all the replies. I ordered 1 of the suggested ones.-Bob

That is exactly what I have used for a long time. Not very accurate, but it did work. It's getting more erratic as time goes on and I figured it was time to change it to a better one. Thanks, Bob

Tom, I also used to do the bending the same way as you. I know it works just fine. I do have a number of timers, but I'm looking for a new one that can be set to turn the power off at a specific time. I get better, safer results with a temp controller and an automatic shut off timer. Takes some...

For many years I have been using a mechanical timer that turns off the power to my bending blanket . It has never been very accurate, but it has worked. It is finally worn out. I'm looking for a simple, easy to set, electronic timer that will accurately control a 110 power source. All I see on...

I have done a bit of teaching and also been the student with a number of builders over the years.I think "assembly' type instruction is very suitable for most students. Probably quite a few students never go much further with their building, but I think they all remember their luthier student...

I have had wood from several watertanks and furos here in Hawaii. It has always seemed too brittle to use. I think, with no scientific evidence, that the years of soaking changes the nature of the beast. The high priced wood cut from logs submerged in Northwest rivers for years seems brittle to...

Redwood has been my go to wood for softwood tops for a long time. I like the sound and I like the look better than spruce.

Doing actual friction pegs on a uke is probably below the pay grade of a violin maker. Ukulele friction pegs, if you are talking about actual old wood pegs, they are usually pretty minimal in quality, made with poor quality wood, hard to tune, and have unknown tapers. Generally , if you are...

There should be many music stores with repair departments in the NYC area. It is a simple job. Just check to see that they actually have a repairperson and not just someone behind the counter with a reamer and no idea how to use it.

I did it a couple of times very early on, like over 40 years ago. Even though the instruments turned out better than I could have done alone, I did not find the process as gratifying as doing the work myself. Workwise no problem. If artistry is involved, it gets more difficult. As rb4 said, the...