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I've graduated from hammering to pressing in frets. Currently using a fret-press caul in a drill-press, but planning on getting an arbor press soon. Works fine except for one issue I wondered if anyone had any tips on. The fret wants to tip forward/backward while I'm trying to press it in...

Someday I'll have a nice drum sander, but for now this set up on a spindle sander works. I use this for sides, bindings, solid linings, etc. Any irregularities sand out by hand easily. Next I'll show how tops/backs are done on a belt sander.

2023 build highlights? A modest crop for me this year. Four ukuleles completed: Mahogany baritone with 24-fret persimmon fretboard (fail... too lightly braced) A pair of spruce/walnut/cherry concerts (decent!) Spanish-cedar / bubinga soprano experiment. Looking forward to a more productive 2024.

I've been building "face down", attaching the top plate (i.e. soundboard) to the sides first. Then adding the back plate last. It occurred to me that this might be backwards, and not optimal. The reason is that when gluing the sides to the first plate (top or back) there is some slight...

This photo is from Reverb.com, of an nice old Kamaka for sale. Looks like the side dots are in the neck, not the fretboard... Am I seeing this right? Why not, though? Seems to solve the problem of wanting side dots, but the fretboard is too thin itself (which is what I am dealing with right now).

I got some of this wood. Going to use it for necks on mahogany builds. Thinking it might make a good top, too, being lighter. Thoughts?

This thing is pretty good.

Hey Ukulele builder friends! I have decided to try something besides the Spanish Heel neck-body joint. It has worked well for me for my first dozen or so builds, except for the sanding and finishing. Hard to get in that corner! I want to try finishing the body and neck separately. I have...

I need to make one of these. The type that has a lip that fits into the nut slot, and on the other end a lip that fits into the saddle slot. Anyone have a design and process for construction they can share? I am considering how to get the two lips perfectly parallel, and what materal to use...

Does this happen to anyone else? I pre-sand the back braces and bridge patch for the top, into the radius dish. Then glue down to the plate in the radius dish. Plate should be in fixed dome shape, right? All is good, until a couple days later the plate has warped opposite the original...

I was walking through a flea market / antique mall, and thinking it would be cool to find an old piece of junk mahogany furniture for the wood. A minute later I looked down and saw a nice chunk of wood labeled "mahogany" in a bin of various reclaimed wood scraps. I bought it, but not really...

I met a local woodworker who makes his own food-safe wax for cutting boards, an he was very generous and gave me some. So I made a walnut cutting board, and I like the look. I believe it is primarily beeswax and flax seed oils with a little carnauba and mineral oil. Wondering how it would...

Grover 9: 1/2 x 3/4 x 5/16 9/64 hole, 9/32 deep

Getting ready for my first dovetail neck joint. I am practicing on scraps first. Cutting by hand with a Dozuki, to see how that goes. I am using the method and measurements described by Bob Benedetto in his archtop book, so it's pretty straight and not really compound. There is a slight...

I know this subject has been discussed at length for years... I'm curious about your current thoughts on body depth, specifically for tenor ukes, and how it affects sound and visual aesthetics. I'm building a tenor now, of my own design, and looking at other plans for comparison it seems like...

Anyone have any dehumidification tips? Do you use an electric dehumidifier in your shop? How about non-electric options? I read that buckets of sand, rock salt, and calcium chloride might all work as dehumidifiers. My shop is not climate controlled. I'm considering adding an A/c window...

Hello, I thought you might be interested in seeing how this one turned out. I used a piece of ambrosia maple that someone gave to me, for the back and sides and headplate. I left the beetle-holes unfilled! For this build, I tried to take my time and resist temptation to rush. Also, this was...

This is five years old and you may have already seen it. I just found it. A beautiful and fascinating movie for us instrument makers and players.

Here's an "Old Island" style soprano, in all Butternut (Juglans cinerea). Well mostly - top, back, sides, neck - all Butternut. Red Oak linings, Persimmon bridge, and maple headplate. My thoughts on this wood: It is quite soft and light, for a hardwood, with a Janka of only 490, and specific...

I think this turned out nice. It's definitely not in the traditional fine wood finishing camp, but more of a modern wabi-sabi, rough and handmade look. This started as a quick poplar and spruce experimenter, so the quality of workmanship is below my standards. For fun, I decided to try...