Rbee ukes

Hi,
I would like to work on the table , yet i plan to make a rosette. Just a linen of padouk , not a Big rosette.
So, is it better to reduce the table to the target thickiness (1.8 mm) before to put the rosette or is it better to reduce the thickiness near from the target (2 - 2,2 mm ) create the path for the rosette, installation it, and After put the table to thetarget thickiness ?
Thanks for advance ,
Raphael.
 
reduce the thickiness near from the target (2 - 2,2 mm ) create the path for the rosette, installation it, and After put the table to thetarget thickiness ?

I recommend this type of approach as this is how I do it (and I suspect most folks do it this way).

What you risk is going too thin when you clean up the rosette if you are already at your target thickness.
 
Hi,
I'm working on my uke and i arrive to the bending of the side. I will use a heat blanket so i made a mold and a solera.
Yet, in several vidéo maker and luthier use veneer softener (supersoft2 ).
Unfortunatelly it's a little expensive to buy it from France (IN addition of the delay and tax)
So, i plan to put the side in water during 24h and After bend it.
Do you recommand a spécial method?
Or make my own veneer softener ( i don't have a receipe :/ )
Thanks for your help :)
Raphaël
 
Thanks Sven,
in all the vids like this one
,

it spray and wait 10 minutes before bend. But they spray with venneer softener (supersoft2).
Is it possible to make the same thing without venner softener?

else i find another product here but i don't know if it's a good product : http://www.thewoodveneerhub.co.uk/the-wood-veneer-softener/
Thanks,
Raphaël.

Ps : you're blog is very useful!
 
When I bend on my bending machine, with a heating blanket, I rinse the sides quickly under the tap. Then I fold them into envelopes of aluminium foil, maybe twice around and then roll the ends shut. When it gets warm the steam inflates the packet and I bend the waist when I feel it yields from the heat. Then I back the heat down a wee bit and bend both bouts. When it’s clamped down I tear the ends off to let excess steam out. When it’s cooled down a bit I lift the blanket and tear off the foil from the upper surface, put the blanket back and raise the temperature to set the bend and dry the wood out completely. I wish I could do it with even less water, wetting wood that’s been drying on the shelf for years feels just weird.

Fanx for the kind words about ye olde blogge.
 
Thanks, Sven.
This is the vids i Saw this afternoon and i noticed that he use simple water.
Thanks a lot for all details. It's really useful.
I understand why you don't use a lot of water, so i will use your method! Thanks a lot.
Just a last thing, what is the thinkiness of your side ? Mine are actually around 1.4 mm
Thanks :)
 
Mine ranges from 1.5 to 1.7 depending on species and characteristics. I’ve done thiner and thicker too but those numbers I feel comfortable with.
 
Hi everyone,

I made 2 tests and i don't arrived to bend the side.
The second test was better, yet as you can see , it's crack in the second curve, near to the neck :
PSX_20190422_131358.jpg

At this point, i realise that my second angle curve is a problem.
So, according to your experience, is it possible to bend this shape :
correction_fond.jpg
Or, need to correct it?
Thanks for your help,
Raphaël.
edit : for doing this, i use heat blanket
 
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Hi Raphael

I made this device to help me with the 25mm radius tight bends on my soprano waists... the brass shim fastened at one end with a couple of nails, It keeps the heat/steam where needed without getting my fingers burned.
I use it where material is prone to cracking before it goes into the Fox bender.
IMG_3358 by Ken Timms, on Flickr
IMG_3363 by Ken Timms, on Flickr
 
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Hi Tim,

If i understand well, you bend the waists using this tool (by putting the side on a hot steel tube and use your device)
And after that, you bend all in the mold? (in my case, this :
PSX_20190422_163216.jpg
)
Thanks for your help,
Raphaël
 
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Hi,
It was more difficult than i think.
Thanks to your help, i arrived to bend this set (i buy some new set for practice) :
eclisse_5.jpg

eclisse_1.jpg

eclisse_2.jpg

Now, they will rest a little in their mold
I use pre bending, veneer softener and heat blanket
although it's not a perfect side bending, it's a good begining for me :) By practicing, the next uke will be better.
Raphaël.
 
Hi everyone,

I'm very happy because i have just finished my first uke :
Rbee01_5.jpg

Rbee01_4.jpg

Rbee01_3.jpg

Rbee01_2.jpg



It was really difficult to build (i started 2 years ago...) but thanks to your advice, tricks, post on UU, facebook, YT channel, etc. it was possible!
I hope that the next will be better (i have made a lot of mistake and there are a lot of finishing problem... specially the binding and finishing)

More important : it sound great for me! (not like a bulls... more like an instrument )

Thanks a lot for your advice and your trick, i will start another soon

Raphael
 
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