Stewmac Concert

dsorlien

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Here is my 5th ukulele build: a Stewmac Concert

I am using this build to improve my inlay and binding skills, and to work on correcting mistakes made in previous builds.

Here is the plan:
- add ebony fretboard and headstock overlay
- fabricate bridge from a block of ebony
- MOP trapezoid inlays on fretboard @ frets 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 15, and 17
- gloss nitro black finish on top
- dark brown mahogany stain on sides and back
- cream bindings throughout
- MOP "S" inlay on headstock

This build is inspired by a 'black top' 'R7' Les Paul that I used to own:
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Here we go. Sides glued to tail and neck blocks. Kerfing installed.
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Using my new sanding disk to get it perfectly flat.
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Gluing the back:
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Top bracing is different from what is shown in the SM plan. There was a thread about Stewmac concert bracing issues.

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After carving the new top braces:
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Ready to close the box:
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Now on to the inlay. I first created a scale drawing and printed it out to use as templates.

Trapezoids!
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Original walnut fretboard will be used to practice before cutting into the nice ebony fretboard (from LMI).
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Cutting the pearl:
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All inlays cut:
P4jLym03Yg4bu4azVZvDiW-FkT0G9qMalMp_H1qofPCvGFI40xich2BmwopolBmKf7X7BsFmG5ot4ksJtertyjrd2BHMY_R21SP4iFlfqcUp6-o2POojTjpXdfhFB2N_-NDqV5w5dN8w4cr1ciRrxtchkcS3itcbiC8r-SEKmF406miSB6F5E4pG6tN3UMxOytwXumBEIHlts4mjZAdlDBtU3OAoJ7_rS6lJlPSFFZLnts9cZqIIgebDeZshAC3tqofhZRHymbMsOSoVYSBal0aEJWm1fFpRgPg-Omq4ZZE8PtBfUOTG_gbkCZ0l8YuyNA2L8KMasiIuXAowTH2c9ipyiHq3mu5fdt6-BsZ56ANTMNRVo4-wb5BKx9pp2Pzkhu8Hx3vqbyARlF9n9CSs99oHbiPlC4dmLPnLngIk39UWsc9cjgL9YTH9zD0-uYQv09YJGPly32YGG8cWRRXlc4sKkhJ2KJDOOvxkT1Lmxy6EpGe2CD93HKD3yqgPXdi1tdrH1QgB40w2Wjf_ohrApEmjUZAuO-j0wq5wUg8UWjtGdNGFbhCsj9dS4FBpAqL3IJPhbwmjA0OsQJ8Q37ajFuQyjGWmcjf-a0JHo0L4ptkN8oD8_mAkpwC51Ga5G1IaoTXqMa4TMDLYGbiurQF_Xr1_Peca9GpUGdhAd72wdqWTOoKF5jBgQ1VfFl_mG9Zw7m-fO5c5OZgi4jmPLZw1I80tNgUTbY7xcqqTe5gejF2rZsxI=w1195-h896-no


Practicing on the walnut fretboard:
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L4kJGOVvJw3x2_iB4vHtD449zVAjLc22PHg2-wjcSM4mqxGR_nSko4YeKU6_saxki6FeDqrCgw-ikdGhnhboa-F_jZoSSdEJbwizAwj5WrqEsKKNNbZO6eLdgV4z6_T1dO1f8LkU79BTewwKkOcIM_mGSA5pzaSIYG8oY0n0p28YbESnkz4oi18sCDvIIwce0vMkNOOxOEN6o03RX8Dp8YVHuWEs0Bi2QP3z1Lgh6Vtb3u_DqZQd0dJ03VCZ7Eo8TwGS67QLMrKxBu1TAXKJtcHyA3ReW_PyQ6HwTrgDVCg00OccZFyoSOTjtqWKnYpOs4r6iz7XI6MoLyYBdXvDibEW2uCR90SiPuFnCBM-eEeauen2O2uRlUchZ9R34GtQYOxSZWq6WYnIj0r-QE842FVQK6grtVS21tMhCoP-BqZnXE2g3NVYW4IKDjzbwwkGn5BKTTGZ1XA29i-gvHcZtZ_cmeYWJv8IPpDlEeUDKcF10kHxBKDwUDP5Ht27Ey-qxF3YjE957gYDc7VuvQgaQBDKOhxtS2wCmRVpQfhZRb1r-eOyVhiLO_FAC0AHoZGtw5MrYGVqE8ACszoBG0i7GFNk4ckAZl2peNscjRdCyZtV3OaQ7MBygNRr5gAxj1vVa6zrX-OsVaZOjITkducUb2vReEJtkTgtDs4Hqc61uUmgX-ho7ZoaMy46hleJcKCsvy_Xfzjr6v6-KV319E5JFA3wWF_cnbkN2RjsCjAdhk3Ua20S=w1195-h896-no
 
Starting to route the ebony fretboard for inlays:
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One down. Six to go.
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I devised a simple jig to route the straight lines:
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Done routing the ebony fretboard inlays. Needs a little more work to get some of the inlays to seat deeper in the cavities. And I chipped the corner of one piece (hard to see in this pic), so I need to cut a replacement for that one.

RRAhWIMdT7221XOkpf1OkcDGDCrHRTIEGRWYvqDmyChoR1LoOzgWklBapM3olzRpf-7OW01UyPy-7mrmeSuVLMMEm-KZ5gkIlZPKAggnWwqTtQMB30-QRJncSlF5j2FhDzA5UlCBPb0doyBT64pYXyEUF6B0l5lCNTBIT9omiJQWecoR2rVajdAojf_IvvdXUYkUcqbLmoH5exgLo1vMNlU6fZ7SP8txGhrf4EOIaWDnfAbhFdzACiNXXZWUYSR_tspibaO4Gb8v_yKHI3QsD8gU2m5_ldgsuXMg8f4MgAmAKVav2KaqH3vuT-2eztZqIi2ecEfUYtJPqFpK2yl9e_d-ce-L_FwWA8YXUTaMkw0aJCrxxkoRGQOGdxrK8oD7Lp0XpOaKPBTTJLQ30qMdspooc8wKlpWiw8Q2eenP-T-WXRW7mbUZ3drnnM6JZ_lJPYU2CjLbzC9cnCeWlwxAumdedjdl1hrQKne4ZCdwduRjFWFG6rcN6Rs63_ziCQRU1X1c5yyFZjwKU8T9W323wpCd3rsw9-_vV6EZJwFpi5xbzJNJTWIU1sTuA26oiPeChC1wMu6NxucHNd4rpEjAjqcO6thEyVVIIpeYOvHd_zCnL71OEwhqXtkr37jb2619Xomemf7CQn3aT_PB0x72-9VXGsJhmmI_mCemFcxmX7vBEX5jOMcmjj2oBkevuJcOZlGFXrRoDeNelbqUVoxFxaCHov5p048HyIlLJL9MF9fT6JWJ=w1195-h896-no
 
Nice work. The inlays look good.
 
Finished the fretboard inlays today. I was really surprised how well the ebony dust + super glue hides the mistakes. But I think there is some sandpaper grit that got into the gap on 12th fret inlay - I want to fix that.

Another lesson learned: dust from sanding ebony is not suitable for filling inlay gaps because there probably is some sanding grit in the dust.

I slipped when cutting the inlay route on the 17th fret. To fix that, I used scalpels to extend the gouge to the fretboard, made it deeper, and carved a tiny piece of matching ebony to fit.

Before:
867AQSmdIS0dm9heIQ6QD73qrO4keC4oGg-ULfn1WzGuxhDHbkfCIsSXOaTpKGrJ8NzLTRuYrs2GPm_t7lI9M_vdmyQgLguBitlo86dQNakUhRylpVftZnJ8rXOW4Vb7gNZ2nrh1CKu9sRrV5E6O9O1OCqcGYamVOumYcn2cwa6LBtJlK_VNDrkyuxZ8KF8enLk8id4E5L_Mmz2Ay6OlS63MRPf4EzYBXp7bb-JyvYSmxxEyDwfGjwHWj6YMBQO549fzBHRGj22uJMO3uRgdkGU40pWM4TEV0kVhskrbKycupxc4c7k-3qxlrtThzVE3H5FfwBaHYGp2daRzcHfSBVcL7FDU2G8xw_6KUAmR9v2O_6LB6HGFC8tve34dXARw0OuIYz_751k01cqHF3NII5rPM6EAnE5UaArzGytd7LRbT44Suy8sXm-lzGB5W1Vd7E0JTl8rLj3VbidTgsfXqINBL7v12cmO0d_QDdJE5WcCTZI-CWfVM1MlnLUegJS7McLZGus2dzLRqlZDIy1ZJzPB20XS83Pr4tpOYo0YbFqK8AdEYOUt745A17oUVydrJwxgLiDSBpjI2zWYQ6wIZiwHXQGtC_BrPCscKOo2z7xGb9-BCvhkJJdXqbsi6X8mXD3BBAueGE03YoJCk5SoFQFco4ytU5YnqBCVEV7zpzVgIG2NmJIeW8Xu5Kl-fT0ZUJZpOYx_sbEx58u4llUYSCkqdjgkmq2BkyRW_4lgjprik0g=s1036-no


During:
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After:
PN92TlfPUQaa63EwNEwyXnWZYRRNpkjROk-IYEt4YZ686pImn9j7KwZfbQVizhwHTlYSljCFYMCzuYq2IHDfOPtlBqILB1U1rz7y1Ker3WXx8ynmrODbm7g5-_ScpgYr65Y1Qkw5gRLVfG6eBuM6-Q01Jx2qW7XtMEjoHJ8eWdkAL70Ah8wAfRSzHExOJdqCzb-uZGuUWgiSF0g244j5PROHYKd-oRbEdPp86Aztz6CP39KawcY0nfzhwGBTqaqK_rVkftLypw4U50jFu7mgekXGyieEHyo2morJ7g_7w7NcJeL3KgdeIqKKtpCoxZPjd5VDltePckJdD9sOTY06Q98EbwrkyrhG1oI03Jfi5y8ipRamlYmvrGTsGa4pJ_lOjh4BHYHUtEYgzqbdQt602P8vlWZ0JIJaBrtcImjl7Gh-IBShSogBHTfej3wJ6mqnummSex31HXdAhartNe9lvJF8Eix-Zr9eGAyVle8bi8YkMRzVx7GkcR7i2lJILRJYFrNuvxkv8a5tFIbrcFOyigXO88cTCLRiLpULQsLK3DbGj_ryBgwHNJlLVbiMyDx7j9ZluBkeB4l_TgiUzAOVVwqgJVDsTKbCQI-S4tjGD1BP7AEk2s4LZoHfhthBSP6nK_rIRWqUXfjFHiiPB-RHKDC3IZ5nWw47MdFp7frZgsIz88gL_cIV4rUS4p8_vtgkBEYqB7vhRLdDBjIqyJex_S6CLstL4uIJfvqROVfL1yi59IE=w1382-h1036-no


Uq6MMcXRnygH_Br562RiV7ynz4ZfHh1ZdsZpekFAHczjiAzAu2tSnwz3R5NIFn8-DXWN8bHdDCH55YvcEtHANUDy81YAaeZE8jcshU8nEwWaA1aEpbhkO8AeOIuRrQddH5qSmyh3Y-LoEtsyHYWhOWUgCkHF6kgMAaGaA7RKkstHGwZU5h7jVNLIdQVJTAnZDc35ecniHpBAIuCKzXwh7cP7i1e7vqeCFwB1JsM6Wm7wOJ5c-2rXhADQJKWDtbJl0MgqS8iE40QGmN6RssO6PzO6t5PiEArHtlinbEs5kvmVSe1rhraeF6vPIkvmT2KkJDFfJR6DMuWLBFZs6g0VBZsPqYwH_Nk8G71Ux-pVCLr67egSxo6TFiyItvGPPOazws3bptbu00O4Fr_m9-yOBq_k6_B0LPnQb_wVfIyMx18x6ruUQJj6PfFdNvGHOr16Xa3H3CnEYIS6VfN4PPJyA79WFyLb76i8GihgaQJiSYWnnDfX_nZHifCGT1KXCizZOfo7Y48BVaCemy4huMYXDnliQKhH-ijV-WM3A46Xzw1BHFemzLYZdhe1NZ5bC3QdgBaMNDiiflqiCJEfL52VCKcAJYaI5OLMryIzwu7AFaE9NLCUXRMtVbmMNzQ5PY81962knOcKAoKSD73l3aFgWZayV7yeJgh2fE6cxRa5Ecs-xRkwfd2uuZYfBCUkKBAGYV1f6CreFg-CBMe5kyUJ88kSw4AbuJhW2yXLG1XfPG0tGsU=w1382-h1036-no
 
Collecting ebony sawdust for next time I do inlay work.
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Fretboard was tapered and cut at zero fret.
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I'm anxious about the setting the neck. I messed up my previous two builds that used butt joint dowel-and-glue neck attachment method. So maybe bolt-on style is for me. I think it will work with this SM kit. Ordering hardware from LMI now.
 
Really nice job. You gotta love inlaying in ebony. So forgiving. My only problem with the dust and the CA glue method is that I always get some bubbles and some shrinkage. No problem. I just have to do it twice and it disappears. SMD sells some black CA glue which is useful also.
 
I'm anxious about the setting the neck. I messed up my previous two builds that used butt joint dowel-and-glue neck attachment method.

I made a simple jig to drill the dowel holes. It's a 1" block with a 1/4" piece on top with holes so that you can put it on the body or neck and then see your centerline. I use one side for the neck and the other side for the body. The side for the body only touches on the outer edges so that it doesn't rock on the rounded body.



20200105_100016-1.jpg

20200105_095758-1.jpg
 
I made a simple jig to drill the dowel holes. It's a 1" block with a 1/4" piece on top with holes so that you can put it on the body or neck and then see your centerline. I use one side for the neck and the other side for the body. The side for the body only touches on the outer edges so that it doesn't rock on the rounded body.



View attachment 124116

View attachment 124117
Thanks for sharing this, and also for the neck fitting jig in the other thread. I'm building the neck/body fitting jig now.

At least one, and maybe both of the pre-drilled 6mm neck dowel holes are out of alignment with the neck center line. The kit's instructions tell me to use a ruler to transfer the hole locations. I don't think that can be done with any accuracy using a ruler and pencil, and is probably part of the reason my first two Stemac builds have neck angle issues. The instructions do not say one word about keeping the top and neck in the same plane.

The best solution I can think of requires 2 dowel centering plugs to transfer the hole locations to the jig or body. I bought a set of 6mm to 12mm dowel centering plugs, but the 6mm ones are actually 1/4" so do not fit the neck holes. Rather than ordering another set, I ordered some brass rod and I will try to fabricate a pair of 6mm dowel centering plugs using my drill press as a rudimentary lathe.

The neck will need quite a bit of 'flossing':
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Other progress: I fabricated an ebony bridge to replace the walnut one provided in the kit:
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Binding the body:
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The soundhole looked too plain. I fixed that:
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Adding an Ebony headstock overlay:
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I still need to take the headstock back to its original thickness. It is too thick now for the tuning machines.
 
The best solution I can think of requires 2 dowel centering plugs to transfer the hole locations to the jig or body. I bought a set of 6mm to 12mm dowel centering plugs, but the 6mm ones are actually 1/4" so do not fit the neck holes. Rather than ordering another set, I ordered some brass rod and I will try to fabricate a pair of 6mm dowel centering plugs using my drill press as a rudimentary lathe.-

Naw, you are approaching the problem from the wrong end. Just drill out your neck holes to 1/4 inch so the 1/4 dowel pins fit... Also, the holes do not have to match up exactly with your body centerline. Just close is good enough. Heck, as long as they hit the neck block, they could be anywhere.
 
I drilled mine to 1/4" and used a good dowel rod instead of the undersized crap that Stewmac provided. The problem with using the centering plugs is that my holes were drilled at an angle. That caused the points to be aimed away from where the center of hole should be on the body.
 
Naw, you are approaching the problem from the wrong end. Just drill out your neck holes to 1/4 inch so the 1/4 dowel pins fit... Also, the holes do not have to match up exactly with your body centerline. Just close is good enough. Heck, as long as they hit the neck block, they could be anywhere.
Thanks! I was overthinking this and the solution was so simple.

I drilled mine to 1/4" and used a good dowel rod instead of the undersized crap that Stewmac provided. The problem with using the centering plugs is that my holes were drilled at an angle. That caused the points to be aimed away from where the center of hole should be on the body.
Yep those Stewmac dowel pins are lousy. I just drilled the neck holes to 1/4" and found some fluted 1/4" x 1.25" dowel pins that fit tightly.

Thanks for the warning about neck drill hole angle. I think your dowel drilling jig will help expose any such issues.

Next step is to finish building your neck/body fitting jig and sand the neck to perfectly fit the body.
 
The last 8 months have been tough for me. I had two major surgeries, both with difficult recovery. I've had lots of pain, and must follow the restrictions on lifting, twisting, & bending.

So progress on this build has been slow. Here's what I have been able to do:

Fit the neck to body, attached with threaded insert and a bolt (from LMI). I also added an ebony heel cap.
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I added a headstock inlay. Unfortunately, the "S" broke when I was pressing it in the routed cavity. But I decided to use it anyway. It looks pretty good IMHO.

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