Stew Mac for First Build

I was thinking about trying Bradford's Youthalele for my first build but I may just go with the stew Mac kit instead. Since most everything I need comes in the kit.

I was reviewing the tools list and it seems very basic and I would think there should be more tools to make it easier and have a better end result. Maybe the simplified list is just marketing to make it seem less expensive to build?

For example: Their tool list has a knife and file, but in their video tutorial it says you could use a dremel and guide to trim the overhang and then it only shows him talking about how to do it rather than doing it.

So my questions for all who have built a stew mac kit: What tools are actually needed to make the build go easier?
And I see there was a longer kit build DVD (the DVD is 109 minutes vs.. the new online videos are 52 minutes) by the original Mya-Moe folks using the Stew Mac kit. Would it be worth tracking that down?

About 12/13 years ago I built 2 Stewmac soprano kits, both turned out pretty good and are still my main ukes, one tuned gCEA, the other aDF#B.
I reckon that, at that time, an off the shelf uke of similar standard would have cost about 4-5 times the price of a kit.
My tool list was basically as Stewmac suggest, except I used sandpaper instead of a file and a good hobby knife with a fresh blade.
You will also need plenty of clamps and some sort of varnish/ finish, I used a product called Tru-Oil which is designed for gun stocks and easily applied.
The important thing is to take your time and work methodically, don't try to complete it in one session, mine took about a week to build and another week for several coats of Tru-Oil.
Good luck,
Vintage

The fact that you state "First" build suggests you intend to build more, so in that case it might be worthwhile investing in some decent tools. It depends how far you want to go. I didn't use a kit for my first uke, but did use the Stewmac tenor plan and kit instructions downloaded from their site. I would recommend building from scratch as you will learn a lot more and more quickly. Go online and do as much research as you can before starting, there's plenty of information out there. There is a series of about 100 You Tube videos called " Birth of a Mya Moe" which show every aspect of building a tenor uke, including finishing with TruOil which is mentioned above.
On the other hand if you just want to build a one off uke and play it, go for the kit.
Mike

(WARNING: Building kit ukuleles can lead to Ukulele Building Syndrome (UBS) which can be a debilitating and dangerous disease leading to spending gobs of money on tools you will never use for anything else. In extreme cases it can lead to purchasing a drum sander which can cause severe mental distress)

My first build was a StewMac tenor kit and it turned out quite well and I learned a lot about the basics of construction. Go for it.

As for tools you will need a few more than they suggest. You do not need a router to cut your overhangs on the top and the back. What you will need is a coping saw and a thumb plane, both of which are cheap and available. You will need a drill obviously to drill holes for the neck attachment.

The most important part to get right is not necessarily the uke itself but the form you have to build prior to assembly. Get everything level and square here and your build will be much easier.

Good luck and send pictures.

Yes, I plan to build more than one and progressively add more complexity like milling wood. So I would like to get decent tools. Where do you folks buy your toils? Based on the SM kit tool list and suggestions in this thread, I need the following tools:

Mill or pillar file
6mm chisel
Fine cut saw
Fret hammer
Straight Edge
Coping saw
Thumb plane

If you have any specific suggestions for the tools above, that would be fantastic.

The Wanderer said:

Yes, I plan to build more than one and progressively add more complexity like milling wood. So I would like to get decent tools. Where do you folks buy your toils? Based on the SM kit tool list and suggestions in this thread, I need the following tools:

Mill or pillar file
6mm chisel
Fine cut saw
Fret hammer
Straight Edge
Coping saw
Thumb plane

If you have any specific suggestions for the tools above, that would be fantastic.

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It depends where you are. Remember, Google is your friend.

My first build was the Stewmac tenor kit. Totally delighted with the results. I would suggest building a solera or some other dedicated building frame. I didn't have an adequate building surface and struggled a bit with neck alignment at assembly time. You can get everything on your list at Harbor Freight except the thumb plane. The fret hammer is nothing more than a 6 or 8 ounce plastic faced hammer and as previously said sandpaper will be an adequate substitute for a thumb plane. Beware you are about to go down a bottomless rabbit hole. Looking for local wood to start my second scratch build. Either another Tenor or a Baritone.

The other key consideration is your current level of skill with hand tools. Thumb planes (or a chisel) Vs sandpaper only work if you already know how to properly sharpen and set up the tool. Or are happy to spend some time learning. If you have the skills but not the tools, then all the advice is sound. But if you don't, you getter better first time results with files/rasps/sandpaper rather than bladed tools.

I made a S-M tenor kit five years ago, and I used that as an excuse to buy tools - a smaller router, for example. This is a very nice kit, but you do have to do cutting and careful measuring. At the time, they offered a video tape by the Mya-Moe people explaining more about how to build it. I used pore filler and Tru-Oil to finish it.

sequoia said:

(WARNING: Building kit ukuleles can lead to Ukulele Building Syndrome (UBS) which can be a debilitating and dangerous disease leading to spending gobs of money on tools you will never use for anything else. In extreme cases it can lead to purchasing a drum sander which can cause severe mental distress).

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I see the need for tools as a plus. I was amazed at how well the router cut a smooth edge. I bought the small Bosch. One tool I never use is the plane. I've never had any luck with them, so I stopped trying. I use various files and sandpaper, instead.

One thing an amateur builder has to keep in mind: don't expect perfection. If it stays together, and it sounds like a ukulele, count that as a success. I'm finishing one now, and I see areas that aren't perfect, but that's okay. It looks good, and I'm sure it will sound like a ukulele.

Keep in mind that while having a lot of specialized tools can make certain steps "easier" (which really could mean faster, more accurate, more repeatable etc depending on the step), having more tools also means needing more skills. Learning to use a few basic tools can be "easier" than learning to set up and use many special tools. Someone who is building a dozen or more instruments a year will certainly benefit from having a wide variety of tools, but as a rank beginner it may be easier to just focus on mastering four basic hand tools: sandpaper, saw, knife, file. Those tools don't require much setup and are harder to mess up, as opposed to chisels and planes (which need to be sharp and set up well) or power tools like routers (which can destroy projects or fingers). Consider that a tool that makes your work faster can also make your mistakes faster!

If you want more tools by all means go for it - but you certainly don't need anything else.

I do think it's probably a good plan to start with a kit since many of the weird special steps will be done for you (like bending the sides). And you'll know you have the "right" materials, as opposed to trying to learn to select reasonable parts and woods yourself. The one disadvantage of a kit, to me, is that you don't really end up with any scrap to practice on. Whenever I'm doing a new step or a new process, I like to practice on junk scrap wood until I know I can do it well. For a beginner, everything is "new" so to me, it makes sense to practice - but a kit doesn't really give you anything to practice with, unfortunately. If you have zero woodworking skills, it may make sense to order some extra wood from stewmac, or just go to your local lumber supplier and get some hardwood cutoffs. Even if it's not instrument wood, you'll benefit from some basic practice before digging in to the kit. Even basic stuff like learning when you want a soft sanding pad versus a hard block, learning how to keep things straight and true as you cut with your saw, and especially - learning how to apply and work with whatever finish you choose.

Ron Carter said:

I didn't have an adequate building surface and struggled a bit with neck alignment at assembly time.

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Did you build the work board that they suggest in the instructions? Or do you suggest building something more robust than that?

Since there is no scrap wood in the kit, buying some wood to practice on is a great suggestions.

My experience is limited but I did take part in a weeklong woodworking course at Puget Sound Woodworking where I got my hands on nearly every tool in a fully loaded professional shop. It was a revelation. I loved it. So although I’m not skilled with some tools, the only way to get skill is to actually use them. So if folks prefer certain tools to build these kits, then I want to try that. I will most likely research things like mad and watch as many videos as possible before each step. I’ll be in no hurry to complete it, so I’ll take my time and try to enjoy every moment of it while I learn some new skills.

Or maybe I’ll mess it up so badly I’ll enter a fit of rage and smash it to bits like rock star!

The Wanderer said:

Did you build the work board that they suggest in the instructions? Or do you suggest building something more robust than that?

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The assembly board in the instructions is adequate for a first build. Later you will want to build a proper mold but that can be tricky to get just right and is in some ways harder to assemble than the ukulele itself. Just make sure you get the two pieces of wood at the neck and tail ends perfectly at right angles to the board and exactly 12 inches apart. You also might want to beef up the waist areas with round "closet dowels" rather than the corner brackets they used to recommend.

I can relate to what you're expressing - for me, understanding the tools and the processes is as much a part of the enjoyment as actually having a thing you built at the end of the day. I know people who have built uke kits because they wanted a uke - they wanted the final product. Those are often the people who don't get bitten by the building bug so it probably makes sense to not worry about lots of tools. But if you want to build because you like the idea of the actual building process, then by all means indulge and get the tools!

I can't really speak to that kit because I've never touched one - but if I were starting totally from scratch, and wanted to build from kits (or at least from "prepared" stock or parts versus rough lumber), I'd be tempted to start with a small tabletop bandsaw and a small router. The bandsaw will be useful not just for cutting parts, but also for building jigs and fixtures. Having a body mold and other fixtures can make a huge difference in your success. You won't be able to resaw your own wood from rough lumber with a benchtop-size bandsaw, but you will be able to cut uke-sized parts fine, and just as importantly, you'll be able to cut common sizes of mdf and plywood to make your molds and jigs.

And a router is arguably the jack of all trades. It can do a LOT of things, especially if you're able to build jigs for it. A small router will be more than powerful enough for ukulele sized jobs and will be more stable and more powerful than a dremel type tool. You can use it to cut binding channels, shape your headstock, Taper fretboards, thickness and flatten rough stock with a planing jig, cut mortise and tenon or dovetail neck joints, cut channels for neck reinforcements, cut saddle slots and other steps for bridges, route channels for rosettes, and so on. Many of those steps won't be needed with kits but they will definitely be needed when working from prepared wood or rough lumber.

If you think you'll progress to doing your own builds from rough lumber some day, then get a full size (14" or bigger) bandsaw. And plan on adding a table saw and drum sander at some point, but you definitely don't need those for a kit. And you can make many of the other special tools you'd need to work from scratch (side bending iron or jig, fret slotting jig, and so on).

I agree with sequoia re the assembly board, I used dowels as his suggestion since their shape is more suitable for the waist and less likely to damage the wood.
I would suggest you also put in dowels to secure the lower bout at the widest point, I didn't and both my ukes are about 4 or 5 mm asymmetric.

Vintage

dwizum said:

I can't really speak to that kit because I've never touched one - but if I were starting totally from scratch, and wanted to build from kits (or at least from "prepared" stock or parts versus rough lumber), I'd be tempted to start with a small tabletop bandsaw and a small router..

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The problem with this approach is that people get all hung on acquiring tools and over thinking the process and never actually get around to building an ukulele. Just get your drill and sandpaper and have at it! Let the sawdust fly and have fun! It won't be perfect but you will then understand the basics of how the thing goes together and then you can go about getting all the fancy tools and develop the skills you need to use them.

Just start already!

The Wanderer said:

Did you build the work board that they suggest in the instructions? Or do you suggest building something more robust than that?

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I make the building board and used it. Before starting my first scratch build I made a full blown solara. Much better control of the pieces during assembly.

I built a Stewmac kit last year and also built a few ebay kits. I'd recommend starting with an ebay kit. You will have plenty to learn getting everything fit together, set up, and finished perfectly. If you want to kick it up a notch, remove the plywood top and build it with a solid top.

I bought a "26in-Tenor-Ukelele-Ukulele-Hawaii-Guitar-DIY-Kit-Rosewood-Fingerboard-with-Pegs"

And then put on a solid spruce top. I think it sounds better than the Stewmac uke I made.