I am in the planning stages of building a ukulele. My daughter and I built one of StewMac's tenor kits last summer. We had a lot of fun and it sounds better than the concert I have. It is also more comfortable than my concert size. I want to build another one, from scratch. I'm an experienced woodworker but have never built an instrument.
My uke will have a mahogany back and sides and a spruce top. I have maple I can use as a neck. A few questions to start with, and I'm sure I will have more. I have some figured hard dense wood that I want to use as a fretboard. It is a MM or two thinner than the fretboards on my other ukes. If used it i would need to lower the height of the nut and saddle to get the action I like. Would that make a difference for sound? The strings would be closer to the sound hole and the top of the instrument. I could laminate some veneer to the the bottom of the fretboard to make it a little thicker. A contrasting color would be an interesting look.
I am planning to use a hot pipe to bend the sides. Is it possible just to soak them for several hours and clamp them in a form? They're thin pieces of wood. Or do I need heat? Would a steam box be easier? The hot pipe is somewhat freeform, though I'd have a template to compare to.
My uke will have a mahogany back and sides and a spruce top. I have maple I can use as a neck. A few questions to start with, and I'm sure I will have more. I have some figured hard dense wood that I want to use as a fretboard. It is a MM or two thinner than the fretboards on my other ukes. If used it i would need to lower the height of the nut and saddle to get the action I like. Would that make a difference for sound? The strings would be closer to the sound hole and the top of the instrument. I could laminate some veneer to the the bottom of the fretboard to make it a little thicker. A contrasting color would be an interesting look.
I am planning to use a hot pipe to bend the sides. Is it possible just to soak them for several hours and clamp them in a form? They're thin pieces of wood. Or do I need heat? Would a steam box be easier? The hot pipe is somewhat freeform, though I'd have a template to compare to.