Fun Build 2011

Hi folks, we're getting back to work on the Fun Build 2011 and have a few questions for you, especially for Brad.

Vic, your wood arrived today and I don't know what to say except thank you very much and we've already put together a few tidbits for you - will get them off to you next week. BTW, does anyone know where I can find out which kinds of wood you're not allowed to send to the US?

OK, so now for the questions:

1) We got the StewMac dremel soundhole-rosette-router thingy a while ago, but haven't had an opportunity to try it out yet and I'm really hesitant about it - don't want to ruin the top tryin' out new tools. So Brad, should I leave it up to you to cut the soundhole and route out the rosette channel?

2) I left a margin of about 2-3 mm around the outline of the top, just be sure it all fits right. Hope that's OK.

BTW, before the package from Vic arrived, we got a bunch of small samples of about 30+ different woods at the Theodor Nagel shop today, so we're going to have a hard time choosing the 18 different woods that make their way into the rosette. Here's what the line-up looks like so far:

• Flamed maple, Europe
• Myrtle, North America
• Bubinga, Africa
• Morado (Santos), South America
• Elm, Europe*
• Blackwood, Australia
• Zebrawood, Africa
• Satinwood, Asia**
• Pear, Europe
• Oak, Europe
• Tineo, South America
• Birdseye maple, North America
• Tulipwood, South America***
• Spalted poplar, North America
• Sapele, Africa
• Walnut, Europe
• Madagascar rosewood, Africa***
• Vic's dark binding wood, ?? **

If there is anything in this list that might cause objections by the "powers that be" then please let me know - we now have plenty of alternatives to choose from.

I'll post pics of the woods in our logbook - as soon as we get some decent weather and light to take pics.

EDIT:
The following candidates were subsequently disqualified for various reasons:

* density/stability issues
** staining/discoloration of neighboring woods
*** possible import restrictions

Hey Erich, thanks I can route out the rosette channel and the extra 2-3mm on the top outline is fine.

Brad

Hey Brad, OK thanks. Then we'll leave the soundhole and rosette channel uncut.

Hi guys!

This Fun Build idea is fantastic! I'm in the midst of building my first uke (a tenor with a sapele neck and solid koa body) but I already know I'm hooked and this most certainly won't be my last. I look forward to possibly participating in next year's build. If I ever figure out how to carve a decent heel, I could offer to do the neck.

Brad, I know it's been mentioned, but as a novice I can really appreciate just how generous what you're offering is.

Good luck to you all and I'm really looking forward to your progress.

Braden said:

Hi guys!

This Fun Build idea is fantastic! I'm in the midst of building my first uke (a tenor with a sapele neck and solid koa body) but I already know I'm hooked and this most certainly won't be my last. I look forward to possibly participating in next year's build. If I ever figure out how to carve a decent heel, I could offer to do the neck.

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Sounds great, Braden. Anyone and everyone is invited to pitch in on the fun build. I came up with the idea after watching a RSA video "Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us" on Youtube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc
The first fun build was extremely successful although many detractors were saying it couldn't be done. It came together just like I thought it would, with people from all over this blue ball pitching in for the sheer enjoyment of creating something beautiful and the ukes produced by this project are a testament to what really motivates us.
As long as we're tossing our names in the hat for next build I'd like to do the headstock veneer inlay again. I'll have the inlay for the current fun build done very soon.

You wanted it when?

I need to put a couple of lines back in that got sanded out. Need to know where to ship this to, Brad. Can't find the address.

Recon stone, ebony, maple, redwood, rainbow poplar, padauk, ambrosia maple and four woods Steve sent me that I have no idea. No animal material...

View attachment 29601

Vic, snakewood for sure, then looks like black limba, canary wood and maybe claro.

two dogs plucking said:

Vic, snakewood for sure, then looks like black limba, canary wood and maybe claro.

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I kinda figured the snakewood but couldn't be sure. That stuff is major dense.

This is quickly becoming the 2012 Fun Build. I sent you my shipping address in a PM Vic.

Brad

Hey Vic, sorry about all your troubles and I did not mean to sound like I was complaining. I certainly have not been a ball of fire getting things done. My comment was just a general observation. I do hope things get better for you soon, the Fun build has been a wonderful thing for a lot of us, and you deserve much of the credit for its success.

Brad

Bradford said:

Hey Vic, sorry about all your troubles and I did not mean to sound like I was complaining. I certainly have not been a ball of fire getting things done. My comment was just a general observation. I do hope things get better for you soon, the Fun build has been a wonderful thing for a lot of us, and you deserve much of the credit for its success.

Brad

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Sorry bout that, Brad. I've been a real argle bargle lately. Thanks so much for the nice words, everyone has been real cool with me through my 19th nervous breakdown. Things aren't so bad, really. I've discussed things with the wife and we've decided I should keep on keeping on doing what I like so I'm gonna keep doing ukes and art while teaching myself computer programming. My first programming project is going to be an open source Lutherie program with a strobe tuner, scale / fretboard calculator and maybe a library of wood species and their properties etc... all free of course, lol.

Thanks for putting up with me,
Vic

Bradford said:

...the Fun build has been a wonderful thing for a lot of us, and you deserve much of the credit for its success.

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:agree: Vic you have been a source of inspiration for many of us.

Take care,
Erich

P.S. Check your PM inbox and your e-mail regarding the inlay job.

OK, the pieces for the top are all finished except for one last step, and I was really hoping to get the rest finished today and send it off tomorrow, but....

The rosette is glued together and thicknessed, but I hadn't looked that closely at the soundhole/rosette adapter for the dremel router base, which I was going to use to cut out the rosette itself (not the channel in the soundboard). I hadn't noticed that it only goes down to 3 inches diameter :uhoh: We were planning to make the inside edge of the rosette about 2.3 inches diameter and the outside edge about 3.3 inches. But we can't cut the inside edge with this setup.

What now?

Drill and countersunk two more holes a little closer to the centerline. I can get down to 2-1/4" or so. Probably could even get a bit smaller depending on where you drill.

Steve

Thanks Steve.

So I would drill an additional hole to serve as a new center point at a specific radius (like 2.3 in) from the router point, right?

I drilled the holes so I could use the circle cutter as is. I guess you could grind a little off the base and the circle cutter to get even smaller. Right now my only Internet is on iPhone and I can't figure how to link threads or post pics. I sent a pic to your email, and on an old thread I did called 'Tad's tenor build' on page 5 is a pic also.

Steve

Thanks Steve, I got the pic you sent me. I really don't know if I'll be able to do that - I might be able to drill the holes but I don't have the tool(s) to countersink them with.

Maybe not ideal, but in pinch I've used the point of a larger drill bit as a countersink.

Update on the Fun Build 2011

Hi everyone, and all the best for 2012.

Here's my latest update on the the Fun Build 2011, or is it now called 2011+ or 2012?

I added the two holes to the StewMac thingy, as Steve suggested.



And today I cut out the rosette - here's how it turned out:








So now the top, rosette and braces are all finished and ready to ship.

Brad, if you would rather have me cut the channel and inlay the rosette myself, that's fine - though I'm sure you'd get a better result with your router than I will with our Dremel. Still, I guess it's doable, so let me know what you think.

Nice job on the rosette, looks like fun. How did you "easily" figure out and cut all the angles?
A word or caution when routing the rosette channel into spruce (or cedar or redwood).... I like to brush several coats of thinned lacquer to the rosette area first. Make sure it really penetrates and dries before cutting the channel. Otherwise you'll get that dreaded grain tear out in the 4 o'clock and 10 o'clock positions. Any flaws become real obvious in spruce. (I also do the same thing with the binding channels.)