What's happening in your shed?

Became a little obsessed with the Lyon & Healy "Venetian" model. I feel its both more awkward and also somehow more elegant than the Favilla or Harmony teardrop ukuleles. Anyways, decided to start one yesterday, all poplar, 14" scale length. Not sure on what I'm gonna do for a bridge, I like the L&H smile bridges, but it might look too fancy, I also really like fretwire saddle bridges, anyone here ever copy old Nunes bridges with fretwire saddles and bridge pins?
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That's looking good, Sam. There's a tear drop shaped uke on my to do list, so I'll follow yours with interest. I have used fret wire for a saddle, just once. That uke had 'strings through the top' and it turned out well. I didn't plan it that way, but had to reduce the height at the saddle drastically! It worked most satisfactorily.
 
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Haven't found much time to work on the teardrop between school and work, but I got the neck roughed out and glued to the body. Was tempted to glue the neck flush with the top but I decided to leave a 1mm "ledge" incase I need to replane the neck before I fret it. So it's like a faux-fretboard. Glued with HHG and a single slotted screw like I've seen on L&H ukes.
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Just glued the bridge on this today, I'm quite happy with how it turned out. I've used tru-oil successfully in the past, but I'm less than happy with the results I got this time around. I ended up sanding it off, applying 6 thin coats and then just steel wooling and polishing it out.
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Sam.R.B said:
Just glued the bridge on this today, I'm quite happy with how it turned out. I've used tru-oil successfully in the past, but I'm less than happy with the results I got this time around. I ended up sanding it off, applying 6 thin coats and then just steel wooling and polishing it out.
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What a beauty! Love the enony(?) nut and saddle.
 
Well I just finalized the string height and did a fret leveling, and I'm surprised how good this thing sounds, I was worried I had left the top too thick but it was pretty flexible. Although it sounds good I'm not really happy with the rest of it, I'm tempted to re-fret it and refinish it but I think I'm better off just making another.

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sequoia said:
A good looking little pineapple uke in my opinion. I like the bridge with the black buttons. Classy and the finish is just fine. I would leave it alone. Just build another. And another. And another. And
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Thanks, I'm actually quite happy with the bridge w/ pins. I was worried it would look too crowded, but I don't think it does. They're nice ebony bridge pins from LMI, its surprisingly hard to find pins without dots.
 
Dry fitting the sides for a new project before shaping and gluing in the blocks. This is my 17th instrument overall and 14th ukulele, and of the various other side woods I've used (Black Walnut, Sycamore, White Ash, Oregon Myrtle, Mahogany, Indian Rosewood), none were nearly as difficult to bend as this Black Cherry. Just a reminder I need to be extra careful when I go to tackle that Pernambuco set I have waiting in the queue.

dry fit 092022.jpg
 
I bought a couple of Ebony guitar fretboard blanks that I sliced up into 8 soprano concert size boards as the the bandsaw split them it exposed a light pinkish grain that I have seen before...my usual way to darken this ebony is to put it in the shed window and expose it to sunlight.
4B8C4A02-C346-4671-BF14-416C9FF01669 by Ken Timms,
 
The latest set of 4.
One of each ukulele size: soprano, concert, tenor, baritone. All are commissions.
soprano - dogwood with water-tank redwood top
concert - casuarina with water-tank redwood top
tenor - Muhlenberg College tribute ordered by a former employee. Colonial black walnut from a friends old farm (easily 150 years old), Pennsylvania red cedar top
baritone - sycamore with Pennsylvania red cedar top
 

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Timbuck sez - "my usual way to darken this ebony is to put it in the shed window and expose it to sunlight"

I'm like that. I start off a sickly pink and go darker when exposed to sunlight.
 
tonyturley said:
Dry fitting the sides for a new project before shaping and gluing in the blocks. This is my 17th instrument overall and 14th ukulele, and of the various other side woods I've used (Black Walnut, Sycamore, White Ash, Oregon Myrtle, Mahogany, Indian Rosewood), none were nearly as difficult to bend as this Black Cherry. Just a reminder I need to be extra careful when I go to tackle that Pernambuco set I have waiting in the queue.

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Gorgeous! I've often wondered if it were possible (and sustainable in terms of end-result long-term durability) to glue together such an alternating combination of tone woods. Thank you for posting!
 
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