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Friday, August 21, 2020

This season’s work

Bon soir! Last night I collected all the parts I need for the ukes I’m about to build. It is a diverse collection, and all might not be built. Three out of five (possibly six) are ordered. 



So, two resos. One of which will maybe have a longer scale length. One will most likely be of pine and the other of alder. 

Then a soprano for Li, my daughter and the light of my heart. She’s fond of my old number one so I will build her one very similar to that. 

I found some cherry and I want to build one or two piccolos. 

Last is a half finished walnut travel uke. I know just the bloke who needs one. 


Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Videos of completed ukes





Progress on diverse projects

Sometimes I find the right tree in the wrong place. This fine fir tree was at the far side of the peninsula where my cottage lies, it went down in a storm and as we set out to sort some of the mess out I saw it was straight and with very fine grain count. 

But it was far to big to drag through the forest. So we towed it back with the boat. 



We (my brother and I) quartered it with the chainsaw mill. Look at that grain. Also, it reeks of turpentine from the pitch. 



Now it’s drying. See you in a few years. 

I can’t say I’ll use this for acoustic instruments, wood like this is better suited for windows and other parts. But who knows, a scrap piece or two might make it to a reso. 



And I finally shipped the three ukes I finished recently. The boxes look a bit tatty but that’s just the outer of two boxes with bubble wrap in between. 



So, onwards. I’ve been contacted by a pair of twin brothers in Scotland. They want resos, and one of them would like a tenor scale. I’m on the fence but might try - it would make direct comparisons more difficult. 

Both twins refer to the other as the evil one. I don’t know what to make of it, to play it safe I’ll have to please them both. 



Last pic is of the two skeletons. I still get a kick out of assembling these. 




Sunday, August 2, 2020

Adapting a countersink drill

I fit my resos with Grover metal tuners. The extra weight doesn’t matter since the body with the cone and cover plate is so heavy, and I think the metal at the peghead balances the shiny cover plate visually. 

But fitting them is a bit complicated. The shaft of the peg is just over 4 mm and the bushing just over 8. So I want a stepped hole and have found a counterbore bit that is the right diameter for the bushing, but the drill bit going through is 5 mm. And I want 4. 



So I need to shim the bit and I choose a beer can. Those of you who remember the episode from ”Zen and the art of motorcycle maintainance” may smirk now and think of the elderly Baron von Krupp. 



Wrapping enough of the can to get to 5 mm. This was easier than shoving the assembly through the hole in the counterbore. 



But with some swearing and a few sore fingertips I prevailed. 



And it works exactly as it should. 



With the hole for the shaft on the tight side I got a really nice action in the pegs.