Post by: Jellybean on May 02, 2018, 12:22:09 AM
Because I cant bring my guitars to work with me and I want to play something with minimal volume and I love DIY stuff especially wood work related, I share with you my first handmade travel uke
I couldnt find a place that retails hardwood here in UAE so it was quite frustrating at first until I saw this chapati/roti maker (Indian bread) at a local supermarket. I’m not sure what wood it is but it is hard
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180501/8a21716859e0f0878e1827175b0b8c68.jpg)
The chapati maker was a little over 12” in diameter so I had to take the middle part of it to make the neck
I printed a template of a soprano neck from the net
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180501/6660b3151d7c4686a5669f4df376fb8a.jpg)
Squared all the sides after cutting the neck blank and a sharp bench plane iron is key to success. I spent more time sharpening my irons and chisels on this build than actually carving and shaping the whole uke
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180501/1981984fe318270b054bd921d11204d8.jpg)
I didnt have a razor saw or an actual fret saw so very carefully, I cut the fret slots with my cheapo coping saw
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180501/f729e2aa8c2c03af96c9bb0a1715e3a8.jpg)
Hammered the frets into the slots with a mallet from Daiso and cut to length using an old clipper. Since the cut is not flush to the edge of the neck using the clipper I used my needle file to file the frets flush to the edge
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180501/4d5141a7dd2e8a4706076ad3956aa463.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180501/f9e6c9d272e9ffb688b4bc0780f4d6e7.jpg)
I dont have a lot of proper tools for this build so I made use of what I have... needle files and chisel and a lot of time to shape the neck
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180501/45ab173fb2e592737ef7404534d24162.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180501/cdf4ca3d45c2e9eb5f1eeae87758c14a.jpg)
Filed the frets ends crowned the frets
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180501/4d17ad71f9051d204c7d060dd746ca53.jpg)
Cut the sides from the remaining pieces of the chapati maker
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180501/eca206a1a338687205af908eb201f13d.jpg)
I glued the sides to the neck and used dowels for extra strength. Also glued a 1/8” piece of pine as the back of the uke
Cut a piece from the chapati maker left over to serve as a bridge
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180501/8efe60f9d538977c1d92a0f9040e0276.jpg)
Carefully filed the saddle slot. I ended up planing the bridge after it was glued to the body since the action was too high
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180501/f45f7ed8e61e64149f1fddca64d2c590.jpg)
Carving the slots for the bridge
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180501/0e13bb7ff690628329a17730574598fc.jpg)
Glued the bridge on the body and you can see the string guide at the butt of the uke. I salvaged a baby’s crib from the trash last week and the string guide is from the wooden rails of the crib, not sure what wood it is but it is hard too. I drilled a hole at the center of thw cylindrycal string guide and attached a bolt with a nut to it. i inserted the bolt with the nut part into my cordless drill’s chuck and it became my poorman’s lathe so I can make the grooves as uniform as possible
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180501/96307d6a51e414872e1c851fd217d5d7.jpg)
After a lot of sanding,I installed the bone nut and saddle and Grover friction tuners
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180501/82146c22774d0aebff06432bac5f7357.jpg)
And here she is, strung with Aquila Nylgut strings
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180501/314a200befb84c0d306b2b99b75997bc.jpg)
I didnt put any finish on it yet since Im still researching that part. Maybe you guys can give me an advice. I played it for a bit and it sounded okay :) loud enough for my taste
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Post by: red lights on May 02, 2018, 02:01:25 PM
wow! ang galing ah!
Post by: Jellybean on May 02, 2018, 03:04:24 PM
wow! ang galing ah!
Salamat sir!
Post by: curiousdcat on May 02, 2018, 03:12:35 PM
Post by: Jellybean on May 02, 2018, 03:24:15 PM
I am envious of Jellybean's resourcefulness and DIY spirit. :idea:
hehe...thanks
nakuha lang yun "DIY spirit" dito sa PM
Post by: Ralph_Petrucci on May 02, 2018, 05:42:34 PM
Post by: Jellybean on May 02, 2018, 06:04:53 PM
tahts actually pretty good man! post vids!
Thanks. Sige try ko magpost
Post by: Ben Tsing Co on May 04, 2018, 12:03:11 PM
Awesome build men! :mrgreen:
Post by: nicoyow on May 04, 2018, 11:20:38 PM
Post by: Jellybean on May 04, 2018, 11:40:12 PM
Heto talaga mga topics na GC worthy hindi katulad sa iba diyan na "bot-like-youtube-vid-ads
Awesome build men! :mrgreen:
Salamat!
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Post by: Jellybean on May 04, 2018, 11:41:32 PM
grabe. ang galing e. yung neck shaping palang nakakapagod na sa palagay ko. :lol:
Hirap nga bro needle files ba naman gamit ko hehe. Pero kung may rasp sana ko saglit lang yun neck shaping.
Very important na may bench vise ako
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Post by: titser_marco on May 05, 2018, 05:41:31 PM
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