harp ukulele build blog - together at last!.

Post Reply
johnnparchem
Posts: 2354
Joined: Sat Apr 10, 2010 10:50 pm
Location: Seattle
Contact:

Re: harp ukulele build -- Power tool wake-up call :(

Post by johnnparchem »

Ken Hundley wrote:Looks great, John! I would love to do something like this, but have no idea what I would do with it when finished!
Thanks, If it turns OK I plan to donate it to a city art center benefit auction. I am not sure what I would do with it either but it is fun to build. The extra appendage make everything a little harder.
Metalone72
Posts: 48
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 3:36 pm

Re: harp ukulele build -- Power tool wake-up call :(

Post by Metalone72 »

Looking Good! Where did you get the slot head Uke tuners?
johnnparchem
Posts: 2354
Joined: Sat Apr 10, 2010 10:50 pm
Location: Seattle
Contact:

Re: harp ukulele build -- Power tool wake-up call :(

Post by johnnparchem »

They are Rubner Ukulele tuning machines I could not find slot head machines at any of the regular places. I finally found some at rosetteguitarproducts.com. They are very nice machines.
johnnparchem
Posts: 2354
Joined: Sat Apr 10, 2010 10:50 pm
Location: Seattle
Contact:

Re: harp ukulele build -- Power tool wake-up call :(

Post by johnnparchem »

I was on vacation for 10 days enjoying tropical storm Debby in Orlando for most of it. But I have made a bit more progress.
I used some scrap sinker redwood to make a back strip and rounded it off with my backstrip sanding block. The rims are profiled with some ukulele sized kerfling I got from Waldron Instruments. I chose to use some Adirondack brace stock for the top braces. The back braces are from some Spanish cedar I have from my classical guitar projects.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image
Ben-Had
Posts: 1405
Joined: Fri Sep 03, 2010 2:14 pm
Location: Creedmoor, NC

Re: harp ukulele build -- Power tool wake-up call :(

Post by Ben-Had »

You're a brave man John. Nice job so far.
Tim Benware
johnnparchem
Posts: 2354
Joined: Sat Apr 10, 2010 10:50 pm
Location: Seattle
Contact:

Re: harp ukulele build blog

Post by johnnparchem »

I made my first bridge today. No one seems to stock harp ukulele bridges so I was forced to make my own. Quite awhile ago I bought a cheap under $80 cross vise. Although I am sure that it is not really accurate it is more accurate than me with a router including using a guide. I used a 1/8th inch end mill with my table saw running at its fastest speed. I very carefully made sure that the bridge blank was at an even height across the run and then made the plunge. I cranked away on one of the handles until the cut was finished. I ended up with a very nice slot.
I used a couple of drill bits as guides to help me tape my template on the blank and cut the rough shape on a band saw. I also played with my cross vise to drill the string holes. After planing the bridge close to the correct thickness I used a chisel to bevel the ends of the bridge. I am really happy with the results. It will really be clean with a bit of sandpaper.


Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image
Last edited by johnnparchem on Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
 

Re: harp ukulele build blog - made my first bridge!

Post by   »

John, you make it look SO easy....

-tommy
johnnparchem
Posts: 2354
Joined: Sat Apr 10, 2010 10:50 pm
Location: Seattle
Contact:

Re: harp ukulele build blog - made my first bridge!

Post by johnnparchem »

I finished making all the components for the harp ukulele this morning and am ready to start putting the instrument together. Thanks to a timely post on Kathy Matsushita's website, http://home.comcast.net/~kathymatsushit ... /2hu1.html, about binding her instrument around the harp peg board I realized I was heading for trouble. The design has the top extend up and into the harp peg board. My initial thought was to bind to the top of the sound box and miter across the top of the rims. The problem Kathy pointed out is as viewed from the top the binding stops before the top does.

I could extend the binding around the peg board but I am not brave enough to try that. I finally decided to run the binding up the stalk of the organically shaped pegboard on the top side and forgo the horizontal binding on the rim between the sound box and the peg board. On the back side I will close off the sound box with a mitered binding. I can finish the back bindings before I glue on the harp peg board or at least route the rebate on the harp neck end block. I think it will end up with a clean and finished look.

My last outstanding decision (I am sure more will come up) is what binding to use. My thoughts up until this morning was to use the cocobolo bindings shown in the pictures. I am such a minimalist design wise that I am starting to think of switching to ebony bindings to avoid adding another color to the instrument. Both the amboyna and the koa already present a lot of figure and color. I am going to use amboyna from the same block as the rosette and pegboard veneers for the end wedge. If I go with ebony bindings I can frame the end wedge with black fiber purfling. I could get a nice jointed look with no joinery. We will see; I have a few days to decide that.

I welcome any ideas about the binding wood.



Image

Image
johnnparchem
Posts: 2354
Joined: Sat Apr 10, 2010 10:50 pm
Location: Seattle
Contact:

Re: harp ukulele build blog -

Post by johnnparchem »

I am moving along; I put in the end wedge today and have the top glued down. Doesn't everyone have the wedges thin to wide front to back? Oh well so it goes, a design feature! more aerodynamic! I am sure the reverse direction will improve the tone. Gluing down the top was interesting. Usually I use the mold to hold the shape when I glue the first plate down. I decided not use the mold because my mold is thicker than the harp peg head block. What I did instead was, while properly aligned in the mold, mark all of the braces on the kerfling and used a pencil in key places to mark where the body was supposed to end up. When the kerfling rebates were routed and the brace ends trimmed properly, I was able to re-align the body without a mold using a combination of the braces in the rebates and my alignment marks. I just used nearly every clamp in my shop to hold the top down. I did end up with even squeeze out all around.

I did have two things go right for me today. With a guitar one can center the two end blocks in the mold and on the top and call it good. That is where I was at when I thought it would really look bad if the top rosette on the narrow harp neck was not centered. A very small misalignent on the ulkulele part of the instrument can multiple to a significant error up the harp neck. Luckily I caught the error I did have and made sure the rosette was centered. Also I found by hook or by crook, I only needed to add one more t-bolt to make my carrier fit the instrument.

Overall today was the day that I am starting to understand the luthiers that like to work without molds.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image
JVan
Posts: 143
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 7:03 pm
Location: White Pigeon, MI

Re: harp ukulele build blog -

Post by JVan »

John, you do incredible work! Man, that is so cool.

Jeff
Post Reply