Scrapwood Uke

Danl8
Posts: 733
Joined: Mon Jul 28, 2014 7:50 am
Location: Chadds Ford, PA

Scrapwood Uke

Post by Danl8 »

After a long covid hiatus, I’ve returned to building several projects. This one is a uke entirely out of scrap wood I haven’t had the will to burn. The back is from lute stave cutoffs and sides are 2-ply figured maple veneer all in the shape of my 1918 Martin uke. Right now I’m trying to decide on a spruce or mahogany top. The neck is done coming from guitar neck cutoffs and has leftover carpathian elm veneer. Pegs are from my plum tree out front. I was able to get a nice uke set from the scrap from another project, a 00-12M guitar; that will be a matched guitar/uke pair. (I’m posting from my iPhone—if it doesn’t work right I’ll fix later.)
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Diane Kauffmds
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Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:13 pm

Re: Scrapwood Uke

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

I LOVE it!
Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
countryroadsguitars@gmail.com
Danl8
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Joined: Mon Jul 28, 2014 7:50 am
Location: Chadds Ford, PA

Re: Scrapwood Uke

Post by Danl8 »

Thanks, Diane. I decided on using an old piece of spruce that is as white as the maple. Box should be done in a few days.
ruby@magpage.com
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Location: Chestertown Maryland

Re: Scrapwood Uke

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

looks great
Ed M
MaineGeezer
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Re: Scrapwood Uke

Post by MaineGeezer »

Nice back! That ought to finish up beautifully.

I'm thinking of building a concert-size uke also. It won't exactly be scrap wood, although it will be unconventional. A while ago we had a big white pine blow down in the back yard. I cut off a billet and split out a quartered wedge about 3' long. think I can get a couple of ~5" wide vertical-grain boards out of it. I know white pine isn't known for being a great top wood, although it has been used occasionally. The motivation here is to use something that grew in our yard, and for a uke it ought to work well enough.
Don't believe everything you know.
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
When things are bad, try not to make them any worse, because it is quite likely they are bad enough already. - French Foreign Legion
ruby@magpage.com
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Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 8:03 am
Location: Chestertown Maryland

Re: Scrapwood Uke

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

Maine

Why not build the entire instrument out of the white pine billet? Got to be enough wood for a uke in there, including a neck
Ed M
MaineGeezer
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Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:14 pm

Re: Scrapwood Uke

Post by MaineGeezer »

I have my doubts about a white pine neck. White pine is really soft, and not very strong. I'm also not sure how it would bend for the sides.
Don't believe everything you know.
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
When things are bad, try not to make them any worse, because it is quite likely they are bad enough already. - French Foreign Legion
tippie53
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Re: Scrapwood Uke

Post by tippie53 »

sweet love the back
John Hall
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ruby@magpage.com
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Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 8:03 am
Location: Chestertown Maryland

Re: Scrapwood Uke

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

I made a guitar entirely out of Alaskan Yellow Cedar - back top, side and neck - and it is fine 2 years down the line
Ed M
Stray Feathers
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Re: Scrapwood Uke

Post by Stray Feathers »

Danl8, your plum tree uke intrigues me. We had a small volunteer cherry tree in our yard when we moved here, and left it because the yard was otherwise, except for two large Douglas-firs, quite barren. I figured out it was Wild Cherry from Europe, Prunus avium. It was sending shoots up all over the yard so when we had enough other plantings, including a birch near it, we took it out. I kept about five feet of the trunk, which had grown to perhaps eight to ten inches in diameter, thinking I might get a neck or two out of it, but maybe I can get some three- or four-piece backs as you did. It's been standing in the woodshed air drying for almost two years now. As MaineGeezer says, it's fun to use something from your own yard.
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