birdhouse project

Take us through building your guitar step by step. Post pictures and tell us what you're doing.
ruby@magpage.com
Posts: 1564
Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 8:03 am
Location: Chestertown Maryland

birdhouse project

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

Our small town local arts league has great shows that attract people from all over the East Coast. We just had a member's show (just the locals) and I submitted a table that won People's Choice - scroll to the right (or left) and text below:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/ ... 433239633/

Well this fed my ego enough that I am entering the March Birdhouse show. My birdhouse will be a Ukulele mounted on top of a pole - in fact the pole is the neck. The top of the dreadnaught body will be 8 feet off the floor. Diane was generous enough to donate walnut for top, back, and sides and I received it yesterday. The tuners are dead cheap, and the frets are drawn on with a gold ink pen that I had here. All of the other walnut is scrap. The piece of pine (almost clear 5/4 X 4) was $7.40 at the local Home Despot. Here is where I am - the uke in the shot is Osage Orange and has the dreadnaught shape:
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Last edited by ruby@magpage.com on Sat Feb 03, 2018 6:47 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Ed M
joseph d
Posts: 53
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2016 5:10 pm

Re: birdhouse project

Post by joseph d »

Cool idea! Looks great so far
ruby@magpage.com
Posts: 1564
Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 8:03 am
Location: Chestertown Maryland

Re: birdhouse project

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

Cleaned the shop and started on the songbird house.

Bent the sides. I made them deeper 2-1/2" instead of 1-1/2" - so the birds have will have enough room for a couch and a refrigerator.

Made a batch of kerfed lining. Each of these strips will get ripped down the center into 2. It is clunky because I am not worried about the instrument making sound, just the birds
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Ed M
ruby@magpage.com
Posts: 1564
Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 8:03 am
Location: Chestertown Maryland

Re: birdhouse project

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

Fun to do with low quality expectations - fly right through it. Cut a couple of end blocks and round them on the belt sander- glue them in

Dampen the back of the lining and clamp it to the body - let it set 15 minutes, then glue it on

Both top and bottom plates fit my 21" plate joining jig. I made it with 4 wedges instead of the usual 3 (can't have too many clamps??) and that worked just right for 2 plates

Ed
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Ed M
ruby@magpage.com
Posts: 1564
Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 8:03 am
Location: Chestertown Maryland

Re: birdhouse project

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

Plates glued and lining installed. I am using Titebond 3 because I will put this thing outside for a few months when the show is over

Rough cut out the back, glue it down, set on the caul I use for a domed or cylindrical back (but this one is flat)

Clamp it down with some weights
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Ed M
ruby@magpage.com
Posts: 1564
Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 8:03 am
Location: Chestertown Maryland

Re: birdhouse project

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

I have a set of hole saws from house construction. I found that the 2-1/8" hole saw cut a kerf just about right for 2 rounds of b/w purfling

The the 1-1/2" hole saw made the right size hole for most birds - even though it is smaller than the 1-7/8" soundhole that is usually used in ukuleles

A little super glue and I have a rosette
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Ed M
ruby@magpage.com
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Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 8:03 am
Location: Chestertown Maryland

Re: birdhouse project

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

back is on - looks good

Added a floor for the birdies to build their nests on - a bit lower than the sound hole

I trimmed some ivoroid binding to get it more in scale with this little instrument
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Ed M
Diane Kauffmds
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Re: birdhouse project

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

Looking good Ed.
Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
countryroadsguitars@gmail.com
ruby@magpage.com
Posts: 1564
Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 8:03 am
Location: Chestertown Maryland

Re: birdhouse project

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

Scrape the rosette and glue on the top

Cut a cap for the heel out of walnut
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Ed M
Diane Kauffmds
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Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:13 pm

Re: birdhouse project

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

It's coming along quite nicely.
Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
countryroadsguitars@gmail.com
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