A BUSY DAY !

That began with a drive up the lovely Skagit River Valley to Pacific Rim Tonewoods  near Concrete WA.

This company is known for its commitment to quality.  Pacific Rim cuts  Sitka Spruce, Engelmann Spruce, Big Leaf Maple, Koa, and other woods as a major supplier of the woods used to make Martin, Taylor and other fine instruments.  I am fortunate to count as friends its owner Steve McMinn, Gen. manager Eric Warner, and a number of their employees.  They have been kind enough to sell me the wood i need for my ukulele making since I began.  
Today I traveled with my friend Rick Wright, who has a special interest in Pacific Rim.
My quest was to buy some tiger stripe maple to make a series of my unique Pinecone Concert Ukuleles.

The office

This is just one stack of 1 1/2 inch thick seven or eight foot long planks of beautiful figured big leaf maple.

here is my friend Artie carefully measuring one of my selected planks before cutting to a length I could get into the trunk of my car.  This big plank will be cut up into 11 inch lengths and sliced in half to a 3/4 inch thickness.

Measure and measure again before you cut.  And soon I had two beautiful planks cut and stored in the trunk.

Now Rick Wright and I drove down river to Pacific Rim Tonewood's new adventure on an old farm along the river. They are growing maple cuttings from highly figured trees trying to determine if figure is genetic.  My friend Rick  Wright is helping them as a consultant.  Rick is an longtime nurseryman.  He gave me a tour of the small greenhouse,  If this is successful the figured trees will be planted on the adjoining pasture.

Rick had to do a little spraying for mold

Lots of cuttings 

It is working,  See the tiny green leaves coming

And now back to Bellingham and the workshop.

Here is one of the planks with the edges trimmed straight and the Pinecone backs located.  What beautiful wood this is.  It will make lovely ukes.

I decided to undertake the always scary channel cutting for the binding and purfling.  Here is the laminate cutter equipped with the downward spiral router bitt I use.  

First you want to set up the router and test your setting on a piece of scrap.  The first setting was too wide, the second was just right for the binding.

And here is the channel.  It is just perfect for the binding width and depth.  Now turn it over and do the other side,  The soft Redwood is easy to split so be careful.  I am glad I put a coat of shellac on that redwood a couple of days ago. That helps prevent splintering.

Well the Redwood cut just fine, and all of the ukes got the binding channels cut successfully,  Then it was time to re-set the router and cut the smaller inside channel for the purfling.  And that went well also.  Now all I have to do is clean up these grooves with a little file and glue in the binding and purfling.  Not a small job actually, but it feels really good to get this part of it done. 

Oh Yeah.  I need to select which binding goes with which instrument.  How do you like this selection?  I will worry about that decision tomorrow.  

I think it must be time for a Martini after this Busy Day