GOT A LATE START cuz I was finishing writing a chapter in "Fairhaven" but I got a lot done in the shop anyway.
Opera was playing on the FM, I was in the mood, today would be the day to glue on the backs. The first task was sanding all the tops flat to receive the backs.
Opera was playing on the FM, I was in the mood, today would be the day to glue on the backs. The first task was sanding all the tops flat to receive the backs.
First I took them to the belt sander- be careful, it is easy to sand too much. Then I finish up by sanding on this big flat sanding disk. You don't want any gaps showing between sides and back. Trust your fingers. You can feel when everything is flat.
Here they are, all sanded flat and ready to glue. Get the big rubber bands ready to go. It is time to apply the glue to both the back and the top surfaces of the body.
And here they are -all trussed up like a Christmas goose. Those rubber bands provide terrific pressure to clamp back to body. Wrap the first rubber and then adjust the back to be sure it is in the position you want. Then you wrap two more rubbers checking the position with each wrap. That back can slip around a bit so be vigilant.
While the glue was setting I cut a long piece of rosewood into 10 1/4 inch lengths for the fret boards and ripped them each exactly two inches wide. Then with a few rosewood scraps I sawed out the bridges and ran them lengthwise through the saw cutting the groove for the bone saddles that I will be installing later. Finally I got the saw blade changed to the fret cutting blade and got everything set up for cutting the fret slots. Then the dinner bell rang. Time for a martini and dinner- no more sawing until tomorrow. I value my fingers.
While the glue was setting I cut a long piece of rosewood into 10 1/4 inch lengths for the fret boards and ripped them each exactly two inches wide. Then with a few rosewood scraps I sawed out the bridges and ran them lengthwise through the saw cutting the groove for the bone saddles that I will be installing later. Finally I got the saw blade changed to the fret cutting blade and got everything set up for cutting the fret slots. Then the dinner bell rang. Time for a martini and dinner- no more sawing until tomorrow. I value my fingers.
After dinner and a pleasant walk in the neighborhood I returned to the shop and took off the rubber bands. Now the bow sander really shows its worth. You must plane, sand, whittle or somehow shape the back which is a little bit larger than the body, down to perfectly and smoothly mesh with the body. The bow sander does this perfectly. This is a tool that you must make for yourself. I have never seen one in a hardware store- but it is in-valuable.
And here is the result. A gently faired edge meeting the side of the body perfectly. There will be more sanding done but it will be in finer grits and it will be a pleasure to do on this lovely body. this is uke number 69 and I can already tell it will be a beauty.