I did a lot of scraping and sanding on the tenor, #98, today and it is looking really good, but the more exciting work was on "Journey" (don't you love that the buyer has named it "Journey") for today I put it in the assembly jig and fit the sides.
I have just cut the top ends to the proper place and find the fit to be perfect. The left hand side has been also cut to length at the butt plate and the right hand side still needs to be cut. At this point this fit is looking very promising, the result of a good bend of the sides.
You might be interested in the Spanish Heel construction method that I use. The sides are inserted into a slot cut in the neck, or heel. This is the way classical Spanish guitars have been made for ages. The neck and body are integral bonded pieces. Most ukes are made, body and neck separate pieces and then glued and screwed, or dowelled together. Guess I am just old fashioned. If it has worked for centuries it is good enough for me.
I have trimmed the tips of the braces to make room for the sides. Because they are Cocobolo I have scrubbed the edges of the sides to be glued down with acetone to remove some of the oil from the wood.
Here are the ends meeting at the butt plate. I will use a curved caul and a clamp to glue these ends to the butt plate.
Now with everything fitted, checked and rechecked it is time to glue. The ends are taped together, glue applied to butt block and the bottom edge of the sides and here we go. Always an exciting time. You put it all together in the jig, clamp everything down and walk away. You will know if you got a good fit. "Journey" got a good fit.
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Four or five hours later I took it out of the jig having also glued in some tentalones. It looks really good. Now this concert has sides, a soundboard and a neck. Next will be adding the rest of the tentalones, installing a side sound port, and then the back. This ukulele is coming along very nicely.
