Stu's uke is shining bright, it is time to get the bridge attached and string this baby up.
Heres the Redwood top, reflecting the workshop light.
Here is the peg head and the yin/yang
and the back which has this deep dark beauty. This will be a very pretty instrument. And now the challenge is to place the Bridge and Saddle just right so the intonation will be as close to perfect as possible. To achieve that I will use my "intonation jig"
The idea is to stretch two strings across the instrument that rest on the saddle. As you move the bridge and saddle slightly the tone changes. You tune each string to a note. Then fret that string at the 12th fret, and if it is exactly the same note only one octive higher the saddle is in the right place. Do that for each string and you have the bridge and saddle in the right spot. Now tape it there and you are intonated properly. You check the tone with the Korg tuner sitting on the jig.
Here is the jig, it's job done. The uke is seen above it with tape holding the bridge in the right place.
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With a razor blade you scrape off the shellac built up on the wood within the taped area and now it is ready to accept glue..
The glue has been brushed on, The bridge set in place and the special clamps and caul block are ready to be applied to clamp it down tight. The clamps will be put on the caul block and tightened. Tomorrow ought to be the day the strings go on.
