Been working away for the last few days getting ready to" box" these ukes up.
Good old fashioned clothespins do the job. Notice, I beefed up the squeeze with a rubber band around each. This is the baritone.
And next, the Concert gets it's tentalones.
Once the glue is dry, it is time to level everything up to accept the back. Notice I am sanding this on a vacuum table connected to my dust collector. I have become very careful about controlling the sawdust in the shop. This is one of my recent improvements.
Now it is time to install the side sound port. It will go right here. I have carefully centered the guide and drawn a thin pencil line around it to mark the location.
I will install this Walnut ring. It will provide a bit of contrast with the Australian Blackwood body but match the Walnut instrument neck.
But first I want to glue a thin maple veneer patch to the inside before penetrating the side to make the installation. The grain of the veneer goes cross-wise to the grain of the side to safeguard against a split. These clamps are pressing a caul tight against the patch as the glue dries. A patch is perhaps not necessary but a precaution that adds little weight and does not affect sound quality.