This is what it looked like ready to start. The sides trimmed to proper length and taped together at the bottom, the walnut neck clamped to the set up jig, the juniper top centered on the jig, the caul for the butt plate at the ready and the clamps stacked along side ready to grab. Now you put glue on the bottom edge of the sides, glue up the butt plate and quickly insert the unglued ends into the neck slots.
After some quick hand action it looks like this. I try to get to this stage as quickly as I can before the glue starts to tack up. The irwin clamps are god-sends and are much faster than the twenty or so barrel clamps I used to use here. This set of maple sides was so much easier to fit than the prior two rosewood sides. Rosewood is hard and stiff as iron. maple bends much easier. Got a perfect fit here. Now to add some tentalones.
oop's Out of tentalones. Well It is back to the band saw and my tricky cutting device that automatically stops at the next cut. The stopper is powered by that rubber band which pushes, (or is it pulls) a boxwood "nose into that second slot.
Enough shop work for the day. At 3:30 Judy, Rick and Chip came to the shop and we made beautiful music on our ukes the rest of the afternoon. then last night-to this great show at the marvelous Mt Baker Theater. Quite a day, lots of fun. Tomorrow a special blog for you- I received the Side Port hole liners in the mail. Stay tuned.
