Forgetting the agonies of yesterday, today I glued on the remaining ebony fretboard and finished its fretting, then started to shape the neck, one of my favorite tasks in uke building
Ditto on the 13th fret 
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On the left you see the fretboard tightly clamped to the neck. I love those Irwin clamps, they are handy in so many facets of uke building. And to the right you see I have tapped in the first fret that had been omitted because a brad was hammered into the hole drilled in that fret slot to position the fretboard on the neck. 
Now it is time to shape the neck. I start with trimming down the connection at the body. I like a subtle hourglass shape there so both sides get the caress of a sharp chisel. 
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Now the basic hourglass is cut on both sides. It will be the time for the fine rasp, the scraper and the bow sander soon
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But first I want to cut the foot of the neck to make room for the ebony cap that will be put here. I will glue in a sheet of thin maple veneer to create a white stripe contrasting to the black ebony. This is ready for the cap now, cut with a classic old english chisel that I bought years ago in an English antique sale. Holds an edge like a razor blade, cuts flat and true. |