My first go at teaching - uke class 2009

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Sat Sep 26, 2009 5:51 pm

Couldn't show you Liam bending his sides because the cheeky bastard went and bought himself a heat blanket. Did them at home on a form.

You probably don't want to know that it was yet again 31 up here today. Gotta be careful, or the old head gets a bit of a burn pretty easily these days.

liam_fnq · Post by **liam_fnq** » Sun Sep 27, 2009 3:29 pm

luckily there's no photos of me touching up on the pipes cracking both sides at the waist

i've only used the blanket once but it seems i've already lost my touch on the pipe. d'oh.

here's the bending process:

And the rest:

another hot one today, might have to have a swim in the pool to cool off

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Sun Sep 27, 2009 3:46 pm

Look's great Liam. Well on the way to putting stings on it. I'm going in Tuesday night at 6 hoping to get people up to your stage of the build.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Sun Sep 27, 2009 4:05 pm

Looks like some nicely figured Blackwood Tim sorted for you Allen. Looking good Liam. Forgive my Uke ignorance but are they all built with the spanish foot method of neck to body join?

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Sun Sep 27, 2009 4:24 pm

No, you can build them with any number of neck attachment methods. I decided on using this method after talking with Rick Turner about doing my class, and asking him about various aspects of construction in a class setting. I thought, "go to the expert on the subject", as he's probably worked out a great deal of the pitfalls that I just hoped to steer clear of.

Besides the advantages Rick had mentioned in our conversation about my class, I see in hind sight that it's a brilliant footing for these people, if they should want to progress to a larger instrument such as a classical guitar.

I've been doing my best to impart what I've learnt about putting an instrument together, and showing everyone the nitty gritty of building. I'm sure that a lot of it goes right over their heads, but if they catch the bug, hopefully they will recall just a tiny bit of what I attempted to convey to them during the course.

Some have gone to the plan religiously and built according to those dimensions, and I've let them go without any interference. Others have asked for my opinion, and I've gave it to them. It's most interesting when it comes to voicing the top. Those following the over braced top struggle to get a nice resonate tap tone, while those that asked for some help with sizing found it much easier to get to that point.

Now the question I'm most interested in is, "Who learned the most"? Those that just followed what I recommended, and found it easy to get to a satisfactory tap tone, or those that followed the plan and struggled to get to that point? I know for myself, I learn far more when I make a "mistake" and change my method in order to achieve a better result. Seems to sink in a lot more with me.

Kim · Post by **Kim** » Sun Sep 27, 2009 6:40 pm

Good onya Allen for helping these guys get a start and good on you too Liam, your progressing well and your uke is looking very sharp and clean to this point.

Cheers

Kim

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 6:43 pm

Got a lot more accomplished at the class today, with some participants playing catch up as they had missed a few sessions.

Gluing in the kerfed linings with HHG.

Bracing the soundboard.

Getting some sides bent into shape.

Cutting frets and pressing them in with my arbor press.

Filing the fret ends and putting a bevel on them.

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Thu Oct 22, 2009 6:37 am

Been some steady progress on the class Ukuleles. Two sessions a week makes for slow going, but Liam's has got the second coat of lacquer on and just resting now.

Bill trying his hand at bending some bindings.

I'm giving a demo on using hide glue to install the bindings. First sizing the joint with some thinned glue, then coming back and having at it. No time to waste posing for the camera.

A little brown tape holds things in place, then wrapping the body with twill tape to synch everything good and tight.

Richard scraped back is bindings that we did last Saturday, then sanding back the body getting it ready to glue on the fret board. Don't need an electric sander when Richard can sand that fast.

Dominic · Post by **Dominic** » Thu Oct 22, 2009 11:12 am

Looks like a lot of fun Allen. Are you going to put on a Uke concert when they are all done?

Some neat things I have spied. Cool spray gun holder. And what's in the Lee Valley box there?

Those arbor presses are nice aren't they. I got a used 1 tonner for less than 50 bucks. Drilled a hole in the arbor to take my fret press and painted it red to match my vice. Heaps cheaper than the SM one and twice as powerful.
Cheers
Dom

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Thu Oct 22, 2009 5:19 pm

Perhaps a Xmas Carol or two at the break up party in December. Probably won't win any Grammy's, but we should get a laugh or two.

The Lee Valley box contains a set of chisels I've had for about 30 years now. It's probably a good thing that I live on the other side of the world, as it can be fatal walking into one of their stores. When the wife see's how much you spent, it's never going to turn out well.

I got my arbor press at one of local tool mob. Was about $80 brand new. Had to drill it out like you said, but it sure beats hammering them in by hand. And the freight charges would have been astronomical.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Thu Oct 22, 2009 6:59 pm

Allen wrote:Perhaps a Xmas Carol or two at the break up party in December. Probably won't win any Grammy's, but we should get a laugh or two.

How about a bit of Bonnie Tyler there Allen?

youtu.be/

Brett Mackenzie (one half of the flight of the concords) is a member of this bunch when he's in the country.Actually the you tube clip of "Hey Ya" has him sitting in.

You're doing a grand job by the looks Allen, must be quite rewarding to see your "students" building these things and looks like they are doing an admirable job.

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Thu Oct 22, 2009 7:04 pm

I've been practising that one on and off for months Nick. Afraid I don't do it justice though. Though with the cold I've been battling for the last week I'm sounding a bit like Bonnie Tyler.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Thu Oct 22, 2009 7:31 pm

Allen wrote:I've been practising that one on and off for months Nick. Afraid I don't do it justice though. Though with the cold I've been battling for the last week I'm sounding a bit like Bonnie Tyler.

Bet you haven't got her 'gams' though? She was a heart throb of mine in my hormone rampant teenage years.

I do hope your cold improves though.

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 8:13 am

So, everyone has been making progress on their Ukes. Some very nearing completion, and Liam is already getting material together for some more. I think he's got the "bug".

Joe working on 2 instruments for his daughters.

Martin sanding the linings getting ready to attach the back.

Gloria doing the final shaping of the back braces.

Bill finding out how much sanding it takes to get a good finish.

Gloria getting that back attached.

All you Health and Safety guys look away. This is Far North Queensland were we use natural light and ventilation.

Richard is also a spray painter by trade, so this is the one part of the project that he's really hit his stride.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 8:29 am

Still can't get over how gaawwwwgeous those Blackwood sets Tim supplied look! Everybody looks well into the tasks at hand Allen, you've obviously kept their interest up and sparked their 'creative juices'

Well Done.

Gaby · Post by **Gaby** » Fri Nov 13, 2009 12:10 am

Haha - especially like the sign behind Richard!

I have an old Holden FE I might have to drop off there...

Rick Turner · Post by **Rick Turner** » Fri Nov 13, 2009 2:45 am

Allen, I've been following this, and it's a wonderful thing that you've done! I look forward to seeing you next June.

Rick Turner · Post by **Rick Turner** » Fri Nov 13, 2009 2:47 am

Oh...suggestion...put a couple of 100 watt light bulbs inside the form as well as using the heat blanket on the outside. That helps get the bend set nice and quickly.

Rick Turner · Post by **Rick Turner** » Fri Nov 13, 2009 2:50 am

And one more thing... Make uke handles with some dowel and "all thread", and thread that into a threaded end pin hole to hold the ukes firmly and horizontally for spraying. I have a pipe fixture mounted to the floor of my spray booth to hold guitars and ukes while I spray. I just hate spraying hanging instruments with the air from the gun blowing the instruments around.

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Fri Nov 13, 2009 6:14 am

Spraying them like this is not my favourite way either. Guitars are much easier, as I use a bolt on neck and it's easy to have a stick into the neck to hold firmly.

With a treaded insert in the uke, you later remove it and instal an end pin or pickup jack?

Rick Turner · Post by **Rick Turner** » Fri Nov 13, 2009 6:33 am

Precisely, Allen.

I use a 1/4-20 piece of "all thread". Not sure what your Metric equivalent is.

At some point I'll photograph my various holding fixtures for spray work. It really takes the pain out and enables me to do a better job because the instrument parts aren't swinging in the breeze. It's especially important when I'm doing sunbursts.

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My first go at teaching - uke class 2009

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