AcornHouse
Venerated Member
Neither. Just the ends akimbo that will be under the fingerboard.
AHG (and sometimes U)
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AcornHouse
Venerated Member
Wee Japanese cutter in a crude homemade jig cuts a crisp soundhole with little of the pucker factor that a router would give.
(I really should make a much more polished jig sometimes.)
(I really should make a much more polished jig sometimes.)
Do not look for fault with that jig when success is apparent.Wee Japanese cutter in a crude homemade jig cuts a crisp soundhole with little of the pucker factor that a router would give.
(I really should make a much more polished jig sometimes.)
AcornHouse
Venerated Member
The only functionally bad about it is that it can scratch on the underside a bit. And a mortise for the blade could keep it perfectly straight. And it's a bit too wide to see the cut. And a sliding adjust for the pin hole would prevent having to drill a new hole each time. And...
Let's just say it could use some refining.
AcornHouse
Venerated Member
The string of sunny, warmer (for February) days continues so I snuck out to the workshop to cut some brace stock and the outline of the uke.
Luthiers tend to be hoarders. Wouldn't you be with wood scraps like that?
A little shellac helps the red of the bloodwood not get subsumed by the Koa.
Luthiers tend to be hoarders. Wouldn't you be with wood scraps like that?
A little shellac helps the red of the bloodwood not get subsumed by the Koa.
Gallatin, TN will be adding an AcornHouse treasure.
No such thing as "scrap" - just short, long, wide, or thin pieces waiting to be used.The string of sunny, warmer (for February) days continues so I snuck out to the workshop to cut some brace stock and the outline of the uke.
Luthiers tend to be hoarders. Wouldn't you be with wood scraps like that?
A little shellac helps the red of the bloodwood not get subsumed by the Koa.
AcornHouse
Venerated Member
Trickiest parts of bracing an uke are the relative narrowness of the braces (4mm in these) and the tight quarters for clamping. So two at a time is the maximum.
AcornHouse
Venerated Member
Rough shaping the fan braces.
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Rough shaping the fan braces.
That seems like it would be fun.
AcornHouse
Venerated Member
AcornHouse
Venerated Member
Full top bracing done.
Complete with access tunnels through the transverse braces. A feature that I used in my classical Lune build. It really opens up the top bouts. In a typical bracing pattern, classical, uke, or steel string, the transverse braces really dampen the sound so that the upper bout really isn't contributing a lot to the sound vibrations. But with these tunnels I hear a consistent tap tone as I move up the soundboard. It adds a lot of resonance. (In Puck, however, I kept the solid transverse braces. In a flamenco guitar you want that dryer, more controlled, sound.)
Complete with access tunnels through the transverse braces. A feature that I used in my classical Lune build. It really opens up the top bouts. In a typical bracing pattern, classical, uke, or steel string, the transverse braces really dampen the sound so that the upper bout really isn't contributing a lot to the sound vibrations. But with these tunnels I hear a consistent tap tone as I move up the soundboard. It adds a lot of resonance. (In Puck, however, I kept the solid transverse braces. In a flamenco guitar you want that dryer, more controlled, sound.)
AcornHouse
Venerated Member
With the side molds made, time to get ready to bend it like Kamaka.
Koa's not as quick and easy as walnut, but it's not too bad. Just a little slow to relax, but no binding, cracking, or other issues. I chose nice straight grain with no real figure to speak of (or rather, that's the billet I'd gotten years ago.) A little tighter radii than usual; any tighter and I'd need a special bending iron made for F-type mandolins. (Not to be confused with F-type Jaguars )
I'll let the first side dry and set a spell before doing the other. (Out of squeezy clamps.)
Koa's not as quick and easy as walnut, but it's not too bad. Just a little slow to relax, but no binding, cracking, or other issues. I chose nice straight grain with no real figure to speak of (or rather, that's the billet I'd gotten years ago.) A little tighter radii than usual; any tighter and I'd need a special bending iron made for F-type mandolins. (Not to be confused with F-type Jaguars )
I'll let the first side dry and set a spell before doing the other. (Out of squeezy clamps.)
GGJaguar
Reverential Member
AcornHouse
Venerated Member
Coming together super quickly, Chris. That koa, baby.... Insane!Full top bracing done.
Complete with access tunnels through the transverse braces. A feature that I used in my classical Lune build. It really opens up the top bouts. In a typical bracing pattern, classical, uke, or steel string, the transverse braces really dampen the sound so that the upper bout really isn't contributing a lot to the sound vibrations. But with these tunnels I hear a consistent tap tone as I move up the soundboard. It adds a lot of resonance. (In Puck, however, I kept the solid transverse braces. In a flamenco guitar you want that dryer, more controlled, sound.)
I've long wanted one of these, but there's no room for corgis!
No shifter, no bueno.
I've long wanted one of these, but there's no room for corgis!
Good luck finding anything with a manual gearbox these days in the states. Can't even get a 3 series BMW or a VW GTI like that anymore, and it's ridiculous. Almost everything left is a two seater.
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I was chatting with the optometrist about cars and he has the last of the stick shifts from some car company. He had to have it delivered because there was only one on the East coast.
When it was delivered the manager sheepishly asked him to come help because no one in the entire dealership knew how to drive it. He had to back it off the car carrier!
When I bought my 2009 BMW 535i Sport 6 speed Certified pre-owned back in 2012, it was literally the only 5 series rear wheel drive manual transmission sport package car in the entire country, and had been languishing at the dealer (BMW of Freehold) because nobody wanted it. My friend Phil Marx, who was the one time president of the BMW Car Club of America, ran the VIN for me, and told me that it originally was a company car for a German BMW executive that had gotten transferred to their headquarters in NJ.
I'm really glad I bought it, not only because it is an amazing car, but also it was the last 5 series you could get with a manual gearbox in the states. And the next generation of the 5 series, they went to electric power steering that is just awful, and greatly reduced aluminum content that added quite a bit of weight. My car is a relative featherweight for its size at just under 3600 pounds.
These days, manual gearboxes are an excellent theft deterrent in the US!