Making a Ukulele Part 1

On this week's show, we start a major build series that I hope you all enjoy. This week is the commencement of my ukulele build. I hope you enjoy the show. If you haven't already, please consider liking and subscribing and while you are at it, click the bell to get notifications of future episodes of the show. As always, thank you so much for tuning in. It is very much appreciated.

[@hgohlke]

This is real woodworking with all ups and downs. Great show!!

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

+Henning Gohlke I don't believe in the "everything is magical and everything works out perfectly" kind of woodworking show. On my show, I tell it like it is and I show it like it happens. Sometimes it works out for me and other times it doesn't. That's the beauty of woodworking. You never know what you're going to get. Thanks for tuning in.

[@adrianbutler2623]

Good to see a real woodworker with real woodworking problems.

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

+Adrian Butler It doesn't matter how skilled or how talented you are. You will always have some form of problem when working with a natural product. That's one of the things that I enjoy about the hobby. There is a lot of problem solving involved and it gives the hobby and extra element of fun. If everything was easy, there would be no challenges and it would be boring. I can't stand most of these woodworking shows that show every project that turns out perfectly without a flaw and without a mistake. It really sets the bar high for those who are trying to learn the craft because they will never know to expect the failure and it becomes frustration. Thanks for tuning in.

[@adrianbutler2623]

+kennyearrings1 I agree fully. I have to wonder it you glued or taped the mahogany to a substrate then passed it through the planer would that hold it together? I've never used a thickness planer.

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

I would have to say that it would definitely work. It would support the piece and allow it to plane flat instead of the edges trying to curl and tearing things up. The main problem with the mahogany is the figure and the planer was enjoying eating that figure. No worries....time to build a shop made thickness sander I guess.

[@adrianbutler2623]

+kennyearrings1 I look forward too seeing that one.

[@mikevyvyan7060]

Thanks for posting this and demonstrating the ups and downs of woodworking - always helpful to see that things can go wrong for even the most experienced individuals. Lessens the pain of us mere mortals. Your honesty and openness is appreciated. I'm going to enjoy watching and learning from this series.

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

Everyone makes mistakes Mike, including me. I hate the woodworking shows that portray everything as picture perfect. That's definitely not how things go in my shop and I prefer to show a realistic portrayal of the craft so that my viewers can have a realistic set of goals to work towards. I also show ways to fix the mistakes (if possible). I hope you enjoy the series. This was one of my favourite projects. So much so that I am planning my next ukulele build. Thanks for tuning in.

[@williambranham6249]

Wonderful video. I have no desire to build a stringed instrument, but you present so many jewels of experience in this project that will be valuable in almost all aspects of woodworking projects that I favor. I did make a Thomas Jefferson lap desk last year with African mahogany and encountered exactly the same problems with tear out. Looking forward to # 2. Doc

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

+William Branham Thanks for the kind words and thanks for tuning in. Glad to hear that you enjoyed the show and I look forward to your future comments.

[@mitchwoodwork]

Good start. looking forward to following this series.

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

+Mitch Peacock - WOmadeOD Well, this coming Friday marks the finale of the build. If you hurry, you can catch up before it's aired. LOL. Thanks for tuning in.

[@mitchwoodwork]

Laid up with a cold, so I might just do that!

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

+Mitch Peacock - WOmadeOD Well I hope you enjoy it.

[@TheRedbeardster]

Looking forward to the next parts and being you a rock star! :)

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

+Artem unknown Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!! You've got a long wait for me to be a rock star with a ukulele. Glad to hear that you're looking forward to the build though.

[@chemcody5119]

Hey Kenny. I always learn from my failures/mistakes. Thanks for sharing yours.

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

+Chem Cody How did I not respond to this? Either way, if I were to share all my failures, the show would never end. LOL. Thanks for tuning in.

[@cillyede]

Great video again! I'm looking foreward to see the whole process. Hello from Germany.

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

+Hu “cillyede” Ko Glad to hear that you enjoyed this week's show. Even though I really didn't get much done, the journey had begun to making a ukulele and I'm hoping for a great response to the build series. Thank you for taking the time to leave me a comment.

[@cillyede]

You have me at your side!

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

Glad to hear it.

[@DYLANTRIES]

Very odd! I have been thinking the same thing that u said in the beginning about wanting to build a acoustic guitar and thought to build a ukulele first! Already got the wood for the back and sides! I will enjoy these videos for sure! Hopefully learn a lot! Will stay tuned! Thanks!!

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

+Dylan Hardin Glad to hear that you are considering giving it a try yourself. This video series should be right up your alley then. Thanks for tuning in.

[@ItSeemsDark]

yeahhhh let's build a thickness sander !!! i look forward for this series D

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

+ItSeemsDark This series has a lot to offer. Stay tuned. I hope you like it.

[@ItSeemsDark]

i always do :) tnx for sharing ;)

[@pcorlis]

Kenny, I probably won't be building a uke but I will enjoy the series anyway. I like your problem solving techniques. The sander however, that is something else. I'll be along for the entire build. Keep up the great videos. Paul / paulsmessyworkshop

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

+pcorlis Thanks for the kind words Paul. Glad to have you aboard on the build. Thanks once again for taking the time to leave me a comment.

[@PinHolePip]

I was wondering if you would have the same issue with the planer I had. I too built a bed to make it possible to go very thin on my stock. At 3+ mm is when I had issues. I think what happens is the stock is so thin it starts to chatter and the blades just tear it up. I'm not convinced the species of wood matters. I'm eager to watch your progress. Thanks for posting this.

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

+PinHolePip Thank you for the kind words. I believe that the only way that the species of wood matters is when there is excesses figure in the wood. With that being said, there was a moderate bit of figure in this wood and I think that you might be right about what the issue might have been. Figured wood doesn't do well with planing anyway. I'm kind of glad that it didn't plane well because it gave me a chance to think outside of the box and come up with a solution.......which would be the thickness sander. You can almost see the lights get brighter when I decided that I might have to make one. Thanks for tuning in and for taking the time to leave me a comment.

[@WigWagWorkshop]

I am along for the ride, this is going to be a great build. finnaly, a string instrument, that is not made on a CNC LOL. I am interested in what you think of that DeWalt planner, has I been wanting to add one to the WigWag Workshop.

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

+WigWagWorkshop For years, I had a DW734 and then I had the opportunity to pick up the DW735 for a great deal. I've been very pleased with it so far. It performs just as well as the 734 with the added bonus of being able to change the in-feed speed of the stock to get finer results on the finish planing. I've used it quite a bit since purchasing it and don't regret the purchase one bit. I can honestly say that there will not be one ounce of CNC use in this build. All done by yours truly. Glad to hear that you're along for the ride. Glad to have you aboard.

[@tomaslainas695]

Khaya wood... nice!

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

+tomas lainas Thanks very much.

[@JohnLoganMcKee03]

I'm glad you left it as shot.

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

+John McKee Thanks John. I try to make this show a little more realistic, showing the problems as well as the successes. I have been a woodworker for many years and I still have problems in the shop. Maybe part of the frustration for new woodworkers, is that they are trying to hold themselves to an unattainable standard that the flawless woodworking shows of today portray. Thanks for tuning in to the show and for taking the time to leave me a comment.

[@tomaslainas695]

i would advice to to cut the slab to thickness with saws.for thin stock i usually glue them to other wood boards and use paint thinner to disolve the glue after planing. even so, mahoganies are not too hard to work with, but the planing can be annoying due to all the different grain movements.

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

+tomas lainas Another great suggestion from one of my viewers. Thanks for the advise on the planing. I might give that a try down the road if the thickness sander doesn't work out. Thanks for taking the time to leave me a comment.

[@tomaslainas695]

thank you for the videos :D they are awesome!

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

Glad that you enjoy them.

[@russveinot5754]

one question, you think you have enough to finish the ukulete (& guitar) before year's end with all those sub projects? :>) looking forward to yet another "great" woodworking video.

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

+Russ Veinot I usually have several projects on the go at one time so it shouldn't be a problem. I think there are three or four projects currently on the go in the shop. Some, you already know about and others, you'll have to wait and see. Thanks for tuning in.

[@TheDansana]

Thickness sander build? Now that has my attention!

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

+Danny Morehouse There's something in this series for everyone. Even if you are not interested in building a ukulele, there is everything from jig building to hand work to wood bending to shop made tools. Stick around, you might enjoy this series. It already sounds like you will enjoy next week's thickness sander build.

[@timothywilliams7561]

If you secure the thin mahogany to a thicker backing then run it through the planer it will be less likely to chip

[@willemkossen]

Same point i wanted to make. Double sided tape, add a board to it, plane the sandwich;)

[@timothywilliams7561]

+Willem Kossen yeah I would have just planed one side the tried to resaw it to thickness and put the saw marks on the inside if they didn't sand out then repeat

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

+Timothy Williams That's all fine and dandy for sure, but if I did that...............I wouldn't get to build a shop made thickness sander now would I? LOL. I'm also not a big fan of hiding imperfections on the inside of the instrument. If I absolutely had to, I would but I'd rather just not have the imperfection on the piece. I would be forever thinking about it and it would drive me nuts and that's a pretty short drive, let me tell you.

[@timothywilliams7561]

+kennyearrings1 I hear ya wish I had a good reason to tell my wife I need to build a thickness sander. but even with sand paper I would maybe still try putting a backing to redeuce vibration can wait to watch the project.

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

I'm going to have to give your method a try and let you know how it works out. Wait until next week's show and maybe you won't need to convince your wife of anything. It was really inexpensive to make.

[@walterrider9600]

hank you i love to learn

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

You're very welcome. Glad to have you as a viewer.

[@barryroberts6470]

'Turned out nice again' as the great George Formby used to say with his Ukulele, (Look him up, he's great on his Ukulele)I wouldn't say this episode was a fail, it's been good in the way you have made the table for the thickness planer. Pity you didn't make the sander as well, as it could have been a Jig episode ready for the big build on the Ukulele. Take Care my Friend, Barry. (from England)

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

+Barry Roberts Great to hear from you sir. If you are interested in the thickness sander build, then you are really going to like next week's show. Stay tuned my friend. Things are heating up on this one.

[@willemkossen]

I have two ukes, but never made one. Would love to try. I think African mahogany is probably not the easiest stuff to work with. And about tonewoods, well, any wood except balsa will work. You can make them from plywood. Harder woods tend to sound better. Love to see where you end up with this project. Hope you'll play a tune at the end too ;). In fact, i used a uke in my latest video for some of the music. Do you know The Ukelele Orchestra of Great Brittain? Check their youtube channel! And Tim Sway made a uke recently, too.

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

+Willem Kossen I'm not sure who Tim Sway is and I've seen some of the videos of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. Their version of the Good, Bad and the Ugly theme was awesome. A ukulele is not necessarily a "great" sounding instrument, if you really wanted to do this one up right, tone wood should be considered. Hope that you'll stick around for the whole series. It's a long one.

[@willemkossen]

+kennyearrings1 i think that Tim Sway is someone you may want to check out. He has a very interesting youtube channel doing all sorts of upcycling and making stuff. He recently made a uke.

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

I will have to check that out. Thanks for pointing me in that direction. Have yourself a great weekend and I look forward to your comments on the rest of the series.

[@tomaslainas695]

+Willem Kossen actually the Khaya wood (or african mahogany) is really nice and easy to work with. it is not as hard as the south american varieties.

[@ericphlipot1615]

Where did you get the mahogany?

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

Depending on where you live, there are plenty of saw mills and lumber suppliers that can provide you with mahogany. I got mine at a lumber mill named Peacock Lumber which is fairly close to where I live. Not knowing where you are located, it is pretty hard for me to suggest a mill near you.

[@ericphlipot7023]

Okay thanks. also, where did you get that ukulele template?

[@philipbaugh8450]

18 minutes of video to show the making of a board to lay on the planer bed........ It's gonna be a long one 🙄 sigh

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

This show is geared for folks with all different levels of experience Philip. There are those who wouldn't have a clue what to do with planer bed and for that, I give them an 18 minute video showing the making of a board to lay on the planer bed. It is going to be a long series and if memory serves me correctly, it's 12 parts long. There are plenty of processes that just take time to show exactly how to do things and while some videos will speed up the video and add some tacky music to fill the audio void, leaving you wondering what the heck they just did, my videos are not about that. Mine are about learning and having things explained, every step of the way to teach folks how to do things. I'm sorry if this video wasn't for you. I hope that you will enjoy the rest of the series as there are plenty of interested processes along the way in the build. Thanks anyway for tuning in to the program and for taking the time to leave me a comment. I appreciate it.

[@philipbaugh8450]

@@acutabove_woodworkings Fair play, I take your point. I'll continue to watch the rest at my leisure 🙂

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

I'd hate to see you miss out on something because of one bad episode. I did mention that it was me trying something that I had never tried before and that I would take you guys along for the ride so I'm also showing both success and failure at this point. You might like the second episode, which is basically a tutorial on building your own thickness sander using the lathe. Good luck on your uke build Philip. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Thanks again for tuning in to the show.

[@neilgordon6469]

Just get on with it too much waffle

[@acutabove_woodworkings]

If you don't like the "waffle" Neil, no one is forcing you to continue watching and there is a little "X" at the top of your screen to close the browser.