Warped Ukulele Body
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2016 5:56 pm
I just closed the box on my first acoustic build -- tenor ukulele with wenge back and sides, mahogany top. It had been going pretty well, but I now can see a critical issue. The body is very warped when I sight along the soundboard.
I doubt I can recover from this -- it's all titebond 1, so no joint is easily reversible -- though if anyone has ideas I'd love to give it a shot.
My question is more about how did I get here. I bent the sides on a form with a blanket, then clamped them into a mold after they were cool. I carved an arch into the back of the sides (so the body's thinner at the heel), added the blocks, kerfed, then kept it in the mold while I sanded a dish into the front and back. At that point, everything was even and matched up well. I braced the back and attached it, then removed it from the mold so I could cut in a soundport. I didn't return it to the mold to attach the top, because I couldn't get any spreaders in there anyway, with the top going on. I also didn't think to check for a twist before gluing on the top, but my braced back didn't seem out of order.
I'm going to finish the instrument, even if it's destined to be firewood, so I can make more first-time mistakes here.
Any thoughts about where I might have gone wrong or what I can do to either put it right or avoid it next time?
Thanks,
Rich
I doubt I can recover from this -- it's all titebond 1, so no joint is easily reversible -- though if anyone has ideas I'd love to give it a shot.
My question is more about how did I get here. I bent the sides on a form with a blanket, then clamped them into a mold after they were cool. I carved an arch into the back of the sides (so the body's thinner at the heel), added the blocks, kerfed, then kept it in the mold while I sanded a dish into the front and back. At that point, everything was even and matched up well. I braced the back and attached it, then removed it from the mold so I could cut in a soundport. I didn't return it to the mold to attach the top, because I couldn't get any spreaders in there anyway, with the top going on. I also didn't think to check for a twist before gluing on the top, but my braced back didn't seem out of order.
I'm going to finish the instrument, even if it's destined to be firewood, so I can make more first-time mistakes here.
Any thoughts about where I might have gone wrong or what I can do to either put it right or avoid it next time?
Thanks,
Rich