Experimentation | Body | Neck | Front & Back | Fret Board
Before starting this complete build we did a fair bit of reading outlined on the getting started page.
Experimentation
We started by looking at how to fashion a body, how to get the timber to take on that classical set of curves, how to ensure that we would get some similarity between the left and right sides.
We were not really interested in laminated veneer, but rather bending solid timber.
Preparing the timber is quite a process in itself. the timber needs to be straight grained and free from faults, to heat or steam bend timber it is desirable that it is naturally, not kind dried. Heat bending involves heating the material as close as you can to the boiling point of water. This will soften the lignin. Maintaining the shape of the bend to allow cooling/setting is necessary. With kiln seasoned timber the artificial heating can affect the seasoned timbers’s ability to soften. I have found that with many bits of timber I have that I am unaware of their journey from wood to timber, so experimenting with a sample reveals it’s behaviour!
Ideally timber for stringed instruments is quarter sawn. Even plain sawing will generate some good quarter sawn boards when it cuts close to the centre of the log! Visual inspection of your timber to observe the orientation of the growth rings to the face. So careful consideration is required when ripping your timber and preparing the face that will lay on your saw table.
Looking at the timber used in instruments reveals that there are in fact a very wide selection of timbers converted in a variety of methods.
In these experiments I have used African Mahogany (Khaya senegalensis) and Radiata Pine (Pinus radiata). I have selected these two because they are in abundance in and around Darwin. The pine is cheap, can be selected with clear and straight grain and is available. The Mahogany grows abundantly around Darwin, is prone to topple in tropical cyclones but has very variable grain structures.
For this build I have chosen Radiata pine for almost the entire Uke!
Preparing the timber
Oops forgot to update or finish here!
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