Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

Robbie, With respect to the LMI vacuum bridge clamping jig I would like to suggest that it's the amount of clamping pressure on the bridge rather than the total area of the jig that's the important number. 1 inch Hg ~0.5 psi (pounds per square inch) 19 inches Hg ~ 9.5 psi (your vacuum pressure in th...

Mark, Here's an inexpensive version of the rotating vacuum clamp that I used many years ago. http://www.anzlf.com/phpBB2/userpix/167_VC2_2_1.jpg http://www.anzlf.com/phpBB2/userpix/167_VC2_1.jpg As you can see, it's made mostly out of galvanized pipe and leftover fittings from my plumbing packrat bo...

Scraps seem to be all gone now unless anyone is interested in pieces only 3" wide. Please don't send any payments unless you contact me first.

aloha,

David

Holy Smokes! That's an amazing story Kim. Thanks very much for sharing in such detail. I also hope for a speedy and continuing recovery for you. I will admit to having sealed the pores of my ukuleles with epoxy for many years (10+ probably), not to mention making an 18' fiberglass over wood boat wit...

G'day Matthew,

Sorry for the recipe delay. Here's the BBC recipe:

http://www.ukuleles.com/FunThings/Sumotori.html

Enjoy, and please don't forget to open the can!

aloha,

Dave Hurd

I'm a packrat - there it is. I can't bear to throw nice looking, figured koa wood away even when I can't use it. So when I've re-sawed pieces there's always singles left over that can't be stuck to another piece for a top or back. But now SWMBO says it's time to let go. If anyone wants this stuff fo...

I think it's really interesting that folks in this thread use this type of scarf joint, necessitating the use of the headstock veneer primarily for cosmetic purposes in order to cover up the scarf joint. For nylon stringed instruments, I've always used the reverse of the type of scarf joint discusse...

Well my wearing socks in Hawaii probably tells you more about me than I wanted known. After 35-40 years here my blood is so thin that I have to rug up when I go in the fresh vegetable section of the local supermarket. Well, winter is coming and it's going to plunge into the 60's at night. What some ...

it still seems pretty funny to me

At one time, when I had a real job back in the 1980's, I had a collection of nearly 300 vintage ukuleles. :shock: All gone to others now. Yes, it was a sickness. In any case I took pictures of many of my and my friends old Hawaiian ukuleles. For those of you interested in creating a vintage look to ...

Bummer, James... I suppose it's on both sides of the piece.

OTH could this be an opportunity for a bit of tasteful wood inlay with a backing strip?

Thanks very much all for your best wishes. Ah, the downside of the Percoset is no booze allowed while taking it. As a habitual plonker this is more of an irritation than the surgery... :? Now to find a clever way to put my socks on. I'm sure there's some jig I can create. At the risk of being accuse...

Today I had day surgery to repair an umbilical hernia. This is when there is a vertical slit below the skin above the belly button that goes through the abdominal wall and peritoneum allowing first intra-abdominal fat and then possibly intestines to work their way out. Undesirable... :( The surgical...

Allen, your work is impeccable. I'm very impressed. You've made a lovely instrument. Regarding Austen's question, I have a suggestion or two. I've made a couple of 6-string baritone ukulele sized instruments using nylon rather than steel strings. I used a scale length of 20" rather than 19". I'm not...

Thanks very much for the introduction of this subject Craig. I appreciate it a great deal. Compliance testing is a technique in lutherie which although not a panacea for top optimization, deserves to be among the arsenal of useful luthier tools. Several points are in order. First, this isn't a new i...

I tried the Little Creatures beer...tasted like someone had left a glass of xxxx beer lying around and a dog had dunked his balls into the glass. Not my cup of tea at all. So it's true! Aussies (or transplanted Kiwis) really are quite reserved and hesitate to express their true feelings... :wink: D...

I just came upon a YouTube video of one of my ukuleles with a Bridge Doctor (home made) in it being played.

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=am0aYMO8nyc

The sound doesn't seem muted or muddy to me...

aloha,

Dave Hurd

I thought this article interesting...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/no ... -democrats

Dave Hurd

Ron,

The early '70's would have been a great time to buy a Yairi. At that time the Japanese yen to US$ exchange rate would have been about 350-375 (as compared with the current 100 +/- 20 number).

Dave Hurd

I wonder if there are two groups of Alvarez guitars? Some produced inexpensively for Alvarez alone and those produced in conjunction with Kazuo Yairi may be the answer. Some years ago I had several opportunities to visit Gifu Japan and see the Yairi factory. It was quite an experience. When a great ...

Well, my next door neighbor is a very nice fellow and a liquor distributor besides. Apparently these two things are not mutually exclusive! In any case, knowing that I'm off to Oz in a few months, he gave me a six-pak of "Toohey's New Imported Australian Beer". I'm not sure that a mere 6 bottles is ...

Using shorter pieces, beveling the ends and filling with superglue and dust as described above is a reasonable and straightforward approach. But in the past, when I've had too much trouble with tight bends and ebony binding breaking, I've used strips of black dyed pearwood veneer. They're pretty eas...

This is really a great post, Jeff. It's SO nice to have real wood inlays that both show imagination and give the opportunity for others to be creative as well.

Big Mahalo's (thanks)...

Dave Hurd

I have French polished about 20 instruments. It's a beautiful finish and in principle straightforward to apply. And it looks more and more beautiful as you put more of it on. So much for the good news. From a business standpoint, this stuff is a nightmare. It takes forever for it to harden (that is ...

Hi Michael,

Very pretty work. Nice to have another ukulele maker on board.

aloha,

Dave Hurd
www.ukuleles.com