From The Ukulele Shed

[P Bill]

It's been awhile for me. I'm still at it, making instruments and related furniture. My third flat top hasn't been worked on for about 9 months.

These photos are of work by the participants in a Uke building class I’m overseeing. This is a government work for the dole program. Most of the people had no prior interest in woodwork or luthiery. Some still don’t. We started out assembling kit ukes and now build from scratch. The only power tool we use is a bench grinder. Some have learned how to grind an edge and then hone it. My biggest triumph is getting them to use a bench hook to cut to length and then trim square with a plane. They just do it now as a matter of course.

These photos are decoration of kit ukes for the Salvation Army. Melissa’s jigsaw pattern inspired the finger board and headstock design for one of the handmade, from scratch instruments. I'll rough rout the recess and Melissa can creep up on the final fit. Two indigenous women, Christine and her mate, not even in the program, did the turtle uke and Kate, the reef sunburst uke. I have the option of another 6 months but 3 days a week is just too much for an old timer. I just bought 1.1 m3 of light to medium figured Vic. Blackwood from a veneer mill and plan on a few ukes and guitars in this timber.[img][/img]

The preview shows my photos in reverse order, I'm meant to be last, next time. Cheers

[routout]

Awesome

[simso]

This is a government work for the dole program. Most of the people had no prior interest in woodwork or luthiery. Some still don’t. We started out assembling kit ukes and now build from scratch.

What an awesome idea, for once its nice to see a government program doing some good.

Learning hand skills is a great investment in ones future.

Steve

[P Bill]

Cheers fellas,
Simso, at another venue, the making and playing of Steel Pans is taught. These pics are from a job expo we were all part of. In the first pic the drum is set out and still flat, in the next pic, partially sunk and in the last pic, fully sunk and the notes formed, still to be tuned.