My friend Pat Hawley encouraged me to try to build a ukulele.
Having an experienced guitar builder such as Pat to turn to for advice gave me the courage to build one. But once I got started, I experimented with how I could build it without the specialized equipment that many guitar builders use. I will also be covering Pat Hawley's more professional build of a ukulele alongside my experiments. I also have Free ukulele plans available
I experimented with different methods of steam bending the sides, while Pat used his jigs and a heating blanket. I'd say Pat's method is definitely better, if you have the right equipment.
Pat mouned the front and back, and added "binding" around the edges. I left the back of mine open for now, and skipped the binding.
Pat and I used very different sets of tools for making the necks of our instruments. There are many ways to do it, and the best way typically involves making the best tools you have.
I cut my fret slots with a dozuki saw, and figured out how to insert the frets with a vise. Pat added fancy inlays to his fretboards. No inlays on my fretboard.
Installing tuners, mounting the fret board, closing up the back. I saved a lot of tasks until quite late.
In pat hawley's build,
And here's the finished instruments.
Pat's looks quite exquisite compared to mine.
Some fun with the ukulele with Go Long(!) music
