Sagot :
Answer:
STEP 1: MATERIAL LIST
For building your Uke you need mainly wood, but also some other, mechanical, parts. Here is the full list of things you need.
The size of the parts vary with your own individual design. And the meassurements are all in millimeters(mm). If you need it in inches, you have to multiply the millimeters with a factor of 0,03937. So 1mm equals 0,03937 inches.
What to buy(more or less):
2 x thin wood lathes (60 x 5 x 100)
1 x thin wood lathe (10 x 20 x 100)
1 x thick wood lathe (60 x 20 x 100)
1 x thin large sheet of chipboard
2 x sticks (diameter = 10mm, length = 1000mm)
4 x strings
4 x machine heads for the strings
14 x frets
If you're not familiar with the metric system, here's a little cheat-list:
1 meter(m) = 100 centimeter(cm)
1 cm = 10 millimeters(mm)
STEP 2: BENDING THE WOOD FOR THE SHAPE, PART 1
The very first step in building an ukulele is bending the wood for shape. You bend the wood very easy by putting it in a steam box. Most probably you won't be a carpenter and thus don't have one. Don't worry, there are a lot of other instructables around here on how to build a steam box for bending wood.
Another way of making the wood soft and flexible is by putting it into a bathtub filled with water and let it in there for several hours(e.g. overnight). Since the wood will swim in the bathtub, put some towels on top of the wood, so the wood will sink and be completely under water.
STEP 3: BENDING THE WOOD FOR THE SHAPE, PART 2
After the wood is soaked with water and thus soft and flexible, you can start to bend it.
For my ukulele I've build a shape holder. It puts pressure on the wood from both the outside and the inside and is hold together with a clamp and some tape(I didn't have a second clamp that was long enough).
The shape holder is made out of two layers of cheap wood. To put pressure onto the whole height of the wood, the layers have to be separate
The layers are hold separate with nuts and bolts.
STEP 4: PIECEHOLDER AT WORK
Next you have to build a piece holder, which holds the wood in shape while you are working on it.
It's very easy to build: First, you outline the shape onto a think sheet of wood with a pencil or something alike. Then you drill holes on the outside of the form you've just drawn. The holes have to be big enough to stick wood-sticks through it. Now put the wood sticks into it, but none of the must be higher than the bended wood itself.
The wood experiences pressure from the outside. Give it some pressure from the inside to by squeezing another wood stick into it.
Now you can begin working on it
STEP 5: CLOSING THE SHAPE
Add another slat to close the shape and make it stable.
You most probably have to saw the slat quite precisely to fit in perfectly.
Now glue it in and again put a lot of pressure onto it from all sides. Additionally get a rectangular piece to hold the slat straight up.
During this step you can simultaneously go on to the next step: Adding support
STEP 6: ADDING SUPPORT
Here I used the Balsa wood to make the support, since Balsa is both stable and very light.
Add Balsa wood where possible, as it will give your Uke more stability when you glue on the back side and the front side.
After you're finished you should be able to take it out without it losing its shape.
STEP 7: ADDING THE FRONT COVER
In this step you will add the front cover of the Ukulele.
First spread a lot of glue onto the edge and the support you've just added.
Second lay the front wood on top of it and add as much weight as you can, including some clamps
STEP 8: ADDING THE NECK, PART 1
This step is requires some work, since the point between neck and body has to resist a lot of tension from the strings later.
At first you have to add a supporting block of wood, which will later hold the neck. you have to cut the block very precisely. It must touch both, front cover and back cover, so cut it exactly the height so it will fit in the Uke perfectly.
The block has to be in the middle of the uke, right where you want to place the neck
STEP 9: MAKING THE NECK ITSELF, WITHOUT PICTURES
Frankly, I forgot to document the building of the neck. I hope you will still get how it was made by the final pictures