These groups can be done in any order but I would do everything in the group together

Group 1 (top and back)

1. Glue the book matched top and thin to .8 for spruce or .75 for mahogany
2. Draw the outline of the top on the underside of the top. Draw a cut line about ¼” from the outline.
3. On the bandsaw, cut to the cut line
4. Drill a ¼” hole in the center of the sound hole to accept the rosette/sound hole cutting jig.
5. On the front side cut a rosette channel to match the width and depth of the rosette
6. Install a rosette on the top (optional) and cut the sound hole
7. Brace the top using the pattern in the plan. Start with the bridge patch so you can notch the long braces over it. Carve the braces as shown in the plan
8. Glue the book matched back and thin to between 75 and .8 for mahogany, maybe a little thinner if it sounds like a brick when you tap on it. Draw the outline and also a cut line.
9. Cut to the cut line.
10. Brace the back using the plan. Carve the braces per the plan

Group 2 (sides)

1. Cut the sides to their height (between 2 1/2″ to 2 3/4″ ) and length and thin to .075 to .085 (no thicker or they will be hard to bend). Thinner than .075 and they may be too fragile.
2. Bend the sides to their shape using an inside mold. Clamp to the mold and trim at the neck and tail so you can get both sides fit nice to the mold.
3. Cut a head block the size of the opening in the mold and cut a mortise on the front side 3/4″ wide and 1/4″ deep
4. Cut a tail block to fit the size of the opening in the mold and the height of the sides
5. Glue the sides to the head block and tail block paying attention to keeping everything flat to one side and tight to the mold.
6. Apply kerfing to the top. (see group 4 for making kerfing) Keep the top of the kerfing just slightly above the sides enough that your fingernail catches it. I find it best to push the side assembly up the mould enough to get clamps on the kerfing and keep the sides clamped in the mold until the top kerfing is installed. This helps keep the shape of the sides.
7. When the kerfing is dry sand the side assembly flat using a sanding board.
8. Install kerfing on the back and sand flat when dry.

Group 3 (neck)

1. Glue a neck blank (or use a solid block of wood). There are two templates. One is the side profile, one is the top. Use the templates for the size and shape of the neck. Don’t cut the profiles at this time just get the block ready
2. Cut the tenon on one end to fit the head block.
3. Using the cheeks of the tenon as a reference, align the 12th fret mark on the side profile template even with the cheeks and trace (with the fretboard side of the template and the neck blank on a flat surface) and bandsaw the side profile (leave the line)
4. Measure from the cheeks of the tenon (12th fret) toward the peghead 7 3/8″ and mark a line across the fingerboard side of the neck. Next measure toward the peghead another 3/16″ and mark a line. These two lines are where the nut will sit.
5. CAREFULLY  plane or sand on a belt sander the face of the peghead till you have a crisp interfacing plane between the fretboard plane and the peghead  plane at the top of the nut (the last line you drew).
6. Now clean up the back side of the peghead till it is 1/2″ thick.

Group 4 (make kerfing)

1. Cut strips of mahogany 1/4″ thick and 5/8″ tall and at least 16″ long although longer is better
2. Use the jig to cut the angle on one side of the strip (get some help setting up the jig)
3. Use another jig to cut the slots or kerfs. You will need 4 pieces at least 16″ long. kerfing doesn’t have to be a continuous piece.

Assembly 1 (gluing the top to sides)

1. Place the side assembly over the top and mark on the braces the outside of the sides. Mark on the kerfing, the sides of the braces.
2. For the braces that go under the kerfing cut away the kerfing over the braces. Cut the ends of the braces to the inside of the sides. You will add individual kerfing pieces over the top of the braces once the top is glued. This keeps the braces from popping loose sometime down the road.
3. For the braces that don’t go under kerfing, mark them at the kerfing and trim.
4. Check all the way around the sides to make sure the top fits tight to the sides with no gaps. Make adjustments as necessary. Make sure the center line of the top aligns with the center line of the headblock and the tail block.
5. Apply glue to the kerfing and clamp the top to the sides using spool clamps (lots of them).
6. After the top is glued, glue individual kerf blocks over the braces where you trimmed out the kerfing.
7. Trim the excess top using a flush trim router bit or by hand.

Assembly 2 (fitting neck to body)

1. Cut the tenon slot out of the top
2. Place the neck and top face down on a flat surface with the neck tenon in the headblock mortise.
3. Make a mark on the headblock center line 1” from the bottom of the ukulele. Drill a ¼” hole through the head block and into the neck the length of a threaded insert.
4. Enlarge the hole in the neck to accept the threaded insert and install it.
5. Bolt the neck to the body and check alignment. The neck should be flat to the top and aligned with the center line of the ukulele. If the neck is not straight on the centerline carefully shave one side to bring into alignment. This is best done by using a chisel and trimming first close to the tenon and then easing out to the edge of the neck.

Group 5 (Fretboard and neck after assembly 2)

1. Make a Fretboard blank 3/16” thick 10” long and 2” wide
2. Using the fret saw blade and the template, cut fret slots on the little table saw.
3. Trim the nut end of the Fretboard to the nut slot that was cut.
4. Install position markers at frets 3, 5, 7, 10, 12 (install 2 here),and 15
5. Using the template, outline the Fretboard design. Cut on the bandsaw but leave the line. Plane or sand to the line.
6. Place a 3/16” nut in its place on the neck and align the Fretboard taking care that it is centered.
7. Glue the Fretboard to the neck using strips of inner tube to securely clamp it.
8. Once dry install frets. Dress the edges of the frets with a flat file then file the ends about 30 degrees and file away the burrs.

Group 6 (carving the neck)

1. Cut the peghead to the desired shape keeping in mind where you will install tuners
2. Use various shaping tools to shape your neck to the desired shape. I’ve found a spokeshave works pretty well in the areas it can reach. Then I use microplanes to get a rough shape. I use a course file to get a final shape then 80 grit sandpaper. Once I’m happy with the feel of the neck I sand with 150 then 220 grit.

Assembly 3 (attaching the back)

1. Place the back over the body and mark where the braces need to be trimmed. Mark on the sides of the ukulele where kerfing will need to be trimmed.
2. Cut a pocket in the kerfing to accept the braces
3. Test fit the back and if everything looks good (proper alignment and no gaps) glue the back to the body using spool clamps
4. Trim the excess back using a flush trim router bit or by hand

Assembly 4 (binding the body)

1. Select your binding or make some approximately 1/16” thick and ¼” tall.
2. Using the binding cutter jig, cut the binding channel.
3. IMPORTAINT – test fit the binding along the entire binding channel and cut more where needed.
4. Trim the binding at the tail block for a tight fit. The top binding can extend into the neck mortise and be cut after glued. The back binding needs to be a tight fit at the tail and head.
5. Glue the top binding in the channel starting at the tail block. Use blue tape to hold in place until you get both pieces in place.  Wrap the entire ukulele with inner tubes to hold the binding in place.
6. Allow a couple hours to dry before removing the inner tubes. They act like a bottle and the glue takes longer to dry.
7. When the inner tubes come off, clean the binding by scraping flush to the top and sides. Be careful to not scrape too thin. This is where checking your binding channel really pays off.
8. Repeat for the back

Group 7 (making the bridge, nut, and saddle)

1. Make the bridge slightly over ¼” thick x 1” wide x 3 1/8” long Start with a longer stick as it is easier to handle.
2. Set the depth of cut to 5/32”
3. Cut a 1/8” slot the entire length of the stick 1/8” from the edge
4. Cut another 1/8” slot the entire length of the stick 5/8” from the same edge
5. Now tilt the saw 30 degrees and set the width from the tip of the saw blade to the fence to 5/8”
6. With the saw set back to 90 degrees cut a blank 3 1/8” long
7. In the cross cut sled set the depth of cut to 5/32”. Nibble off the ends leaving a 2 1/16” center. Smooth with a flat file and sand to 220 grit.
8. Drill 4 1/16” holes for strings through the wide section of the bridge. Space the holes 9/16” apart starting 3/16” from the edge. When drilling, tilt the bridge forward 1/16” at the top edge. I use a piece of binding to tilt it. This has the holes at an angle making it easier to thread the strings.

Assembly 5 Install the bridge

1. You can install the bridge before finishing or tape off the bridge location and finish or finish and scrape away the finish under the bridge. Here’s how you set the bridge location.
2. There is a template that is the string length of 14 ¾”. You place one end against the nut and place the middle of the saddle slot at the other end. Carefully tape off the bridge location either under it if you are finishing without a bridge installed or around it if you plan to glue the bridge prior to finishing or after you have scraped away the finish.
3. Glue the bridge. Clamp with light pressure using 4 cam clamps

Finishing

1. Sand to 220 grit then wet sand with 400grit to see if there is any glue you missed.
2. Final sand to at least 320, more if you like.
3. Finish with your favorite finish. I find mahogany needs to have the pores filled to get a nice finish.

Assembly 6 (putting it together)

1. Cut a saddle to fit the slot extending above the bridge by 3/32” to 1/8”
2. Cut a nut 3/16” thick and place in its location. With a half pencil laying on the frets, scribe a line on the face of the nut. Cut 1/16” above the line.
3. Cut and file for strings down to just touching the line, no more.
4. String are spaced 3/8” on center and centered on the nut
5. String it, tune it, play it.

Guitar build journal
Week 1
For this first session we will make the body template, the work board with side adjusters, and the shim that supports the top when it is clamped to the work board. We’ll make a jig to aid in cutting the scarf joint for the neck on the table saw. Bring a pair of scissors to cut poster board for templates.

Week 2
What you need to bring:
Neck material – 2 pieces of Mahogany 3” x ¾” x 24”
Headstock veneer – cocobolo the piece that is approximately 3” wide x 7” long
Top – Sitka spruce
Back – Rosewood
Sides – Rosewood
Truss rod
2 - Cross dowel nuts and screws
Plywood that we cut as an extra leg of the workboard
Bring the template for the body that you made
Look at page 71 for a template for the headstock. You can use this or you can design your own. Just keep the dimensions within the bounds of the headstock.
Look at this web site and pick out which style initial you want to inlay into the headstock. One of the 9/16” tall letters would look good. If you want something simple to inlay, look at the circles with an initial. They are $30.00 as opposed to $6.00 for a simple letter. I’ll need to get this ordered next week.
http://luthiersupply.com/Pearl-Letters-Many-Styles.html
If you have or can get an old inner tube that we can cut into strips to wrap odd shaped pieces that need to be clamped, bring them.
You won’t need the workboard or the workboard shim this week.
We’ll start with the neck (chapter 4). You have 2 mahogany boards that need to be dimensioned to 3” wide and ¾” thick. In step 2 in the book he cuts the scarf joint with a hand saw then makes the angled surfaces true in step 4. I make a simple fence set to 15 degrees to fit the miter slot in the table saw which gives me a surface that is very close to ready to glue. We’ll make that jig as one that everyone will use.
In step 4, I use the bandsaw to reduce the headstock thickness to ½”.
Bring the plywood (extra leg) to use in clamping and gluing as in the picture in 4-8.
We’ll cut and glue the stacked heel block.
We’ll skip making your own truss rod since we bought those.
You have a piece of cocobolo to use as the headstock veneer. It will need to be dimensioned to around 1/16” thick and glued to the headstock (page 63) although you won’t glue it until you slot for the truss rod.
Page 58 – if the neck blank has time for the glue to dry we’ll pick up with this procedure.
While the neck is drying we can begin to join the top, back and sides and glue the top and back bookmatched halves.
It’s not likely that we’ll get to page 80, carving the heel but we’ll look at how this is done.

Week 3
This week you can go ahead and glue the heel to the neck shaft. Refer to page 48 Step 8. The line you marked and sanded to on the peghead is the starting line for the measurements. If you don’t get the heel glued you can do that first thing.
With this done Monday we can:
Cut the slot for the truss rod (page 58)
Cut the tenon on the heel block (page 59- 61)
Drill the tenon and head block to mate together (refer to bolt on neck https://www.cumpiano.com/an-improved-neck-body-joint)
Apply the headstock (peghead) veneer (page 63)
We’ll then switch our attention to the top that you glued:
Cut the top to the template plus about ¼” overhang
Dimension the top to between .1 and .125 thickness (page 104 – 112) We’ll use the drum sander rather than hand plane
Install the rosette that you purchased (page 124 – 126 and page 133) We’ll match the channel to the purchased rosette.
You’ll also join and glue the back like you did the top

If we get all that done we’ll be doing good.

What you will need:
Workboard but not the dowels.
The ¼” drill bushing to be installed in the workboard at the center of the soundhole
Neck with heel block
Truss rod
Peghead veneer (cocobolo)
Head block (that’s the mahogany that we cut a mortise )
Barrel nuts and bolts (2 of those)
Top
Rosette (package contains 3 rings)

Miscellaneous:
It’s a good idea to have a small bottle of CA glue in case of a repair (yes that happens)
Start gathering spring clamps that you will need later. Home Depot has the 2” clamps for $.99 and the ¾” for $.47. I use the 2” for clamping the sides to the dowels and the ¾” for clamping the kerfing to the sides
You’re going to need cam clamps to clamp the bracing to the top and back starting in week 4 Look at page 159 and you’ll see what I mean). We have 6 clamps at the WEC and I have some you can use. You may be able to borrow some from the folks who built mandolins. I’ve attached a plan if you want to build your own.
A good sharp chisel will be needed to carve your braces. We have some at the WEC but it’s good to have your own and get used to using them.

Week 4
Meeting June 4th
We’ll pick up from where we left off Monday and finish cutting the sound hole on the top. Go ahead and clean up the top and put a light coat of finish (lacquer, varnish, true oil, etc) to help protect it from damage as we keep working on it.
At home make the following:
Fingerboard template using the left over poster board. See page 38 for the steel string layout. It’s kind of hard to follow with both SS and CL in the text so here’s the SS:
A-B 25.4” Scale length
A-C 25.55” Compensated scale length
A-D 26.05” Nut to bridge pin
A-K 14-3/32” Location of 14th fret also the neck to body location
E-F 2-1/8” Outside string measurement at the bridge
G-H 1-11/16” Width of fingerboard at the nut
I-J 1-7/16” Outside string measurement at the nut
N-O 2-1/4” Fingerboard width at the 14th fret
A-P 17-27/32” Length of fingerboard
A-S 19-31/32” Nut to center of soundhole

Headplate clamping caul ¾” thick 6-3/4” long X 3” wide and glue cork to one side
Headplate template in poster board see the one on Page 71 or a similar design
Clamping shoe – page 36 put cork on one side

On Monday we will work on the following:
On the neck we will:
Page 50 - steps 11 and 12 trim the heel block and layout the shaft
Page 58 – Truss rod slot and neck tenon
Page 62 – Installing the truss rod
Page 63 – Applying the headstock (peghead) veneer
On page 64 we’ll use the table saw technique
Page 70 – Cutting the headpiece outline
Page 74 – drilling the steel string headpiece.
Page 80 – Carving the heel

Look ahead to page 143 on Soundboard bracing
While glue is drying you can:
Page 147 – prepare brace blanks
Layout the bracing (page 153)
Cut your back to the template
Thickness sand the back and sides

Material needed:
Neck
Truss rod
Headstock veneer
Mother of Pearl Initial
Tuning machines
Brace material (spruce)
Top
The scrap pieces cut from your top
Back & Sides
Scrap of wood ¼” – ½” thick X 3” wide X 6” long

Tools needed:
“C” clamps if you have some
Body template
Fingerboard template (made at home)
Headplate template (made at home)
Headplate caul (made at home)
Chisel for carving (1/2” paring chisel works good for carving)
Rasp and files
Carving knife or skew chisel (see page 91)
Scraper
We’ll make a template for the top arching of 27’ radius and the back arching of 10’8” radius described in step 4 on page 150.

Week 5
Meeting June 11
At Home:
Plane the spline, you installed over the truss rod, flush with the neck shaft.
Glue the headstock veneer to the headstock (page 64). We will trim it on the table saw as in the picture 4-28.
Draw the outline of your headstock on the back side of the headstock so you can bandsaw it with the headstock flat on the bandsaw table.
Look at picture 4-39 on page 71 to see how the tuning machines need to be spaced but your pattern doesn’t have to look like this.
Make 3 templates – The heel cap on page 81; The heel side profile on page 82;The heel end profile on page 87

On Monday we will work on the following:
Page 72 - Sawing the headstock outline to your pattern
Page 74 Drilling for tuning machines
Drill the neck and headblock to accept the barrel nut and screw. This is from book updates on Cumpaino’s web site https://www.cumpiano.com/an-improved-neck-body-joint
Page 80 – 91 - Carve the heel
We should have time to bend sides for 2 guitars so we will prepare the sides (step 7 & 8 page 101) joint one edge of the sides, rip to just over 4” about 1/16” and sand your sides to .085” (page 104).
You can sand your back to .10 (page 104).
A note about sanding rosewood”: It is very oily and will gum the sander quickly so clean the sanding belt with each pass and take small passes (about 1/8 turn). Check frequently to be sure not to ruin a back or side.
For those who finish carving their neck heel, you can start preparing your braces (page 147 – 152).
A sanding block cut to an arch to match the arch of the top (27’ radius) and another to match the arch of the back (10’ 8”) (page 150) work great for arching the braces. I start with a piece of 2” wide and 20” long and cut the arch on the bandsaw then use double side tape to hold a strip of sandpaper.
Material needed:
Neck
Barrel nut and screw
Tuning machines
Back & Sides
Brace material
(2) 2” x 2” x 20” scraps of wood for sanding blocks

Tools needed:
Chisels
Rasp & files (a 4 way rasp works pretty well)
Work board with dowels (if you might be bending your sides)
2” spring clamps to clamp sides to dowels on workboard
Soundhole center you cut from soundboard (for a template)

Week 6
Meeting 6/17/18
This week we’ll start bracing the top and adding kerfing to the sides.
At home try to complete the following:
Finish cutting the headstock to your shape
Clean up the heel with moderate grit sandpaper. You’ll sand to final later.
Refer to the chapter on Soundboard Bracing (page 143). Get familiar with the picture on pages 149, 151 and 154
Lightly draw the bracing on the inside of your top. You marked their location on your body template. Also refer to page 154.

Material you need to bring:
Work board with sides
Top
The left over pieces from where you cut the top (we’ll use some of it for braces)
Brace material (spruce boards)
Mahogany 1” x 1” sticks (to make kerfing)
Material to make arch template (step 4 page 150) We have some 1/8” plywood we can use for this.
Material to make sanding sticks to match the arch (A couple scrap pieces of 2” x 2” x 20” should be fine)
Cork to make some clamping cauls
I’ll bring some scraps of ½” plywood to make the Bridge Patch Caul (page 165)
I have the material for the bridge patch
Scrap of 1” x 1” x 12” to make the Upper Transverse Graft caul (see the picture on page 166)
¾” plywood left over from making the workboard – you’ll need a piece about 12” wide and 20” long to make a sanding board

Tools and templates you need to bring:
Body template
Poster board with cork shim
Cam Clamps - (Let me know if you need me to bring some)
1” clamps to clamp the kerfing to the sides – clothespins reinforced with a rubber band will also work. You need around 25 per side.

Week 7
Meeting 6/25/18
At Home:
Finish gluing the flat braces (Upper transverse graft, Sound hole brace, Finger braces, Bridge patch)

Check and trim the edge of the bridge patch so that the x brace will lie against it and on the line you drew.
Using the x brace mark the end of the Sound hole brace and cut flush to the line (page 169)
If you feel comfortable with shaping the flat braces go ahead. If you want to wait, you can shape them Monday.

Finish gluing the kerfing to the top of the sides.

On Monday we will work on the following:
NECK
Page 72 - Sawing the headstock outline to your pattern
Page 74 Drilling for tuning machines
Drill the neck and headblock to accept the barrel nut and screw. This is from book updates on Cumpaino’s web site https://www.cumpiano.com/an-improved-neck-body-joint
TOP
Sand the arch on the remaining top braces.
Cut the notch for the x braces (page 170)
Glue the Upper and Lower face braces. (Page 173)
BACK
While glue is drying you can sand the back to .010” Be sure to scrape off the glue prior to sanding.
You can cut and install the back plate centerseam inlay. (Page 221)
Prepare the back braces (Page 223)
SIDES
Make a sanding board and sand the kerfing and sides getting them ready to glue to the top.
Material needed:
Neck and headblock
Barrel nut and screw
Tuning machines
Back & Sides
Top
Brace material
(2) 2” x 2” x 20” scraps of wood for sanding blocks
Large scrap of plywood left over from building the workboard to make a sanding board (I’ll bring the sandpaper and spray adhesive)
Back centerseam inlay

Tools needed:
Chisels – very sharp
Work board with dowels
2” spring clamps to clamp sides to dowels on workboard
Soundhole center you cut from soundboard (for a template)
Cam Clamps
Poster board & cork shim for the top

Week 8
Next Meeting 7/2/18
At Home:
Finish gluing and shaping all the top braces. Refer to the drawing on page 167 for the shapes. Note that the long lower face brace has a height of ½” at the tallest point and the short lower face brace has a height or 3/8” at its tallest point (see page 174).

Cut 3 center seam diamonds from a piece of the left over top and glue and shape them . Their placement is on page 154. Their shape is in reference 7-35 on page 175.

Make a headblock fixture like on page 212. Line up the hole in the fixture with the bottom hole in your headblock. Rather than clamping to the workboard, I drill a hold and use a bolt with a wing nut.

On Monday we will work on the following:
TOP
Glue the headblock to the top (page 194 step 8)
Glue the tailblock to the top (page 195)
Fit and glue the sides to the top (page 205) Be sure to look at the picture on page 207

BACK
Install the centerseam inlay (page 221)
Brace the back (page 222)

FINGERBOARD
Make the fingerboard (starting on page 272) Watch out for what’s done for the classical guitar vs the steel string.

BRIDGE
Make bridge (page 343) I do this a little different than he does it.

Material needed:
Top
Back
Sides
Headblock
Tailblock
Brace material
Back graft material (cutoffs from the top to reinforce the back seam)
Fingerboard blank
Bridge blank
Bone saddle
Bridge pins
Tools needed:
The usual
I’ll bring my trim router to cut the slot in the back for the centerseam and also the slot in the bridge for the saddle.
I have a countersink that works well for making the countersinks for the bridge pins
Fret ruler if you made one – I have a couple extra
I’ll bring my fret saw – I left the miter box at the guild

Final thoughts:
We’re going to have some bottlenecks this week around tools that are being shared so be prepared for everyone to be working on separate things.

I’d like to see everyone get their sides glued to the top if we can.

Once the centerseam inlay is installed on the back you need to get it reinforced with the back graft (page 222)