Ukuleles are portable and have an exotic sound.
The ukulele was invented in the late 1800s by two Portuguese visitors to the Hawaiian islands. The natives embraced the instrument almost instantly and it became a very important part of Hawaii's culture. The ukulele's popularity reached the continental United States in 1915. This instrument's popularity has endured due to its portable nature and exotic sound. With a cigar box and some basic craftsmanship, you can make your very own ukulele at home.
Instructions
1. Decide on the desired length of the ukulele. A standard ukulele is 21 inches. A concert ukulele is 23 inches, a tenor ukulele is 26 inches and a baritone ukulele is 30 inches.
2. Find a wooden cigar box. The box should be in good condition and about 10 inches long.
3. Cut out the neck of the ukulele. Find a suitable piece of wood. It should be a hard wood like oak or maple. Subtract the length of the cigar box from the overall length you chose and that is how long your piece of wood should be plus one inch. Use a jigsaw, lathe and/or chisel to shape your instrument neck. The head should slanted down slightly. Sand the neck down with sandpaper. Or you can use a neck from a broken ukulele as long as it is intact.
4. Make the finger board. Find a piece of hardwood about one-eighth of an inch thick, and cut it to fit on top of the neck of the guitar. Measure where you want the frets to go and draw a line with a straight edge and a pencil. Cut a groove for the frets with a chisel. Cut the fret wire with wire snips. Fret wire can be purchased in rolls. Measure the length of each groove before cutting a fret for it. Glue the frets into the grooves using metal or wood glue.
5. Glue the finger board onto the neck of the guitar using wood glue.
6. Install the tuners. Mark where you want the tuners to go. Drill holes for the tuners with an electric drill. Install the tuners by pushing the two ends of each tuner into the holes and connecting them in the middle with a screw.
7. Drill the sound hole. Mark where you wish the sound hole to go on the back of the box. The hole should be 1.75 inches in diameter. Use a jigsaw to drill the hole, then sand the edges down until they are smooth.
8. Make the bridge. Cut a piece of wood for the bridge and with a chisel, and make grooves for the four strings. Use a drill to make half holes on the end of the grooves for the strings to go. Glue a narrow strip of wood across the middle of the bridge to be the saddle. Glue the bridge below the sound hole.
9. Attach the neck to the cigar box using wood glue and screws.
10. String the ukulele. Once all the glue has dried, affix the end of the strings to the bridge. Stretch them across the neck and feed them through the tuners. Tighten and tune the strings with the tuners.
Tags: ukulele inches, piece wood, sound hole, wood glue, exotic sound, finger board