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Assemble the body
Place the bent sides into the body mold, with their ends
butted together at the center . Now you can see the body of
your ukulele taking shape! If the sides don’t precisely match
the body shape on the plan drawing, don’t worry . A little vari-
ation between ukes is fine . As long as the side curves match
each other nicely, you’ll have a great looking instrument .
The corner braces will hold your sides nicely square to the
baseboard, so the body doesn’t “lean” in one direction . If
you like, use a square to double-check this .
The neck block and tail block are the same size and shape,
so you can use either block at either end . Press these blocks
against the side joints with sturdy clamps . Do your dry run
before using glue . A piece of waxed paper between the
sides and the body mold will prevent accidentally gluing
the sides to the mold .
The neck and tail blocks need to be the same height as the
sides . If yours are taller than the sides, trim them with a saw
or chisel . This is easier to do now than later .
Glue the sides and blocks
When you’re comfortable with your clamping setup, put glue
on the neck and tail blocks . Put a little glue on the narrow
edges of the sides that butt together, too .
If the neck and tail blocks quickly absorb the glue, add more
to make sure you have a wet gluing surface . You don’t want
a glue-starved joint .
Clamp the blocks and sides, and let them dry for 45 minutes .
Use warm water to clean up any glue squeezeout while it’s
still wet .
Install the linings
The flexible wooden linings will be glued to the edges of the
sides, flush with the top and back . These strengthen the body
and provide a wider surface for gluing the top and back .
On guitars similar linings are called kerfing, and kerfing
clamps are made for gluing them . Rubber-banded clothes-
pins make great substitute kerfing clamps for this kit .
Watch the video:
PART 3
ASSEMBLING THE BODY
Body mold of
plywood and
corner braces
Summary of Contents for ukulele kit
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