Building a ukulele

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

Ukulelele build, one video:

My ukulele build - detailed series		Pat's ukulele build
Bending the sides	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 bending the sides
The sound board	I made my soundboard using spruce from a 2x10 bought at the Home Depot. Pat made his out of Hawaian koa wood, with a nice rosette around the sound hole. No rosette on mine.	Pat's sound board
Making the ukulele body	I largely built my ukulele body without a form, but using a form helps to ensure the shape of the instrument is exact. 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's ukulele body
Making the neck	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.	Pat's ukelele neck
The fretboard	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.	Pat's fretboard
Assembly	Installing tuners, mounting the fret board, closing up the back. I saved a lot of tasks until quite late.	In pat hawley's build, most of this work was done as part of earlier steps.
Finishing up	Finishing the body, installing bridge and nut, stringing it up.	Pat finishing the Ukulele
Instrument case	An instrument case for my homemade ukulele.	Free plans for the ukulele

And here's the finished instruments.
Pat's looks quite exquisite compared to mine.

Comparing the ukuleles

Some fun with the ukulele with Go Long(!) music

See also:

Simple guitar hanger

Building a cajon box drum, with Paul

Homemade pipe organ

Touring an organ
building workshop

Pat Hawley's custom fan
fret eight-string guitar

Pat's guitar case

Chris pinney's
cigar box banjo

Chris Hoyle's
ukulele build

Junk guitar neck reset

Cheap guitar mods

Guitar inlay experiments

Pat Hawley's homemade thickness sander

Plate resonance experiments

Building an air raid siren

Experimenting with
UV finish

Anti ASMR screeching and scraping sounds

Xylophone toy build