Ukulele project

Cleaning and re-organizing the shop, I found big enough top off-cuts to make a couple of concert ukulele tops. Add in the flamed maple sides that were intended to make some binding, and I found myself planning a scrap ukulele project. This is a hands-on course for my two eldest sons into the world of luthiery, hopefully into playing guitar family instruments, and definitely a nice way to spend some father-son time together. I ordered plans for concert size ukulele, and made the mold. The boys will do all the gluing, sanding and everything there is to do, with my help of course. The goal is to make two serious ukes with the quality and beauty you won't find in the music shops nearby, at a very low budget. All we need to buy is the tuners and strings.

Here's the material. Nice flamed bosnian maple
 for the backs and sides, and european spruce
for the tops

Miika's uke will get an ovankol wedge for the three piece back...

...while Kaapo's uke will get flamed sapele wedge. Both of them
 are off-cuts from my previous or to-come projects.
 The backs had to be done of three pieces to make
the maple meet the sides as well. Both the center pieces
will make a strong visual statement as well.

This is my top/back joining method.
The clamping wedges are made of maple.