The First Weekend Ukulele Building Class at Woodworkers' Club, Norwalk, CT

February 18-19, 2006

We work all around a big workbench; Dwight demonstrates his experience at the "boarding house reach" looking, most likely, for just one more clamp.

Dwight, Tommy, Laura, Rena (hidden), and Geoff are well under way getting the sides, inner blocks, and linings assembled in the first step of assembly.

The obligatory photo of "all those clothespins special luthiers' clamps"

Geoff works out some of his aggression in a constructive way, by tapping frets into his fretboard; the frets are protected by a block of wood.

Has Laura lost something down in there? No, just locating a brace for the soundboard.

Tommy clamps a soundboard brace using a block to reach into the body, on the special sushi server we use for a building jig.

A federal disaster area, or a workbench shared by six luthiers? In the foreground, Laura's back plate gets its braces.

Dwight Adjusts the spool clamps we use for attaching the back plate.

Philosophical Tommy ponders the profound phenomenon of symmetry.

Rena approaches the scariest part: trimming the soundboard and back plates with a flush-cut laminate trimmer.

A wise old Luthier once said, "Sanding is forever".

We final-fit the neck to the body by abrading it against stick-back sandpaper adhered to the top of the body. Tommy will notice later that it's a bad idea to wear black to a sawdusty wood shop even if you do live in Manhattan.

Tommy Says, "I can get my bridge in the right place without looking!"

Rena tries to think inside the box for a change as she matches her bridge to the lines she's drafted on the soundboard

Dwight says, "Now this will only hurt a little!" as he prepares to install the screws holding the bridge down.

Alright -- Smile for the camera!

Now ---------  STRUM!

And Teacher joins in for the formal Graduation Photo.