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Hi Chris, your thread is amazing and having only just started going through it I have already picked up some useful tips. It's interesting that you are taking the classical approach to the build. Mine will be a steel string approach with my nemesis the dovetail joint!!! For my next build I will...

So with the boards all cleaned up I taped them together and cut them in half. I had to cut at an angle to get enough room for the top and back. I have no room to play around with. The top and back only just fit.

Planning up the back. Intially got a lot of tear out. I Stropped my blade on a piece of mdf after every few passes and this helped a lot! I would love to try a low angle plane to see if this makes a real difference on figured woods. I currently sharpen my blades using wet and dry sandpaper...

This is my first attempt at a an ongoing post so please go easy on me. A while ago Custard kindly gave me some off cuts of rippled sycamore. It has beautiful flame. What most woodworks would cast aside as scrap or fire wood I can use to make instruments. So if anyone else has any nice...

I did try the 3m scary sharp films. I did a lot of research and upon asking people who used them was told that a set of sheets could last up to four months. So I got some and had trouble with them. Totally my fault granted but items an expensive lesson at £3.49 a sheet. The sheets became unstuck...

I posted on here a while ago about sharpening. I currently use wet and dry sandpaper to sharpen and I hate it. The paper tears all of the time and creases up and originally I was questioning whether the Method of sharpening makes a difference. As I find that even though I can get a razor sharp...

Wow that figure! Gee! That's beautiful.

I recently attempted to cut a slice off of a piece of sapele and it took me over an hour and a half. I found it hard but maybe it's because I am not that strong. I guess I'll just buy some sets. Was just looking for another way. Thanks everyone.

Hi all I am new to instrument making and having had a lot of practice and made quite a few mistakes I feel ready to try and make some serious instruments. My question is regarding nice wood sets and namely wood billets. Wood for guitars and ukuleles is very expensive to buy and I wondered if it...

I found this bit of wood today in the street and I wondered if anybody has any idea what it is. Thanks

Thanks for the advice i figured the chances of having cheap and still ok were slim but I thought I'd ask. I'll just wait until I'm in a better position to be able to afford a decent one. As for sharpening that has been an ongoing challenge for me but after months of practice I finally get a...

Hi all I was hoping for some advice. I really want to try a Japanese chisel. I currently use a cheap set of chisels as I am just starting out so don't have the cash to splash just yet but I am very curious about Japanese chisels. I wondered if anyone could recommend a relatively cheap but still...

You are right about the bridge plate. I am not following a set of plans. I tried to find free plans online but couldn't all I could find was the stew Mac template which is what I used. I plan on adding a bridge plate when I get a neck blank and figure out where the bridge actually needs to go. I...

Thank you everyone for the advice and kind offers of help. Here is a picture of the walnut. I'm not even sure what kind it is. As you can see the glue is a mess. Not having a go bar deck or many clamps the braces didn't make contact across the wood so had to top up the glue which caused chaos. I...

Ok so I am half way through building my first ukulele with very little woodworking experience or knowledge prior to starting. It was going ok until I got to bending the sides. The side thickness should have been between 1.8 and 2mm. I thought I had thicknessed them to the correct size and began...

Hi all i got this plane for a guy who comes to my college and sells tools he picks up from boot fairs and cleans up. I can't seem to make it work. It works semi ok if I remove the slider to move the blade left and right. But when that slider is on the blade does not make contact with the...

Thanks for the suggestions. I am going to try and make one out of tool steel. Searching on eBay for some now. We made blades at college and I thought that for blades and things one could do so at home with a blowtorch and oil but I thought for chisels I need a better setup. Going to try and...

Hi thanks for the reply. I did think about trying to make one but I think it would be a bit tricky for me getting the tool steel to the correct widths using just a hack saw and files. Those ones are a little small but could be a place to start.

Hi everyone just wondered if anyone could recommend a place that I could get a 1,2 and 3mm chisel. Have searched online but the chisels I have found are coming up at £20 a chisel which is a bit much. I need them for working on guitar rosette channels, nut slot channels and inlay work. Thanks...

Hi all having watched the recent Paul Sellers can clamp video I really want to try and make a few as they are way to expensive. I am very new to wood working and will be using hand tools. I know I can get the bar for the clamps from b and q but I am having trouble finding the roll pins. In the...