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You could well be right about necessity. I've made a couple of ukes with no bridge plate and they've held together (but I've been making for only about 6 years, so I don't know about longevity). But these ukes sounded "jangly" (lots of high overtones?) and showed marked humping behind the bridge...

Ah! Sounds like my first attempts. You need to understand a bit more about grain direction and runout to help you choose your wood. "Instrument wood" isn't critical - I've made some very acceptable ukes from an old wardrobe, shelves and so on. Ideally your plank will have vertical grain...

Most ukes have a bridge plate, perhaps 1.5mm thick and a bit larger than the bridge footprint. I've read various explanations, but find most plausible the idea that thin hardwood tops are quite flexible along the grain compared to spruce, thus increasing the risk of the glue joint peeling away...

I think the grain on Zeddedhed's board might give you problems bending, unless it's vertical grain with some fairly wild figuring (if so, you'll need a metal backing strip, I use aluminium salvaged from a caravan). If no-one here can help you, Rob Collins at tinguitar.com will be able to...

Sounds like maybe a Wall Lizard (no, I'm no expert, just used Google). http://www.sauria.org.uk/cap_breed/animals/muralis.htm If so, they eat fruit as well as insects. I'd try a deep bucket with a batten clamped to it, projecting out to the middle, and a tipping platform on the end. Grape on...

Damn you Mignal! I thought how useful such a rasp might be, and this was the closest I could find so I ordered it. http://www.aliexpress.com/item/3PCS-SET-8-10-12-INCH-Flat-Steel-File-Wood-File-Pointed-Rasp-File-Set-DIY/32483655654.html The pictures don't look like hand stitching, but making 6...

Thinking back, I made my first soprano ukulele using only the following: Japanese pull saw (a basic unbacked saw which cut fret slots and everything else) Block plane 1/4 and 1/2 inch chisel Drill Sandpaper and blocks (using a piece of broom handle as a block for curves) Hammer and side...

Oh, and I've used a no 80 scraper for thinning ukulele plates and sides. Works fine once you've sorted out how to clamp the workpiece. Now I'm better at planing I prefer to thin by planing at 45 degrees or so to the grain, but the no 80 was invaluable before I learnt how to do this.

Hey, don't knock the bigger chisels! I have an old 1 1/4 inch which gets lost of use making ukuleles. It's definitely my go to neck carving chisel (I use chisels and cabinet scraper primarily) because, for me, the extra width seems to help me carve along curved surfaces more precisely than using...

I have no view on the best way to sharpen, and certainly none about how others should do it. I don't get on well with jigs, but that's me, not the jig. But I am inconsistent, and I recently discovered why, which might help some who can't always get a good edge. The three fundamental steps, (a)...

I don't think the OP mentioned WBP, but even that would bend with heat. Heat bending plasticises the lignins in the wood, allowing it to be bent to make eg guitar sides, which is how I use the technique. Steam bending of solid wood does the same, with the steam helping to get the heat into the...

I can't picture what you're aiming at (a sketch would help). But I have bent 3.6 mm hardwood ply to make a ukulele case: I bent dry over a hot pipe, heated with a heat gun, and if I'd used a metal backing strip would have had no delamination ( there was a fraction on the tightest bend). The...

My no 3 is my go to plane for ukulele making. The plates for top and back are only about 9 x 6 inches, so a bigger plane is unwieldy. The Quangsheng no 1 gets a surprising amount of use too, especially working on necks.

For luthiery, hot hide, Titebond I and CA, depending on the application. This seems to me a hard question to answer without knowing what you're glueing. If I made boats I'd use different glues.

Agreed, but ... The work commented on was posted on Facebook, which is primarily a way of sharing things with friends. I'm an amateur musician, and occasionally post videos for friends to view because I like the song and want to share it with them. Maybe professional (or at least better)...

Reporting back. I bought a full sheet of 3.6 mm lightweight hardwood ply from Buildbase for about £10.50 Inc VAT, so it has to be the lowest grade available. It bent very easily on a hot pipe, with the outside laminations at 90 degrees so the thicker inner core grain direction ran lengthways...

Then hie thee to a model shop, because the different sizes of tube fit inside each other. I made these friction tuners for a 6.35 inch scale length uke using two different diameters (4mm and 5mm, with 3mm bolts as the centre pillar).

I was going to suggest brass tube from a model shop - sold in a wide range of diameters to suit every broken screw!

If you know the landlord or can get an introduction (and importantly recommendation) from the current tenant then why not go direct? The estate agents have made it clear they see you as a last resort in any case. But without some kind of introduction or prior relationship, I'd expect a landlord...

I think I'd cut a clean surface, mark my 1 inch circle, draw a hexagon round it, cut down those lines with a saw and then cut off the waste. From that point your pipe should work much more easily.