Total Beginner needing help

[goodwinmagic501]

Hello there, so before i get started i would like to explain why i am here. i recently wanted a new hobby and took a trip to turkey. here i bought a minature guitar and loved the idea of making one myself. so i did. however with no strings and it looks very rough. obviosly not knowing what tools, wood. paints or finishes i needed. i was still proud of the outcome.

basically what i am asking here is what type of wood should i be looking to use ?

I use a hand rotary tool kit with most drill bits and extensions (however i do not know what the bits are called or the uses. i generally use it for sanding, cutting and shaping my different sizes.

i have just started a new piece that is a little bit different that i like to call a 'jigsaw guitar' all the pieces are interlocking, so the guitar is not a whole piece but a bunch of seperate interlocking parts.

i used balsa wood. which you probably know is SUPER soft (i can push my finger nail in it and it leaves a dent. it think for my next guitar i should use a slightly harder wood? bass?

however like i say i am a complete novice.

also i don't know how to make the smooth edges, as when i try and sand the wood down or smooth it. it goes fury?. again i think this is because of the type of wood i am using?

i now would like to make a more 'traditional' minature guitar and was wondering if you guys could help me out with the above problems. also how to paint the wood to get a nice glossy finish?

PLEASE treat my like you would a complete novice who has never seena piece of wood before. let alone tried to carve one.

thanks in advance
Aaron

 

[bugbear]

Here's a 3 page thread from a rather good violin maker, who made a Ukelele for his newborn nephew.

It may either answer many of your questions, inspire you, or terrify you.

I hope you enjoy it.

Making a Ukelele

BugBear

 

[goodwinmagic501]

Thanks BugBear, it terrified me and made me smiile, and want to (one day) be able to afford all of those tools. however

my miniture i meen about 7-10 inches

i am going to read through that thread properly now i only skimmed it. it is a very nice ukelele!

 

[pip1954]

well aaron you not a total novice now but you have a long journey ahead of you good luck.
you will find when you use better wood you will find it easier to finish the wood as balsa is very soft and is difficult to sand because it has open pours and that will make it hard to finish to .you will get a lot of advice from this site ,
main thing to remember is enjoy
pip

 

[goodwinmagic501]

thanks for the advice pip.

will i need to get some better/ stronger tools for better wood? as i would imagine they would be too strong to cut through with my rotary tool kit?

i hope to learn lots. i dont have lots of spear time but when i do i like to be active, using my hands. this is why i am also a magician

 

[thick_mike]

Tiny guitars will need some wood that can hold small details. If you are making models rather than a guitar to play, then lime is very good for carving and holds small details well

 

[goodwinmagic501]

Lime wood, thanks. Where, apart from online could i get some? I live in the Manchester area

Does anyone have any tips for bending the wood? For the body. I want to create the miniatures like the large ones (with the separate body work with a hollow inside)

They are not to play, just display. If this is not possible a full body will be just as fulfilling!

Again thank you for the advice.

The only wood i have at the moment is balso and bass

 

[thick_mike]

If you are looking to bend wood to make an acoustic guitar (hollow body) then laminating veneers is probably a good way to go because small guitars = tight curves which will be difficult in thicker wood. Sorry, I don't know much about veneers.

 

[goodwinmagic501]

Any help is good help! Thank you.... What is the process of bending wood? I heard that you can steam it? Or boil it in water?

How long should you do this for? And how long should you leave it to dry before gluing the pieces in together?

Also what type of glue would you suggest for wood?

Sorry about all of the questions!

 

[brianhabby]

Another ukelele build here. Mathias shows the method that he used to bend the wood and compares it with his friend who has a lot of experience.

Hope that helps

regards

Brian

 

[andersonec]

You may want to try a forum dedicated to that type of stuff such as here.

http://simnettguitars.co.uk/forum/index.php

Andy