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Re: Is it OK if my back set is just a smidge too narrow?

Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 11:59 am
by ScooberJake
TonyinNYC wrote:When you cut out the back profile, you can that the sections from the waist area and join them to the lower bout to ensure you have enough width. I have done that with tops and backs. Works great and its extra insurance against the missing width being wider than the binding.
Thanks Tony, good idea.

Re: Is it OK if my back set is just a smidge too narrow?

Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 10:45 pm
by TonyinNYC
My pleasure. Here is a ukulele I made recently with a three piece top.
See? The top is too narrow, but I only had the one piece.
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It was, however, very long, so I gut the top off, cut it in half and made wings:
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Here is the finished top before lacquer:
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I would say I did a lousy job on the joints too. This top was the second sound board for this ukulele. I ruined the first one with a router by accident.
Anyway, here it is with lacwuer:
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Not to bad under finish.
Here is a dreadnought soundboard I added wings to:
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And here it is under finish:
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On the dread, I needed about an eighth of an inch in width at the widest point, but two inches in length due to the shape of the bout. In the end, I don't think the joints are detectable even when I do point them out. Try to orient the joint so it is parallel to a grain line and it will appear to be one when you are done. In the pic of the dread, the light colored line IS a grain line next to the joint. It is not the actual joint. Since your "wings" will be as small as these, or smaller, you have plenty of wood to play with to align the joint and the grain lines. You will end up with invisible joints. Don't sweat it. Just add the wings as insurance. It's much harder to add them once the plate is on the guitar!!