Ukulele Building, cont

Next we prepare the top and bottom. The top is made from two pieces and the bottom is made from two pieces. The pieces are laid side by side and glued together in a jig. Usually the two pieces were cut from the same blank. They are then placed side to side and the grain matched up to get the most attractive pattern. The edges that will be glued must be perfectly flat or they will not glue together properly. In this image Pat is sanding the edges of a set before gluing. The wood in this set is Koa.



Here are the two koa pieces in the jig. The bungie cord puts pressure on the jig which in turn forces the glued surfaces together tight.