TKL003 Body Construction

A range of steps were completed to progress the ukulele from separate back, soundboard, sides and neck, to the completed or “boxed” body. At the start of this process, the components of the ukulele included the back and soundboard with shaped bracing, the neck with Spanish style heel block and carved heel, and the thicknessed timber for the sides. The steps that have been undertaken form the constructed body for this ukeulele include:

• Cutting the side pieces to the required profile, so that they follow the domed shape at the soundboard and backboard edges
• Bending the side pieces
• Joining the soundboard to the neck table at the heel block
• Shaping and joining the tail block to the soundboard
• Cutting the bent sides to length and joining to the soundboard
• Fixing the kerfed lining between the sides and the soundboard, and the sides and back
• Reinforcing the treble side upper boat and cutting the sideport
• Closing the ukulele body by joining the back plate
• Trimming the back and soundboard to be flush to the sides
  

TKL003 Tenor Kasha Ukulele front (Englemann Spruce)

TKL003 Tenor Kasha Ukulele back (Tiger Myrtle)

More details of this process have been written for the T004 Ukulele, including images for most of these steps:

http://makaioukuleles.blogspot.com/2009/01/t004-body-construction.html

To enhance the advantages of the modified Kasha bracing system used for this ukulele, the soundhole area on the soundboard has been kept to a minimum and is primarily decorative. However, to allow the air within the ukulele body to resonate, a sound hole was placed in the ukulele side in the bass upper bout (sideport). The use of the combined sideport and minimal soundboard soundhole has two purposes, firstly the available soundboard area is increased by not having a large centre sound hole, and secondly the voice of the ukulele is projected from the body in a range of directions. The side of the ukulele in the area of the sideport was first reinforced with a cross-grain spruce patch to increase the strength around the sideport. Black and white veneers were laminated between the spruce patch and the Tiger Myrtle side wood, which gives the edges of the sideport a decorative white/black/white stripe.

Sideport and soundholes

With the body of the ukulele now constructed, the tap tone of the body is loud, deep, and sweet. The modified Kasha bracing and Engelmann Spruce soundboard produce a tap tone that indicates that this ukulele will have a long sustain. The ukulele body will now be further tuned by thinning the bass side of the soundboard to improve the deeper pitched notes within the instrument's range.