Heres a perfect and unique Christmas gift”build a cigar box ukulele from scratch or from a prebuilt kit. If you have seen all the online sites for ukuleles for sale, youve seen the wide range of prices and the host of available models from beginner to professional unit. Think about building your own. Not sure if you have all you need? Consider the following techniques and recommendations and you will see that you can build a beautiful, good sounding, acoustical instrument. Cigar box ukuleles are relatively simple to make and at the same time offer you the ability to build a high quality, well playing acoustical instrument.

The most unique part of a cigar box instrument naturally is the box, so Im primarily concerned in this article with attention to the box. You can successfully build any of the basic ukuleles”soprano, concert, tenor or baritone; if you pay close attention to these four key elements in choosing and preparing the box: 1. Use the right box 2. Reinforce the box 3. Use the right hardware and attachment methods methods 4. Follow the rules

Let us start with #1 Use the right box. Cigar box ukuleles originated as an outgrowth of the tramp art culture where the idea was to build with discarded materials, or at the least to use leftovers that were meant for a completely different initial use. So bear in mind that your sound box, that most basic element of any ukulele building kit, depends in this case on using discarded, although oftentimes extravagant, very well constructed and enchantingly beautiful, packaging material. Cigar boxes come in a very wide range of sizes, shapes, length to width ratios, thicknesses and materials (dont use all-cardboard boxes), not to mention how well, or not, they are constructed. Pick whatever suites your fancy, but bear in mind the following guidelines for optimum size depending on the instrument you are building.

Soprano Ukulele use a box between 7 and 9 long Concert Ukulele use a box between 8 and 10 long Tenor Ukulele use a box between 8 and 10 long Baritone Ukulele use a box between 9 and 11 long

You will need to reinforce whatever box you choose. Start with x blocks glued inside the corners of the box using Titebond II glue or equal. A thin coat of glue on each block, held in the corner of the box for about 30 seconds will add to the useful life of your ukulele. Float these blocks a little above the soundboard (The box bottom usually made of solid or laminated wood about 1/8 or so thick. Use a 3/16 x 3/8 support block glued on its edge inside the soundboard directly below or very near the location of the bridge. This will flatten the slight indentation of the soundboard caused by string tension. Finally, be sure to remove any paper glued to the inside of the box so you get a firm wood to wood glue line at all blocking.

Use a damp cloth and a straight edge to remove all paper inside the box that can interfere with getting a good wood to wood glue line at blocking locations. Dont skimp on screws and other fasteners in your box. Use only the best. Use a template to mark all fastener locations and press the mark with an awl or nail set to provide a good starter for each fastener. Pre-drill fastener pilot holes and drive screws with hand tools only.

Finally #4 on the list says to follow the rules. This step is equally important as any of the other three. You may have heard that in the cigar box ukulele and banjo world there are no rules. Actually there are two. Rule #1 is Do it your way, and rule #2 is Dont forget rule #1. After conscientiously attending to the basic box preparation steps above, you can let your imagination run hog wild with added design and fabrication techniques using the same two rules outlined above. Good luck and good building.

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