Greetings! I was so inspired by seeing and playing Carpenter's new Oud that I decided to finally get started on my first bowl. I have some ash and
black walnut I got from Bob Correll, a cider press maker. His sawyer friend salvaged the black walnut from a Eugene, Oregon storm in the 70's, and the
ash was leftover from cider press frames.
Here's the 17 stave bowl with 13 glued on:
Tail end
OudandTabla - 3-30-2008 at 11:41 AM
Here's the tail end (I can't seem to figure out how to put multiple pics on one post):
My clamping jig
OudandTabla - 3-30-2008 at 11:43 AM
Also thought I'd show my little rib clamping jig- I like having as much positive clamping pressure as possible between ribs as possible:
the setup
OudandTabla - 3-30-2008 at 11:45 AM
First clamp it in place with a spring clamp, leaving enough room for your rib to slip in:
In action
OudandTabla - 3-30-2008 at 11:46 AM
Then use as many clamps as you need to get good glue squeezout along the entire joint:
Walnut
OudandTabla - 3-30-2008 at 11:47 AM
Here's more of the walnut: some 3/8" stock I will use for the pegbox, as well as some thinner stuff for veneer. Also my rib template in the
background:carpenter - 3-30-2008 at 12:07 PM
Looking good, Josh. How do you like the ash so far?
Keep those progress reports coming.jdowning - 3-30-2008 at 01:31 PM
Way to go Josh. good luck.
Concerning posting of multiple images. For what it's worth, I use Microsoft 'Picture It' - a very basic photo editor - but there will be other similar
programs available. To create a multiple image - having done any required editing of the individual images - use "Create Label Sheet", select the
number of labels per sheet and orientation and plug in the individual images, make any adjustments required, crop to size and save as a composite
image. I then resize the image to 640X480 (or close to it), suitable for posting, by using freeware "PIXresizer".
Well, not absolute perfection but it is fast and convenient and works for me.Jameel - 3-30-2008 at 01:48 PM
Nice project Josh. Welcome to the world of oud making.paulO - 3-31-2008 at 06:03 AM
Hi Josh,
Look at that walnut ! Fantastic raw material, and the ash is no slouch either.
Beautiful work dude.
Cheers..Paul
Update
OudandTabla - 4-3-2008 at 02:18 PM
Well, with the newborn I've become a stay at home dad, and somehow have ended up with more time than before to work out in the shop! It's really just
an hour or so during naptimes, but it adds up... here's the progress:
1. Bowl finished, sanded to 120 grit; neck blank glued up (walnut with ash stringer... I'm dovetailing but I like the strength of laminating); walnut
pegbox with cherry binding begun... and of course my trusty lil' Stanley block.
2. Triple diamond inlay of cherry on center rib.
3. Ends of ribs... not too bad for a first try. Boy, is it hard to get those to line up! I think I'll cover the gap with the endpin jack of the pickup
I'm installing.
Rose Ideas
OudandTabla - 4-3-2008 at 02:20 PM
Here are some ideas for a rose: critiques? Suggestions? The first two are native american based, the last an abstract one I particularly like for it's
delicacy.OudandTabla - 4-3-2008 at 02:23 PM
Oh, and thanks everyone for the support! Carpenter, the Ash bends really nice... I like it a lot. Next time I'll cut it all from the same stick.
Jdowning, thanks for the image tip.carpenter - 4-3-2008 at 03:15 PM
<< and somehow have ended up with more time than before to work out in the shop! >>
You lucky pup! And that bowl looks mighty good to me - I dig the diamonds.
Rose-wise - and this is One Man's Opinion, as ever - I'd go for something with the most air-to-wood ratio. That music's got to get out of the box
somehow, yes? (Maybe that's part of Oud-ness, squeezing down the tone ... I dunno.)
#1 looks like quite the sound strainer, but what do I know? I've seen denser, but am no judge. I wonder if there's some program, like a print
densitometer, to figure percentages of hole-to-material, given a b/w scan of the design, like figuring a halftone avg. percentage. Somebody's bound to
know; it might be handy for designing. Then, I wonder if it matters much.
Are you doing tweeter holes? I think getting those little guys related to the main rose is key to the whole look visually, sound notwithstanding.
I'm sure it'll be just great, whatever you do; I -ahem - look forward to a test picking, of course.Peyman - 4-3-2008 at 07:34 PM
Nicely done!
These rosettes are cool. The last one looks really caught my eye.
BTW, What happened to the flatback oud?OudandTabla - 4-3-2008 at 08:45 PM
Thanks! Yeah, the flatback... I decided that the adventure of making a bowl was much more intriguing than the flatback, and I was already saving stock
in the right dimensions for the ribs, while my resawing capacity makes it really hard for widths over 4".
Someday down the road I'll try out the flatback idea though!Peyman - 4-4-2008 at 07:00 AM
I might give it a try then . Seriously I am curious to find out what it would
sound like. We shall see.muhrvis - 4-6-2008 at 02:43 PM
Josh,
Your bowl looks great! Of the three rosettes, I think I like the last one better as well. The second one does not appeal to me because of the way that
the geometrical and sweeping curved elements are arranged. It looks too "strong" or "harsh" instead of elegant. Just my own two cents...
Some progress
OudandTabla - 4-28-2008 at 01:35 PM
Here's the body with neck and pegbox attached, waiting for face to be joined:
Bracing
OudandTabla - 4-28-2008 at 01:38 PM
This is the bracing plan I've chosen, based on my Temel Sehit oud. Based on that design, there will be 2 more small braces that extend from the rim
about 1 inch into the soundboard approximately in line with the bridge (you can see the pencil line)
Pegbox
OudandTabla - 4-28-2008 at 01:46 PM
A closeup of the pegbox with cherry trim and a purpleheart end piece. Thanks again to Carpenter, I got the pegs fitted (Ebony) and they run smoother
than any of my current instruments. Amazing what a little careful work will do.
Rosette
OudandTabla - 4-28-2008 at 01:48 PM
Here's the rose- I ended up handcutting it (thanks to Carpenter's encouragement- and jewelry saw blades!) and I'm really happy with the relief
carving. It is laminated of two pieces of 1/16 cherry. I used the third pattern from up above.
Face
OudandTabla - 4-28-2008 at 01:52 PM
Here's the face. Those black spots are from nails- this is some tight grain quarter-sawn cedar that's 70+ years old I got off the side of a friends
garage. The braces are of the same.dubai244 - 4-28-2008 at 06:52 PM
Hi Josh,
Your oud looks really nice, well done. Keep going, i might follow you to start my first oud as well, Not sure yet.
I have a question if you dont mind. How did you fit or attached the bridge to the sound board? did you put some weight or some thing? ...
I have got oud that has bad brigde and i need to change it, I dont know how i can remove it without damaging the sound board and how to fit a new
one?, Any idea?
ThanksPeyman - 4-29-2008 at 12:44 PM
It must be some kind of garage! It looks like the project is coming along. Everything looks very classy and elegant all the way, including the
rosette.OudandTabla - 4-30-2008 at 12:26 PM
Thanks dubai- for attaching bridges it depends- if it's a new Oud you can use clamps... also on a repair job you could remove the rosette and use
deep-reach C-clamps; other than that maybe Dr. Oud has some input?
Peyman- thanks! - what do you mean some kind of garage? My shop is a small backyard castle... with a moat and guards and solar power and a full time
staff of cooks and I keep a backstock of aged lumber in the wood cellar- next to the wine cellar and...... no, it's actually just a converted garden
shed. I'll attach pics next.Peyman - 4-30-2008 at 02:02 PM
Oh, I meant your friend's garage!
Quote:
Originally posted by OudandTabla
Here's the face. Those black spots are from nails- this is some tight grain quarter-sawn cedar that's 70+ years old I got off the side of a friends
garage. The braces are of the same.
OudandTabla - 4-30-2008 at 03:51 PM
Gotcha... yes, it was pretty much rotten, except towards the roof, where those boards were from. I have some pieces without the black stains- probably
enough for 3 or 4 instruments, but I wanted to try it out with this project first! I loved the sound of Carpenter's cedar top.
Done...ish
OudandTabla - 5-1-2008 at 04:23 PM
Here she is, all strung up and singin'! Sounds more like Carpenter's than any other I can think of... must be the cedar tops? That cheddarwood sure
has a creamy sound. It's not as 'loud' or 'punchy' as I'd hoped, but maybe I just need to give it time. Also had to jam the pegs in pretty far to get
them to stop slipping, so pegbox seems a bit narrow.
Front:
Back
OudandTabla - 5-1-2008 at 04:25 PM
Love that Tru Oil:
Bottom
OudandTabla - 5-1-2008 at 04:26 PM
That's a strapjack from an iBeam element pickup. Love the live sound.OudandTabla - 5-1-2008 at 04:28 PM
And one side view just to get the overall look:paulO - 5-1-2008 at 05:45 PM
Hi Josh,
Lovely work man. Really understated with the wood's character doing all the talking. Neat 2 tone bridge..thanks for the great pic's. Give it some time
to devlop, check it out again in say 6 months, then a year. Thanks for all the great pictures, and congradulations !!
Regards..PaulSamirCanada - 5-1-2008 at 09:32 PM
NICE!
thanks for sharing the project.
It would be nice to hear it now.Jameel - 5-2-2008 at 04:56 AM
Very nice Josh.Peyman - 5-2-2008 at 02:57 PM
Very nice ideed. Nice repeating patterns on the bowl.OudandTabla - 5-3-2008 at 04:25 PM
Okay, some sounds: Hamza el Din's Griffin 2OudandTabla - 5-3-2008 at 04:28 PM
Also a turkish tuneOudandTabla - 5-3-2008 at 04:33 PM
. Seriously I am curious to find out what it would
sound like. We shall see.