Getting back to building. Finishing off some ukes

[Matthew Lau]

Dear Mimf,

This weekend, we put the kids to sleep and organized the workshop.
I found a few braced/thicknessed ukelele tops/backs, and a set of bent sides with kerfining glued on one side...as well as a neck and the bridge.

After talking with my wife, we decided to just finish the ukulele and get back into building.
I'll be using the mold from LMI (remember them?), and largely building on whatever surface I can find (dining table, garage floor, backyard, etc) when the kids are asleep.

Anyways, just wanted to check in to see if I'm missing any steps:
1. Glue on linings on other side. Trim bracing to fit rims.
2. Glue on top/back. (same time? One side first?)
3. Trim back excess material. Fit neck with sandpaper. Glue in place (is titebond butt joint okay? Not sure if I should predrill for the anchor, or just leave things alone...I tend to overcomplicate things.)
4. Glue freboard. Glue bridge (need to review positioning for intonation).
4a. Install tuners.
5. Fit nut and bridge to set action/intonation. check for flatness of frets/fretboard.
6. Finish. Thinking of Rubio Monocoat, or plain Shellac. (more time intensive, but tried and true).

[Matthew Lau]

Kerfing glued on.

I brought in the rim, along with some tightbond into my office to work on after patients, paperwork, and notes.
I figure that I have maybe 5-10 minutes of freedom at a time.

Next is planing the rims/kerfing flush and installing the top/back

[Matthew Lau]

Update: first snafu.

The braces have warped in the last 6-8 years since I glued them on causing the top and back to become concave.

Dumb question: do I need to take off the braces, and make new ones?

[Barry Daniels]

Yes, that is the only reliable way to fix it. The best way to remove the braces is to plane them off with a finger plane.