Cedar Box Build

A while back, a member posted a build that He did making the box out of Cedar roof shingles. The instrument had a great sound to it and made me want to build one for myself.

The shingles have a taper to them and would require planing and I don't have a planer. Also I would have to buy a bundle at 18 dollars. Cedar planks were available at the grocery store for grilling Fish. They were 2 boards 1/4" x 5" x 12" at 4 to 6 dollars a package.

Settled on a Western Cedar fence plank at Lowe's 5/8ths" x 5&1/2" x 60" for $2.55. This was just enough wood for the box and any braces needed, but would need to be dried more. Cut the pieces and dried them in the oven.

Made a frame for the box and the top and bottom panels. Since 5/8ths" is too thick for an effective acoustic, I layed the box frame on top of the panels and traced the inside barrier. I routed the back inside to 1/4" and glued a 1/4" brace along the seam and routed the top inside to 3/16th" and glued a 1/4" brace along the seam. I'll have to add a cross brace later for the bridge, but it will only contact the center brace and the box sides to maximize top vibration. The top is glued to the frame and the back is attached with 4 screws for now, may glue it later. The box was sanded to have a curved side profile. It has a 1&3/4" sound hole. I plan to attach the neck to the box side with screws and glue.

The neck and fretboard will be made of Red Oak. Going for 4 strings and 25" scale with bridge near center of sound board. I plan on using a Uke style bridge and nut. Plan on putting in 2 piezo, 1 on the low string side and 1 on the high string side wired to a blend pot.

Pics of what I have so far.

An update:

After playing it for a couple weeks now it still sounds great. Had to add a couple of screws to the back lid to stop the echo effect because it was just too uncontrollable. I noticed the string level getting taller on the upper frets, I think that the front side of the box is bending inward because it's the weakest part and has been a problem before. The neck is Red Oak and has a trussrod and is straight, so it's not the problem. Has to be the front side of the box.

Maybe I should try a lower/drop tuning to take pressure off. It's tuned G/D/G/B now, so I'll drop a whole step at a time till it works out.

So a lesson is learned, don't use Cedar(or other soft woods) for the sides of your box unless your neck goes through the box.

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Paul Craig June 24, 2016 at 3:25pm

I added some bracing to the neck side of the box and tuned it back to G/D/G/B. Hopefully the bracing is enough to keep any warping at bay. If it works out I'll take pics when I go back in to do the pickups.
Paul Craig May 2, 2016 at 5:03pm

I tuned down from G/D/G/B to E/B/E/G# and I was able to play all the way up to the 12th fret without fretting sharp.

Then tuned down to D/A/D/F# and I can fret to the 19th fret without fretting sharp. The strings aren't too loose, but they're on the dark side. So this is as far as I can go with it.

I can always use a capo for higher stuff, if I can find one that will work on this neck. Does anyone make a capo for these? Has anyone used a regular capo with success?
- Slow Blues Dani & Ol' Grey Bear > Paul Craig May 3, 2016 at 2:07am
  
  Try these Paul. Just search for elasticated capo. Not tried them myself but looks like they're designed specifically for unusually shaped necks.
- Paul Craig > Slow Blues Dani & Ol' Grey Bear May 3, 2016 at 3:37am
  
  Thanks, I'll give that a look and see.
- QGolden > Paul Craig May 2, 2016 at 10:50pm
  
  A piece of hardwood dowel and an o-ring makes a decent looking capo. Cut the dowel an inch longer than the width of the neck. Cut a small notch on the dowel with your pocket knife, about a 1/4 inch from each end on the same side of the dowel. Using the o-ring like it is a rubber band. Hang the o-ring on the dowel, in the notch, pull it around the backside of the neck, to the other side, and place the other end of the o-ring into the dowel notch on the other side of the neck, so the dowel presses down against the strings next to the desired fret.
- Paul Craig > QGolden May 3, 2016 at 3:36am
  
  My fingerboard has a radius. Maybe I could bend a piece of aluminum bar stock and make it work. Thanks.
- QGolden > Paul Craig May 3, 2016 at 6:33am
  
  You could, you could also carve a piece of wood.
- Paul Craig > QGolden May 3, 2016 at 2:45pm
  
  True. I think I'm going to make something in my shop this month.
Paul Craig May 1, 2016 at 3:17pm

An update:

After playing it for a couple weeks now it still sounds great. Had to add a couple of screws to the back lid to stop the echo effect because it was just too uncontrollable. I noticed the string level getting taller on the upper frets, I think that the front side of the box is bending inward because it's the weakest part and has been a problem before. The neck is Red Oak and has a trussrod and is straight, so it's not the problem. Has to be the front side of the box.

Maybe I should try a lower/drop tuning to take pressure off. It's tuned G/D/G/B now, so I'll drop a whole step at a time till it works out.

So a lesson is learned, don't use Cedar(or other soft woods) for the sides of your box unless your neck goes through the box.
- QGolden > Paul Craig May 2, 2016 at 8:41am
  
  This has been a long journey for you. I am glad you ended up with a good instrument. You also learned a lot along the way and shared what you learned. You sought advice and listened to that advice. You Sir, are a valuable member of this community. Play on!

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