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Strum-thing special: Ukuleles made from recycled wood

8 September 2015

Who would guess that these were once unwanted pieces of furniture?

'Wood' you believe that you could make a ukulele out of old furniture? Hexham-based non-profit enterprise Core Music do just that, fashioning fully functional musical instruments - dubbed Ucoreleles - out of recycled materials.

Each instrument has its own story and is lovingly crafted, using traditional skills, in Core Music’s workshop by a talented and dedicated team. The Ucorelele Project provides an opportunity for those who have been unemployed for a long time to learn and develop new practical skills.

Ucoreleles are made to be played, and local musicians have enjoyed road-testing them this summer at a series of music festivals around the North East. As part of Heritage Open Days - in which buildings normally closed to the public open their doors for the day - you can go along to their workshop to see the project in action on 11 September.

Below, the Core Music team shed a little light on the construction process. Further details about the Ucorelele Project can be found at Core Music’s website.

History on the doorstep

Hundreds of buildings that are normally closed to the public open their doors from 10-13 September for Heritage Open Days, which aims to help local communities discover the hidden history on their doorstep.

While more familiar buildings like cinemas, theatres, pubs and hotels reveal hidden areas; civic and council organisations put on talks, tours, vintage fairs and family activities.

This year, there's a record-breaking 4,800 events taking place around England, all of them free. Last year three million visitors took part.

Find a free event near you by visitng Heritage Open Days, a Get Creative Champion.

Old table legs, cabinet panels, dusty table tops; mahogany, birch or cedar: we never know what type of wood will be donated to make our unique Ucoreleles.
Nothing is wasted by our trainees as they make some of the smaller pieces - such as these braces and bridge supports - out of awkward shapes. These ones are made of Douglas Fir (from a reclaimed beam), Sapele (from an old window) and Sitka Spruce.
Book matching: a hi-tech process!
Handmade and carefully crafted, each Ucorelele is one of a kind. Here the sound hole is being drilled into this shapely piece of Douglas Fir wood.
Learning about different types of wood and the various sounds they produce is an essential part of the trainees’ skills development. Here different woods are being used for the internal bracing of this Ucorelele; these give strength and help with the character of the sound.
Wood with more flexibility like mahogany, which often comes from old tables, is formed to make the sides.
Taught by a highly skilled luthier, our trainees have learnt the art of patience. When using traditional instrument-making techniques, nothing can be rushed: to keep the side in shape it must be kept in the mould until it’s dry - usually overnight.
Both the hand drill and the machine heads were donated to the Ucorelele Project.
Shaping the neck and stock head from a block of wood is a rewarding process, but you need a good eye to make it symmetrical!
The finishing touches include adding strings and checking sound quality - Ucoreleles are instruments made to be played.

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