Ukuleles

 

                           This film was made circa 1917 by the Ford Motor Company. It shows a Hawaiian ukulele maker - most likely working for Manuel Nunes  - building a soprano instrument. Clearly the man knows his stuff! I am fascinated by the use of an outside mold, more commonly used by violin makers, with "ears" on either side of the waist into which wedges are driven to force the sides to conform to the tight bends. Also note the Spanish-style integral neck/headblock, a remnant of the instrument's Portuguese heritage, and the "quick and dirty" method for attaching and trimming the back and top. Finally, we see frets being hammered directly into the neck and the World's quickest French polish!

If I could build a uke as quickly as this, making a living at it would be no problem!

The old gentleman shown with the finished instrument is Manuel Nunes himself, and the uke player may be Henry Kailimai, composer of the very popular song, "On the Beach at Waikiki."