I had a good weekend.
Yesterday was farmers market day, Duncan’s mushrooms, a melon, carrots, zucchini, wax beans and a ten pound flat of tomatoes. It took me the rest of the day to process the tomatoes. I got six cups of highly concentrated tomato sauce, with a touch of star anise, that’s all the ingredients, divine stuff. Much better than ketchup.
This morning I headed for town, Bucky’s coffee and a few things, a baguette, a cantaloupe, corn and lamb chop for later in the week.
Friday eve someone left a huge zucchini on the coffee stand, I snagged it for stuffed zucchini. I did that today, Italian sausage browned, Steve’s FM onions, Duncan’s mushrooms, TJ burger, breadcrumbs. I have beans in the garden, mostly wax and a few green, steamed to add. I scraped out the zucchini boats after cutting it down in quarters to fit the pan, removed most of the seeds and steamed that too, while par baking the boats. Tomatoes, I found a couple heirloom tomatoes in the landlords patch with huge scabs underneath, but usable fruit cut free, excellent, blanched to remove the skin and diced. String cheese mozzarella grated, except for one lactose free for Alan. Too much stuffing, I have a mild red pepper, stuff that too. Baked 375 F 45 minutes, add the cheese to most, another ten minutes, we’re done. Tuesday lunch gang, we eat well.
I made a batch of chicken bone soup using leg meat yesterday, finished processing it with zucchini, celery, carrot, Steve’s onion, Lou’s wax beans, mac noodles, good stuff three buckets. A mac and cheese scratch for lunch. Later I made a batch of crostinis with the baguette. olive oil, salt, garlic powder and dried basil.
On to the builds. I loosened the strings from the tenor 2 ukulele, removed the first two frets and sanded the second fret wood down with sand paper. I replaced the first fret with a fat fret Wayne gave me to raise the warp, then replaced the second fret with a new one. I sanded the ends before I installed them, a good fit with plastic mallet to install. Restrung, the low G string is buzzing on the third fret, too much sanded. I pry up the fret a little bit with the nipper, file the third fret a little, better. The A string is also buzzing, I file the frets to fix it. Wayne’s fat first fret has solved the warp neck issue. It will take some time to get the strings stretched in to tune, but it plays well now.
Truss rods, I cut another piece of round stock yesterday as the first one left thread isn’t straight, wobbles. I bought left hand tap and die from McMaster’s last week to make these things to the size I want, to prevent warped necks. I’m still working out the process, but will use the work lathe to get the dies to thread straight. I’ll need to hard solder a flat piece and added hex nut to complete the part. I think there is a way to build this two way truss rod with a single right thread. I need to work it out.
The bass uke. I cut the sides to length today, using a clamped square and the razor backed saw to cut the ends clean. I subtracted half the Spanish heel width and cut each neck piece square. The kerf on one side is a little narrow, so I sanded the side down a little at a time, fitting it and moving it to make a shiny spot, then sand that out. In time it fits perfect.
The tail stock joint fits well with a temporary flat. I’ll need to make a thicker version, perhaps from the piece I got from the close out sale, or laminate the leftover pieces of the sides. Then the linings will be installed. I need to pay special attention to the flatness of the instrument, so important. 
So I got a lot done, with another bag of pears picked, mostly green to ripen, much as I could carry. The ripe ones are wormy but tasty if you’re careful. The rest will ripen in time.
8shotoflove8 