For my final project I decided to make a ukulele as well as a pick with a decal and a stand for the ukulele. I would like to give credit to the YouTuber Solstie, he created a website which gives you access to video tutorials, materials needed, and files of the ukulele itself that you can download. Here is the link to his website.
https://www.instructables.com/3D-Printed-Ukulele-Fully-Playable/
https://www.instructables.com/3D-Printed-Ukulele-Fully-Playable/
First went to the website and downloaded the files onto MakerBot. I then sent the files to Mr. Willauer where he uploaded the files onto the 3d printer and printed each piece individually.
After getting the body and the neck of the ukulele 3d printed I began working in Adobe Illustrator where I would create a decal which I would vinyl cut and design the shape for my pick that I would laser cut.
Next I needed to have a 3d printed piece that was my own design so I created a stand for the ukulele. I first started out with a rough sketch of how I wanted it to look.
Now it was time to start designing the stand in a 3d software. The software I used was called Onshape. I kept the design simple and strong so it would be easy to use and functional.
The next step in the process was to assemble the four parts of the ukulele, attach tuners, tie the strings, and apply the decal onto the pick.
Final product
This project was fun to make but it wasn't easy. While making this project I had to learn how to use a new 3d design software (Onshape), relearn the steps to use illustrator to create a decal and to create a design that will be able to be cut using a laser cutter. It was a challenge going back and relearning the steps but I worked through it and they both turned out great. Another challenge that I ran into was when I was assembling the ukulele parts. While I was sanding and attaching the parts together the neck of the ukulele snapped, but I was able to glue it back together using epoxy and some clamps. Through all the struggles I was able to complete the ukulele and it's fully functionable. A valuable lesson that I learned while making this was communication, self motivation, and self responsibility. It was important for me to communicate so that I could get all my items printed and cut out. During the beginning of the semester we set a timeline of everything that need to get done to finish the project by the due date, but I procrastinated and I had to shorten that timeline which added unnecessary stress. During the final weeks of this project I've shown myself that its important to be self motivated and have self responsibility so that I can get things done well, on time, and with less stress.