Scaling Handcrafted Instruments with CNC | KoAloha Ukulele & ShopSabre

In this customer spotlight, we head to Honolulu, Hawaii to visit KoAloha Ukulele, a family-run business that has mastered the balance between traditional handcrafted artistry and modern CNC manufacturing.

The team breaks down how they brought CNC technology into their shop to automate the tedious, highly repetitive machining of ukulele fretboards and bridges. When physical space constraints prevented them from fitting a massive industrial CNC through their shop doors, they pivoted and purchased two ShopSabre 23 CNC routers. We get an inside look at how this “compromise” actually became a massive advantage, allowing them to run multiple operations concurrently while having a built-in backup machine.

Whether you are an instrument maker or a small shop owner trying to scale your production without sacrificing quality, this video proves why taking the plunge into CNC is the ultimate game changer.

Episode Highlights:

• [00:46] – Introduction to KoAloha Ukulele and their handcrafted Hawaiian instruments.

• [01:48] – Why hand-crafted manufacturers need CNC for repeatability and scaling.

• [03:00] – Searching for the right CNC and why ShopSabre’s sales process stood out.

• [04:10] – Buying two ShopSabre 23s instead of one large machine due to shop door limits.

• [05:47] – Machining ukulele fretboards and bridges to eliminate tedious manual labor.

• [07:29] – The value of U.S.-based, in-house tech support over overseas companies.

• [08:31] – Future CNC upgrade plans (Automatic Tool Changers, pop-up pins, and vacuum tables).

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