Binding top and back, how do you all do it?

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ChuckBarnett
Posts: 136
Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2015 7:46 pm
Location: Arlington, WA

Re: Binding top and back, how do you all do it?

Post by ChuckBarnett »

tippie53 wrote:The KMG jig is a copy of a design that is in the guitar makers manual.
Not sure what that is but I found this link. Is this book out of print?

https://smile.amazon.com/Guitar-Makers- ... op?ie=UTF8
Diane Kauffmds
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Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:13 pm

Re: Binding top and back, how do you all do it?

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

I think it's out of print, but if you move quickly, here's one on Ebay for 20. Double check the description. If this has sold, search Ebay again.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 3377202608
Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
countryroadsguitars@gmail.com
ChuckBarnett
Posts: 136
Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2015 7:46 pm
Location: Arlington, WA

Re: Binding top and back, how do you all do it?

Post by ChuckBarnett »

Diane Kauffmds wrote:I think it's out of print, but if you move quickly, here's one on Ebay for 20. Double check the description. If this has sold, search Ebay again.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 3377202608
Got it!! Again, I thank you, Diane, for going more than the extra mile!
Diane Kauffmds
Posts: 3246
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:13 pm

Re: Binding top and back, how do you all do it?

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

You are most welcome.
Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
countryroadsguitars@gmail.com
ChuckBarnett
Posts: 136
Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2015 7:46 pm
Location: Arlington, WA

Re: Binding top and back, how do you all do it?

Post by ChuckBarnett »

First cut attempt, after practicing a bit. There are a couple trouble spots, one which may be a problem -at the sound port at left. The other two are at the ends where for some reason there is a mismatch. Perhaps a complete pass around would fix those? Not having a cradle for this, I can do that too well. I could rig up something though.
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Diane Kauffmds
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Re: Binding top and back, how do you all do it?

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

I think I see your problem. The soundhole looks good to me. I see a couple of places where the routing is uneven for the binding. You said you had no cradle to hold the guitar, so the guitar is moving a bit when your routing.

What kind of mold do you have? I'm thinking that you can put the guitar back into the mold, but put the mold toward the bottom of the guitar, then place blocks under it so that the top is fairly level and won't move on you. It doesn't have to be perfect, but your having problems with the guitar movement. Using the same router setting, go around the top again to see if it will even it out.

If it doesn't, I think you have 2 choices:

1. If you still have areas that are uneven, use a very sharp chisel, and smooth it out the best that you can. Purfling will fudge a little of that for you, becase it's flexble.

2. It looks like you have fairly thick sides? You could go a tiny bit deeper in your routing, which will put your binding and purfling deeper. If this is just a small amount, you can sand the sides to the binding. You can also add extra purfling to build it out a bit.
Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
countryroadsguitars@gmail.com
ruby@magpage.com
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Location: Chestertown Maryland

Re: Binding top and back, how do you all do it?

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

I use the same jig and you can't really put the body back in the mold because the fence needs about 3 inches of side to ride on. If body movement is a problem, put the body at the corner of your bench, then two clamps cranked down pretty tightly coming in from the two sides. You are doing the right thing by putting the clamps right at the edge of the body so they are bearing on the side and not distorting the top and back. You may need to put a wedge under the edge of the body opposite the clamps so the back does not have pressure on it. Don't be afraid to have to move and re-clamp the body 3 even 4 times to get good access.

And once you get comfortable with the motion - pushing in against the side at the fence, pushing down onto the body,and sweeeeeping the whole router along the curves keeping it normal to the surface - you can go back a few times to make sure that everything is the same depth.

Lastly, use a file with safe edges so you can concentrate on evening up either the height or the depth without having to worry about the other. I have done several without having to file at all. I also have a curved riffler cut as a file for the waist area.
Ed M
ChuckBarnett
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Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2015 7:46 pm
Location: Arlington, WA

Re: Binding top and back, how do you all do it?

Post by ChuckBarnett »

ruby@magpage.com wrote:Lastly, use a file with safe edges so you can concentrate on evening up either the height or the depth without having to worry about the other. I have done several without having to file at all. I also have a curved riffler cut as a file for the waist area.
That is what I discovered -adjusting exposure by reclamping. I felt like it was fairly secure. After a closer look I believe more passes would help. And, yes, I sure didn't feel any confidence as I worked this!

My experience with files is related to working with metal. Are there specific files for this sort of work? I'd welcome ideas on the curved riffler (sounds like rifler??).
ChuckBarnett
Posts: 136
Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2015 7:46 pm
Location: Arlington, WA

Re: Binding top and back, how do you all do it?

Post by ChuckBarnett »

Diane Kauffmds wrote:I think I see your problem. The soundhole looks good to me. I see a couple of places where the routing is uneven for the binding. You said you had no cradle to hold the guitar, so the guitar is moving a bit when your routing.

What kind of mold do you have? I'm thinking that you can put the guitar back into the mold, but put the mold toward the bottom of the guitar, then place blocks under it so that the top is fairly level and won't move on you. It doesn't have to be perfect, but your having problems with the guitar movement. Using the same router setting, go around the top again to see if it will even it out.

If it doesn't, I think you have 2 choices:

1. If you still have areas that are uneven, use a very sharp chisel, and smooth it out the best that you can. Purfling will fudge a little of that for you, becase it's flexble.

2. It looks like you have fairly thick sides? You could go a tiny bit deeper in your routing, which will put your binding and purfling deeper. If this is just a small amount, you can sand the sides to the binding. You can also add extra purfling to build it out a bit.
Thanks for all the great insight. And as I worked through it I realized that what I'm doing is a different method. And then Ed's reply answered for me. :-)
ruby@magpage.com
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Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 8:03 am
Location: Chestertown Maryland

Re: Binding top and back, how do you all do it?

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

Riffler has a short "i", and one of them is not quite as deadly as the other

You can buy files with a variety of "teeth". If there is one set of diagonal lines it is single cut, and those long teeth take a really nice shaving. If there are two set of diagonal lines crossing each other, it is double cut and results in little pyramids that take a different shaving. If a side or edge is smooth, it is called "safe" and that allows you to get into a corner only cutting one side of the corner. For wood, either single or double cut will work (rasps are a different sort of thing). Machinists like John can refine this if they have half a mind.

The first picture below shows the 2 that I use for this - a file with two double cut faces and 2 safe edges, and a riffler file as opposed to a riffler rasp with fewer and bigger teeth.

Second picture shows the safe edge of the file and the single cut face of the riffler

Third picture shows double cut face of the file and the un-safe edge of the riffler - wish it were safed but you can make it work by being careful.

And here is one of my favorite files - one with machine cut, or milled teeth. Double cut, so notice the pyramids and the very fine shavings - that is not dust like from sandpaper, but tiny shavings. This one leaves end grain ready for 600 grit sandpaper. I got it in Hudson NY at a great old-time hardware store where the owner buys out old stock from other hardware stores. Cool stuff therein lies:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/ ... 488198220/

Files and rasps are an under-appreciated area of woodworking. Keep your eyes open for interesting shapes at garage sales and fleas. Pointed edge, big round, and safe edge files are particularly important. Rasps with smaller teeth (the ones you see with the big teeth are often used by farriers - horshoers - but not fine woodworkers) are worth looking for. I paid $30.00 for the milled file, but at a sale the other two were in the 25-50¢ range. They can be easily sharpened to better-than-new condition with a couple of hours in a muriatic acid bath. Watch closely because I have ruined a couple by forgetting they were in there. Also, file handles can be made from a rounded piece of wood with a hole, but the ready made ones are really cheap at fleas and garage sales. And see if you can find a file card - a wire brush with short hairs that is great for getting stubborn stuff from clogging your teeth (file teeth only, please)

Good luck

Ed
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Ed M
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