www.KitGuitarsForum.com

The main reason I have this forum is to help share information. Here is how I do a D45 binding scheme. The first thing you need to do is set the neck so you can determine the position of the fretboard extension so you can inlay this. Note that you have to get these little areas in first as you have to set all the corner miter positions.
Not the "stick" I made up. this makes setting up this area a lot easier than using 4 or 5 pieces. I glued them up and inlaid that into the top.

NOTE
take your time setting these miter points. It is in the details that makes this look sharp.

With my starting point started I now do the tail and neck. The tail is typical but the neck takes more free hand skill.
I set the heel and mark the line of the heel cheeks . Measure the width I need for the pearl and allow about 1/16 for koa exposure.
When I get my lines I free hand the rout for the heel. I take my time , then in this case with it being wood I shape the Koa to clamp the purfling ,and poly in. Once the glue sets I complete the miter cuts.

Now that I have the the tie in points secure I can apply the binding. I use a scarf joint on the ends of the wood binding. The way this is going in is wood with a b/w/b poly b/w/b on the top then on the side it is binding b/w/b poly b/w. I am using tite bond original as I have wood binding and wood purfling on the top. The side is plastic purfling and will reglue that with CA later. I dont us CA often but here I will use the thin after the pearl is set on the side only.

Nice! For the heel cheeks, does the koa perform the same function as the ebony band around the fingerboard extension? Would this typically be a light colored wood for a set of rosewood sides?

-d.

On Martins the binding is typically white boltaron or Ivroid. Here my commission wanted koa. When I use wood binding I like to select a wood that will contrast the back and sides either in color of grain pattern. Here the koa will do both.

So this morning I got the back of the guitar bound. This is the koa binding and the perfling for the pearl work. Once the glue sets up I can start to drop in the pearl. I will inlay the headstock today . So to break the process down of what I have done so far is to set the binding and do a scarf joint. This affords a larger glue surface. I am using tite bond original for this. I have the poly placed that will hold the space for the pearl. Not that I dry fit the corners and set the miters. This is tedious but it had to be done for the tight clean look. There are a total of 8 miters on the sides 4 on the top and one on the back.
NOTE
If you look close you can see a small step in the side in the rout for the lower purfling and pearl.The reason for this is that the .049 pearl that is used on the sides is thinner than the biniding. If this isn't done you will have a hard time not pinching the binding or you will have to shim up the pearl. I prefer this method as the binding machine allows very precise machining.
NOTE
the dry fit then the actually gluing. I try and make sure this area is fixed so it won't open as we start taping in the binding.

John, that is too many strips of stuff going on at the same time. They would all be glued to my fingers.

that does happen.

It looks great and is something I'd like to try some day.

And, I had my fingers glued to the binding with top and side purflings. I don't know how you handled so many.