Thicknessing Binding.

[Gilbert Fredrickson]

I cut it on a table saw and set up a fence on the spindle sander. Is this wrong? It seems to work okay. Is there a better way?

[Peter Wilcox]

Sounds like a good way to me. I cut it with the band saw and run it through the drum sander.

[Alan Carruth]

I only use wood binding, and thickness it with a drill press planer, running the binding on a fence. This leaves a little to scrape off to get them smooth. I've also used that system to make 'no stick strips' from an old cutting board.

[Andy Bounsall]

I use wooden bindings. If there’s to be a side purfling line, I glue veneer strip to binding stock with Titebond II. Binding strips are cut on the band saw then run through the drum sander to thickness. Reason for Titebond II is that it tends to not let go with heat when bending the binding strip.

[Barry Daniels]

I finally got the MacRostie Binding Trimmer and it is nothing short of amazing but is a bit pricey. It is like a tiny thickness planer with 0.001" accuracy. It will do plastic or wood binding. Much more even results than a drum sander.

[Peter Wilcox]

I use wooden bindings. If there’s to be a side purfling line, I glue veneer strip to binding stock with Titebond II. Binding strips are cut on the band saw then run through the drum sander to thickness. Reason for Titebond II is that it tends to not let go with heat when bending the binding strip.

I just did my first side purfling. I bend on a pipe, and with a folded wet paper towel between the pipe and the wood if necessary for a tight bend. I was afraid to glue the fiber to the binding before bending for fear it would come loose, so I glued it on after I bent. It was a disaster, but I fixed it as best I could.
Do you think the Titebond would hold under those circumstances?

[Barry Daniels]

Titebond II or III will work, but not the Original.

[Carl Dickinson]

I glue purfling to the edge of binding with TB3 using a bunch of the small plastic spring clamps from HF. If you open up the pads they index around the binding and purfling. Works good for me. Then I tape them together and use the fox type bender. If there's enough space they can be bent with their side.

[Andy Bounsall]

…Do you think the Titebond would hold under those circumstances?

Original Titebond will not work as the glue will let go from the heat. Titebond II will work.

[Alan Carruth]

I use T3 for gluing purfling and binding.

Generally I glue the side line to the binding stock before cutting the strips, so the lines are bent along with the binding. I tape them together tightly with the side lines facing inward toward the middle of the assembly, so that they're supported, and this helps reduce buckling in tight bends. As a by-the-way, note that Super Soft 2 is a wonderful solvent for the adhesive on masking tape. ;(

I've used 'self-binding' a few times; cutting the binding strips off the bent sides, and putting them back on the guitar later. This is quite effective when done with curly maple, assuming you were careful to make register marks before you cut the strips off. You can get the curl to line up nicely, and it's a striking look, in a subtle way.

The problem is that you need a side line to offset it, and it can't be glued to the binding before it's bent. Bending the lines sideways without support is tricky. I've cut a shallow slot in the side of my side bender, just a little wider than the thickness of the side line for this. The slot curves around with a little larger radius than the bender, so you have to cut it where there's a tight curve. The side line is held in the slot, so it can't buckle off to one side too badly, and with heat on three sides it bends very nicely.

Be careful to cut the sidelines from straight grained stock with the grain running right along the cut line so you have no run out. I usually start by ripping any new sheet of veneer down the middle, to find the split line, and then truing up that edge with a plane before cutting strips. It wastes some veneer, of course, but saves a lot of time and exasperation.

[Gilbert Fredrickson]

That's really great advice, Allen. Thank you. I remember Rik Middleton's book mentions inserting purfling in a gap left between the side and the binding strip when using matched offcut binding from the sides. He leaves a gap when glueing the binding. Really complicated. I don't think he bent the purfling strips. Your way is very straightforward and understandable. Thanks.

[Gilbert Fredrickson]

I've been looking for an excuse to buy the little Bridge City Mini block plane with depth skids. I could make a jig with a plane blade and pull the binding under the blade while adjusting the cut/scrape depth, but that little block plane is really cool.

[Eric Knapp]

I have not done binding this way yet. However, I do string inlay on furniture projects. This tool from Veritas is very good at thicknessing thin stock. It can thickness stock down to very thin levels less than 1/64”.

https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/to ... em=05P3210

Also, one of the handplanes I’ve made is for thicknessing. I can get very consistent thickness, the thinnest I’ve attempted was 1/32” but with the right wood it could go thinner. If you are looking for a hand tool way of making binding I believe these will work well. I will be using these on my first guitar as I progress on it.

-Eric

[Simon Magennis]

I either buy ready made binding at specific thicknesses, get the supplier to thick some orphan sides for me and I cut them on the bandsaw, or simply plane orphan sides to thickness and cut on the bandsaw.

I mainly use titebond original but ocassionally hhg for bindings. I am also not adverse to using back plastic sometimes.