How do you handle the height of the binding at the nut? With a peg head veneer, I have the back side of the nut fit into the veneer but o top of the peg head wood. If I want to use a binding that is taller than a typical veneer, do I raise the surface of the peghead by the binding height so the bottom of the nut lines up with the bottom of the binding?

Williams jig w/ binding cutter bit. Neck in vise with head plate level. Excellent visibility and control.


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What is this Williams jig you speak of. Trying to find it now


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With a veneered headstock, I add a little ramp. I sand the ramp to be flush with the headstock.
This allows using binding that is taller than the veneer.
I like the bottom edge of the binding to intersect the bottom edge of the nut.
Make the ramp short enough to allow string clearance off the nut.

+1 exactly as I do it. I think I got the idea from Benedetto’s book.


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You can bind a headstock veneer before attaching it too. If you have a good headstock template that can be anchored predictably each time it can be good way to go. I do it on my Archtops.

I have a metal template but made a 3/4” fibercore (MDF with thin birch laminates on each side) duplicate with the same 1/8” locating pin holes in the area of the tuner holes.

Place the veneer on the wood template with the locating pins and cut to shape with bandsaw and template router bit, then rout for the binding on the router table with a binding template bit.

Pop the veneer off and bind. The binding and veneer can be a little thicker than final dimensions.

Level the binding and thickness sand the veneer to final thickness then stick it back on the regular template and glue it on the headstock. The template serves as a caul.

Use the template to shape the headstock with bandsaw - Robosander - template router bit.

Learned this from Hans Brentrup. Just another option.

Not quite following that pic DZ.

Pat