Official Luthiers Forum!

I am finding that cutting the purfling for my tops, that I can't get deep enough for standard Martin Style Herringbone top purf and enough ledge for the bindning too? When I use the smallest bearing and try to install the herringbone and standard .80 binding, I'm coming up quite short--only about hald the thickness of the bindning is laying on the ledge--how can I get a deeper cut, or is this just an issue with the stewmac set?

Stew Mac says their bearing is for cutting a .200" ledge for Herringbone purfling. Hmm, their Herringbone is .140" if you add their .080" binding, you'll be .020 shallow. There's your trouble.

I have the LMI set. I think there are more choices of bearings. If the ID for the bearings is the same, you could order more bearings from LMI. Their bearing for cutting a .210 or .230 ledge might work for you.

_________________
"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

I do a lot of really deep purflings on my ladder guitars. I start with a normal herringbone purf and split it and take out the center blond strip and replace it with several other co0lored strips so that the whole thing is almost 1/4" wide plus the binding. I cut the purfling channel fist using a larger rabit bit that gives the width of the purf plus the binding thickness (in my case a little more than 5/16") I just use my router riding on the top of the guitar with the bearing tracking around the side. Neither the Stemac or the LMii versions will cut this deep.
Then I use my Ribecke setup to complete the binding channel using one of the two sets of cutter mentioned.
When your doing wide purfs, you want to be very careful that you keep your depth to no more than half the thickness of the top or you will weaken then joint or at worst, cut your top right off!!!!

_________________
Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

I see the issue Hesh .. a stock martin dread has plastic binding, only 60 thou - so the .140 Hbone and the plastic only need .200 - If you want to use wood thats 80 thou, you can, but will need to scrape it down flush after installing, of thickness it down prior to install.

Or, you will have to spring for the cutter sets from LMI that route deeper ledges.

_________________
Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

kinda related.........does anyone know if LMI bearings fit the Stewmac cutter?

_________________
Dave
Milton, ON

I cut my pur cahnel first as required using the SM set. I then cut my binding ledge and tried to dry fit--I think Todd hit it--you cann't use binding thicker that 60 thou with this set. I think I'll check into LMI's bearings if they fit the SM cutter--thast alot of scraping.
Hesh, I am using John Hall's binding jig--is has the plasyic compensator on the base of the router plate.

[QUOTE=Dave Stewart] kinda related.........does anyone know if LMI bearings fit the Stewmac cutter?[/QUOTE]

No unfortunately they don't

_________________
Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.