Official Luthiers Forum! :: View topic - binding & laminate top, which first?

Hello, I know .... been a looooonnnnnggg tome since I've poked my head in over here!
One more semester of school & then maybe life will be a bit more normal... whatever normal is???

The wife bought me an Explorer body & neck for Christmas.
My plan is to laminate the top with some beautiful flamed maple veneer, and also add binding to the top edge.

My question is this:
Should I route for the binding before adding the laminate top?
I am worried about tearout on the laminate as it's only 1/40th" thick.
I am aware that if I route first I will need to account for the laminate thickness.
My other thought is, if I do indeed route first, then I will need to trim the laminate back to the route edge without disturbing the square-ness of that edge.

Thanks for your time. All suggestions are appreciated and will be carefully mulled over.

Happy Holidays,
Chris

Author:	Chris Cordle [ Wed Dec 28, 2011 12:43 pm ]
Post subject:	binding & laminate top, which first?
Hello, I know .... been a looooonnnnnggg tome since I've poked my head in over here! One more semester of school & then maybe life will be a bit more normal... whatever normal is??? The wife bought me an Explorer body & neck for Christmas. My plan is to laminate the top with some beautiful flamed maple veneer, and also add binding to the top edge. My question is this: Should I route for the binding before adding the laminate top? I am worried about tearout on the laminate as it's only 1/40th" thick. I am aware that if I route first I will need to account for the laminate thickness. My other thought is, if I do indeed route first, then I will need to trim the laminate back to the route edge without disturbing the square-ness of that edge. Thanks for your time. All suggestions are appreciated and will be carefully mulled over. Happy Holidays, Chris

Author:	Mike Baker [ Wed Dec 28, 2011 4:02 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: binding & laminate top, which first?
Chris Cordle wrote: Hello, I know .... been a looooonnnnnggg tome since I've poked my head in over here! One more semester of school & then maybe life will be a bit more normal... whatever normal is??? The wife bought me an Explorer body & neck for Christmas. My plan is to laminate the top with some beautiful flamed maple veneer, and also add binding to the top edge. My question is this: Should I route for the binding before adding the laminate top? I am worried about tearout on the laminate as it's only 1/40th" thick. I am aware that if I route first I will need to account for the laminate thickness. My other thought is, if I do indeed route first, then I will need to trim the laminate back to the route edge without disturbing the square-ness of that edge. Thanks for your time. All suggestions are appreciated and will be carefully mulled over. Happy Holidays, Chris I think you just answered your own question. I'd rout after the laminate process. Just use a sharp bit. Usually there's a direction you need to rout in on an acoustic or similar shaped body to avoid tearout (Stewmac has instructions for free for that), but on an Explorer body I couldn't tell you. Maybe someone else here could.

Author:	joe white [ Wed Dec 28, 2011 4:13 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: binding & laminate top, which first?
I don't have any advice to offer but I sure would like to say welcome back and it's good to see you are still involved in building!

Author:	Cocephus [ Thu Dec 29, 2011 9:26 am ]
Post subject:	Re: binding & laminate top, which first?
Laminate first, then rout for binding. I you have a good bond in the laminates (don`t forget the seal coat of shellac), there really shouldn`t be much worry, and you won`t have to make the same cut twice (which could go awry on you). Good Luck Coe Franklin

Author:	Chris Cordle [ Thu Dec 29, 2011 9:48 am ]
Post subject:	Re: binding & laminate top, which first?
Thanks, tonight should be the night for routing the binding channel. The laminate process went very smooth.

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Author:	Chris Cordle [ Fri Dec 30, 2011 12:00 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: binding & laminate top, which first?
verhoevenc wrote: Keep in mind... veneering is hard without a vacuum system. There are some tutorials on how to do it, but it is not easy and not something a lot of people get right on the first try. Air bubbles, not sticking, wavy/unflat, etc. Just a heads up, this may take more than one try, and a lot of sanding. Chris Thanks, guess I must have had beginners luck! The laminate process went very smoothly and trouble-free. I trimmed it down flush with the sides using a flush-cut router bit. I am awaiting the binding from Stew Mac and will cut my binding channels after micing them up for exact dimensions.

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