Official Luthiers Forum!

Do you guys buy prefer to buy your binding with purfling already attached or binding and purfling separate? Are there any advantage of buying them not already glued(laminated)?

Thanks!

I prefer keeping the two separate. I have used the combo stuff from Stew-Mac before and it was fine but more difficult to do miters with and you are of course much more limited in the choices of wood and sizes available with the combo bindings/purfs.

The main advantage of having them seperate is that you can invent your own binding scheme. I've tried both and I didn't notice any difference in mitering, but then again, I glue them up before installing. It's a bit more time consumming gluing them up yourself, so I'd say if they have what you want/need, just buy it pre-laminated.

One thing that I've started doing is this: When installing the the purfling on the top, I do it seperately. It's a bit more work, but the gapeless fit is worth it to me. No matter how hard I try, I just can't seem to machine a perfect channel to save my life. Fit it tight, then re-work the channel for the binding, making sure the binding will abut perfectly and you'll be golden. I think I'm an odd-man out here, but I love using HHG for gluing in bindings.

I've tried using CA when gluing up binding and purfling to fingerboards. I must admit it went very well since you can see if you have a perfect fit before gluing up. The clean up was easy with just a bit of sanding. I might try a whole guitar this way if I can surmount my fears about CA's longevity... Of course, you never use CA near spruce, or any other softwood, before sealing said wood with shellac first! CA stains softwoods like nobodies business!

Cheers,

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I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

I make or buy and keep them separate and glue them up as separate pieces. I find fitting miters particularly at the end graft much simpler if they are separate pieces. Just a personal thing. Plus if you buy them pre glued to the binding you are limited pretty much to black and white. With some rare exceptions buy vendors like Bobc and others.

FYI I glue up the binding and purfling at the same time but as individual components

Have done it both ways. Only problem and more of a time consuming thing than anything else is the miter as others have said at the end graft when doing them as one.

I pretty much now make a small 4-6" sample glue up of my scheme and see how it all fits and looks at different places, and particulalry the waist before installing it. Not a thing have to do, but this way I get a visual of it rather than just see it in my mind, and again can find and fix potential problems. I do this mostly on schemes not done or have done very often. If it is just plastic and have seen it and done it a bunch just do it, but always do a test run first on whatever I do. Good practice IMHO

Oh yea, do CA on all of it all the way around guitar. Boss (still refer to him as that, and always will, a respect thing) has done it this way for years and no problems coming apart or other problems. Lay it in tight and drop a small amount of thin onto it, wipe excess off with paper towel, and it is done. Do it in small sections and use a pipe dropper.