Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi -

Does anyone know of any videos - instructional or otherwise - of someone cutting the purfling channels by hand ? with a purfling cutter...

thanks !

_________________
It's this new idea from recent decades that everyone gets a participation award. - MUX

I saw a video once, but it seems I didn't save a link... It was a full construction process overview from some Spanish maker.

When I cut my binding channels, I scored as deep as I could into the sides. About half way through or more. Then score into the top and chip off some wood with a chisel, score again, chip some wood, until I'd made it through the top wood. Then basically just split the side wood off, it breaks nicely at the deep score line from the gramil. The sides were a tiny bit thicker than the binding, so I thinned the sides at the binding ledge a bit to make sure I'd get a good clamp on the binding against the exposed linings (I used LMI's tape). Could have sanded them down entirely at that point, but I decided to leave them rough and level it all out at finishing time (which is done now, and looks great).

Top purfling ledge was done after the binding ledge, but similar method, score into it from the side (can go deep into the soft top wood) and then score from the top surface and chip off a couple passes down to the desired depth. Probably could just chip to the lining surface there too, but I left a thin layer of the top wood under the purfling.

These Jose Romanillos vids show him routing the channels by hand....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFCGX-nRaxE