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Installing WIDE purfling on a guitar...
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Author:  Haans [ Tue Jan 23, 2018 7:05 pm ]
Post subject:  Installing WIDE purfling on a guitar...

You all know I used WIDE purfling all the time. Here is a tutorial on how I did it. My purfling was usually around 5/16" wide and usually overlapped the INSIDE of the kerfing. Here's how I did it.
I made a jig from an old Stew-Mac violin purfling cutter like this...

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I also used carbide "burr bits" that were very sharp.

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Set the depth for 1/2 the depth of the top at the edge and routed the inside cut. Doesn't much matter which way you rout as it's a burr, but I used to follow my pencil lines and arrows to get the proper cut direction.

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Note the little plexiglass "mount" that sits on the top. It's screwed to the jig with a few 2-56 bolts.

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I used to freehand rout the outside scrap off to end up with a nice ledge.

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The real secret of the whole setup is taking the time to carefully file that inside ledge smooth. A 1/8" piece of spruce cut to the waist shape with 120 grit glued to it takes care of the waist.

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Ledge was removed by very sharp chisel or just routed off freehand.

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Binding ledge was cut with a Stew-Mac setup and also cleaned up with a file just to be sure.

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Purfling was always installed, then it was filed a tiny bit if needed.

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Finally, the binding was installed separately.

Author:  Colin North [ Wed Jan 24, 2018 3:07 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Installing WIDE purfling on a guitar...

Nice one Haans, thanks for that.
Just wondering, how much the kerfing is deeper than the purfling ledge to support the top, if at all?

Author:  Haans [ Wed Jan 24, 2018 10:34 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Installing WIDE purfling on a guitar...

Well, thanks Colin, but I just moved most of it.
Works out to just about even, 5/16" being about .31" plus .080 binding. Doesn't much matter as purfling and glue is just as strong as the spruce itself, if not stronger. Never had one break apart. Don't think it bothered Larson's much either. Thickness around the rim on my 6 strings end up around .080"+, so the ledge is around .045" or so...

Author:  Colin North [ Wed Jan 24, 2018 11:18 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Installing WIDE purfling on a guitar...

Thank you Sir!

Author:  Theo [ Wed Jan 24, 2018 2:58 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Installing WIDE purfling on a guitar...

Thanks,

I'm curious about your choice of tape? I haven't come across duct/duck tape used before? Reasoning? Product? Clean up, residue issues? Is it a good option for binding tape in general?

Author:  Haans [ Thu Jan 25, 2018 3:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Installing WIDE purfling on a guitar...

I used it for a while because it really stretched. It was a real HD duct tape too. No clean up problems because it was actually rolled off. I liked it better in that respect than strapping tape...

Author:  BobHowell [ Fri Mar 09, 2018 4:45 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Installing WIDE purfling on a guitar...

I like the look of wide red and black designs shown on Hanns' site and here. I have experimented with several combinations of bloodwood and black, and maple. Then other blocks with cherry, osage orange, jatoba, and sapele added, so I can combine them as desired for different effects with other woods. I am using blond shellac to finish and find I must apply finish to see the true color of the wood. I also am a little color blind in red/brown, just the shades I am working with.

This week I applied the back stripe on a curly maple L-00 under construction. Hope to close it up this weekend and will post pictures.

I found bloodwood was available at my favorite wood store, but no red heart and solid holly scarce but I have collected a lot of curly and birds eye maple over the years, from pure compulsion. Also had lots of cherry, sapele, jatoba and walnut. Also have big pieces of osage from 28" log cut 22" for bowl blanks. These colors leave me dizzy.

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