Bevels

Chris Ensor · **Posted:** Wed Jul 21, 2010 6:42 pm

I have seen a couple of different ways that people (including chris p. and matt mustapick) do their bevels, but I was wondering how other people do them. I am trying to figure out the way I would like to go about doing a bevel with purfling on both sides.

Any pics, videos, suggestions would be great. Thanks.

Chris Ensor · **Posted:** Thu Jul 22, 2010 12:10 pm

Dave Stewart · **Posted:** Thu Jul 22, 2010 12:27 pm

Chris, I think you need to better explain what you're talking/asking about. Which bevel? Are you referring to rounding over bindings??

SteveCourtright · **Posted:** Thu Jul 22, 2010 12:48 pm

I think he means a bevel ala Laskin, for arm, cutaway, etc.?

Dave Stewart · **Posted:** Thu Jul 22, 2010 12:55 pm

SteveCourtright wrote:

I think he means a bevel ala Laskin, for arm, cutaway, etc.?

Ahh, that makes sense! Bit thick today.

SteveCourtright · **Posted:** Thu Jul 22, 2010 2:51 pm

Chris, there are some tutorials by C. Paulick on this site that might answer your questions.

http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=10117

Edward Taylor · **Posted:** Thu Jul 22, 2010 3:10 pm

Tony Karol tutorial viewtopic.php?f=10102&t=12468&p=173731

Lex Luthier tutorial viewtopic.php?f=10117&t=15994

AlexanderLou3 · **Posted:** Thu Jul 22, 2010 6:54 pm

glad I subscribed to this thread. Thanks guys! I have 1 tutorial already but these 2 will help even more. I'm about to try my first one!!!

Edward Taylor · **Posted:** Thu Jul 22, 2010 7:36 pm

Indeed its good to see as many perspectives as possible, its a rather perplexing thing (at least to me). No slight on these guys' tutorials (their great!), but I would still like to see even more methods.

Chris Paulick · **Posted:** Thu Jul 22, 2010 8:28 pm

Here's a few. You may have to register with the community. But that's where I got some of my info for them along with the others listed above and Tony Karol's tuts one of which is over at MIMF too. The bevel ends up being the easy part. I'm still learning how to bind them as that's the hard part depending on what style you are after. There's not much out there on them. If you look at Lex's tut keep in mind that you can make the side template by bending plexi on your side bender. That's what gave me the idea for trying it in my video that's in the tut section here.

http://www.luthiercom.org/phpBB3/viewto ... f=72&t=114

http://www.luthiercom.org/phpBB3/viewto ... =72&t=1084

http://www.luthiercom.org/phpBB3/viewto ... =32&t=1092

TonyKarol · **Posted:** Thu Jul 22, 2010 9:20 pm

I am also making a side template to route a purfling groove, but I am using flexible plywood - its way easier than bending plexi .. one of my students has already done his, he is doing a laskin style with side purf and binding. we held it on with masking tape and routed the groove just fine ..

Chris Ensor · **Posted:** Fri Jul 23, 2010 10:15 am

Thanks for all the help fellas. I think I like the template top and hand method side the best, but I will still be pondering it.

Chris Paulick · **Posted:** Fri Jul 23, 2010 3:41 pm

Is that 1/8" bending plywood ?

You can spend a lot of time pondering. You just have to decide and do it. Then you'll see if you like that method and figure out how to make it better and easier for yourself. I think it's one of those things you just have to do like carving a neck. Certain things will become more apparent once you do a few.

TonyKarol · **Posted:** Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:35 pm

No Chris, it was some 3/8 we thinned to a little over 1/4 .... worked great. It will easily bend over a lower bout curve.

Chris Paulick · **Posted:** Sat Jul 24, 2010 7:02 am

Thanks Tony, I'll have to see if I can find some of that plywood. I never heard of it before.

TonyKarol · **Posted:** Sat Jul 24, 2010 9:38 am

its interesting stuff .. the outer two layers are thick, and oriented the same direction, and the middel layer is a veneer about 20 thou or so to hold the outer two together. Got a sheet at my local hardwood shop .. lee valley sells it also I think ... but in smaller sizes.

BTW .. its not cheap ....

Chris Paulick · **Posted:** Sat Jul 24, 2010 9:43 am

"BTW .. its not cheap ...."

Go figure.

Thanks again for the info.

JohnAbercrombie · **Posted:** Sat Jul 24, 2010 11:50 am

Chris Paulick wrote:

Thanks Tony, I'll have to see if I can find some of that plywood. I never heard of it before.

TonyKarol wrote:

its interesting stuff .. the outer two layers are thick, and oriented the same direction, and the middle layer is a veneer about 20 thou or so to hold the outer two together. Got a sheet at my local hardwood shop .. lee valley sells it also I think ... but in smaller sizes.

BTW .. its not cheap ....

You should be able to find bendable plywood/bendable plywood at a lumber supplier that works with the architectural/built-in cabinet trades. To add to Tony's (excellent) description, it comes in two 'orientations' - bendable 'along' or 'across' the 4 x 8 sheet. That's immaterial for guitar applications, but important if you are building a column or something similar.
I used it to build a curved 'dodger' for my sailboat - works well and once it is epoxy-glassed, rugged. The 'leftovers' have provided lots of useful bits for the guitar shop. Great stuff.
Around here (Victoria, BC) it only comes in 3/8", and it cost under $50 for a 4 x 8 sheet last time I got some. (By guitar standards, cheap!)

Cheers
John

Chris Paulick · **Posted:** Sat Jul 24, 2010 12:01 pm

Also sounds like good stuff for a custom case.

JohnAbercrombie · **Posted:** Sat Jul 24, 2010 3:00 pm

Chris Paulick wrote:

Also sounds like good stuff for a custom case.

If you laminate a couple of layers together, it stiffens up quite a bit.

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