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hi. i want to make my own purfling using a black, mahogany and black design and have a few questions.

we can get different dimensions of black fiber sheets from lmi but i cant figure out a good source for the mahogany. any ideas?

if possible would rather make the veneer. i work in a well equipped cabinet shop but am not sure how to go about milling up something that thin.

if you make your own, how do you go about getting the thickness?

many thanks

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http://www.wideskyguitars.com
https://www.instagram.com/wide_sky_guitars/

You could definitely cut thin sheets off of a board and thin them in a wide belt or drum sander, but why would you when there's certainlywood.com? Great prices and a HUGE selection. I cut purfling strips from their veneer using my fret slotting blade on a table saw.

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sweat the small stuff.

Cut all mine from readily available veneer sheets whenever possible. It's generally about .023" thick, I have sliced it by hand, on a band saw and lately on my table saw with a few simple fixtures. Maple, Mahogany and Walnut cover most of my needs for purfs But if need be they can be made, I make some .040" stuff for headstock binding and wide purf sometimes by slicing off pieces about .070 x 3/4" and final thickness them with a large sanding drum on my drill press with a fence then cut them to my required height. Have made some headstock veneers in a similar manner.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

I've been making my own purfling strips for my first guitar challenge project. It is probably not the fastest way to do it, but I'm able to make it on the fly. (These photos are on my build thread, but I expect a lot don't go down there...)

I start by resawing thin blanks on the bandsaw (I happened to be using 1-3/4" wide stock). Then I reduce the thickness with a handplane riding on a jig with a pair of thin maple rails - when the plane stops cutting, time to move on:



Then I break this down into strips using a Lie-Nielsen inlay slicing gauge and a cutting board (http://www.lie-nielsen.com/viewimage.php?product_id=10519&layout=blank - sorry, didn't get a photo of my set-up). It wouldn't be hard to roll your own gauge like this...

Then I thickness the strips on my Frog Scraper:



Here is the rosette I just made - the inside and outside rings are 0.020" hard maple and Peruvian walnut:



Hoping you don't mind a beginner sharing,
Dan

Nice work Dan. You are obviously have some skill and talent.

really nice dan! thanks for the tutorial!

heath, certainly woods looks great! i hadnt come across them before.

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http://www.wideskyguitars.com
https://www.instagram.com/wide_sky_guitars/

For .020 sandwiches, buy veneers (certainly wood), glue up the stack, cut on table saw with fret saw blade. If you want thicker veneers, either buy them online (certainly wood is talking about carrying some) or re-saw some yourself and then the same procedure. Works for me!

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ELEVATE || Next Level Lutherie
http://elevatelutherie.com
&
http://ensorguitars.com

I've had bad luck trying to make ladder patterns and other designs with the fiber. When I switched to all wood it worked much better. The fiber tended to come apart when bending the finished purfling. If I wanted thin black lines I would go with black veneer.

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Michael F Smith
Goat Rock Ukulele
http://goatrockukulele.com

I've had bad luck trying to make ladder patterns and other designs with the fiber. When I switched to all wood it worked much better. The fiber tended to come apart when bending the finished purfling. If I wanted thin black lines I would go with black veneer.

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Michael F Smith
Goat Rock Ukulele
http://goatrockukulele.com

We all have our pet peeves, mine is "fiber" veneer. Let's be honest, and call it cardboard. I'm hypocritical enough to be comfortable with plastic golpeadores on flamencas, but to my mind, "fiber" hilos should accompany molded plastic nuts and saddles--have no place on luthier-built guitars. None of the veneer companies I've found offer anything in the .012" range. LMI does. Gurian does.

+1 certainly veneer, and woodcraft, glue with titebond or fish , cut up on 1/4in 6tpi cheapo ryobi BS, There is a new veneer supplier in Idaho that has 1mm veneer.Forgot their name google veneer suppliers , Switching over to jewellers saw on table saw , cleaner cut . less sanding on thickness sander

I buy veneer in sheets about 8in wide and clamp a straight edge to the desired width of the purfling and then run a fresh bladed exacto knife along it to cut a piece. Takes about 5 or 6 strokes with the knife.

I'd like to put in a plug for R&B Rare Woods. I have only bought dyed veneers from them to date as my interest is primarily in traditional mosaic type rosettes and purflings. However, they also have a tremendous variety of natural wood veneers. I have found their prices to be very reasonable and their quality and service excellent. They are at www.wood-veneers.com.

Max

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Max Bishop
Brighton, Michigan