Official Luthiers Forum!

I've seen it suggested for light bindings such as maple to get a more invisible joint but do any of you regulary use a scarfe joint for bindings where they join at the tail-block rather than a butt joint and if so would you care to share your techniques? For example do you make the middle of the scarfe joint line up with the centre of the end graft (I know, I know . . . if it's "invisible it doesn't matter )

Thanks in advance.

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

The way I do a scarf joint binding is to pre-fit stating at the waist and work back around the lower bout. At the center seam I overlap the binding by 1’ each side. Tape the bindings together at the ends of the over lap. Mark the location of the center seam. I take the binding still taped together to a mini miter saw set at 15 degrees and cut the miter. When I bring the binding back to the body the scarf joint is the first glue up position and the I work my way around each side form there. This is not perfect on lenght but is still close enought that you can pull the binding in for good tight fit every where. and I never junk a piece because I cut it too short as I have done trying to fit them one at a time.

I always do a scarf joint at the butt end, outside lining up with the center usually. I cut the scarf joint with a sharp chisel, 45º, more or less. Not sure it will make the joint on maple look invisible, that's pretty hard. But it works for darker woods like the rosewoods, bloodwood etc. The scarf joint also pulls the bindings tight against the rabbet there.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

I just went back to a butt joint !
I used a scarf for over 20 years!
I first saw on on a Hannabach classical.
Anybody seen one of those??

I liked the look !
For light color woods like maple I fit one side and glue it on!
Then I fit the other side !
To get a near invisible joint I sand the two ends to 45% on a disc sander side by side with a guide with 80 grit !
The corse lines the 80 leaves helps make it look invisible because the
grit lines slide into each other a bit!!!

Mike

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Mike Collins

Michael, Laurent and Mike,

Thanks for your methods - very helpful.

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

I just did a scarf joint about 3" away from the center seam. The angle of a scarf joint is best if it is well beyond 45 degrees. I don't know what angle mine is. I made if free hand on the belt sander, but I'd guess it is around 15 degrees. I'm the only one that will ever know where it is. It is almost invisible.

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"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.