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I need to gain better understanding about bindings and purfelings. Do some builders use just binding to finish to finish the outer rim of the body? Or only purfeling or allways both? Also please give me an example of how to measure either or both to determine the width and depth of the cut in the channel and what is a good way of making the cut. Lost in space but learning, sincerly Richard Gardner rgar5795

For sure Bindings ,not always perf.Can do both.

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

Hi Richard, welcome to the forum.

Are you following a book? Do you have a plan for cutting the binding chanels yet (doesn't sound like it)? Give us a bit more detail if you don't mind

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I always bind, sometimes purfle (is that a word? ), although I've considered skipping binding on the back for a very simple look (not to mention making life a whole lot easier if I ever have to remove the back), or doing only purfling for a violin themed guitar

I use the gramil from LMI and a chisel to cut the channel, and set the depth with little shims I made to put between the blade and body of the tool. But to make the shims, I just trial-and-errored on scraps. Actually I only ever use one of them, which is to get the thickness of a binding strip. For binding+purfling, I just use that shim plus a little bit of the purfling in question.

Most people use router jigs though. Hand cutting is somewhat tricky and more time consuming, but I'm not comfortable with power tools around my beautiful mostly finished boxes, nor do I like the loud noise. Plus a gramil takes a lot less storage space between uses.

Welcome to the forum , I have only done 1 and I did binding and perfling on the top. Look forward to seeing your results

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You can find guitars without binding, and without purfling, but not (in my experience) with just
purfling. If you don't do either you need to be very exacting in fitting the top and back to the
sides, and be very careful about not chipping the top and back while finishing. I don't particularly
like the looks of guitars without both. As Todd said, it just seems to finish off the guitar better.
There is definitely a learning curve to installing nice binding and purfling. The information is in
some of the better building books, and Stewart MacDonald has a fair amount in their "free information"
area. Here's the link

http://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/Binding.html

For me at least, my binding jig is probably my second or third most useful jig, right up there with
good body molds and my bending jig.

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Gene

Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason- Mark Twain

This may not apply as I mostly build ukuleles but I rarely use binding and only use a tail-wedge to cover-up a crummy tail joint.
In binding, I cut a 1/16" ledge and apply two layers of veneer using titebond. It works for me.

Bob