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BINDING THE BODY  --  3

wpe4.jpg (12464 bytes)     Once the binding ledges have been cut, and the miters fitted, gluing in the binding is relatively straightforward.  I use a combination of masking tape (buy a good brand such as 3M rather than  a cheap brand, since it is stronger.) and fiberglass filament tape (sold as strapping tape).  I cut off a lot of pieces of the strapping tape and line them up on the bench.

 

 

wpe5.jpg (9417 bytes)    I use DUCO cement (although Stewart MacDonald sells a glue that is very good -but smells as if it is much more toxic - if that is possible) when using plastic binding and titebond when using wood for binding.  The only difficult part is cutting the join or miter at the last part of the binding on the back (not a problem on the top where the neck covers the "joint").  As you can see, I use a lot of masking tape. 

 

wpe6.jpg (12362 bytes)     Here is another photo of the same process.  You will notice a small scrap of wood on the bench near the guitar.  I use this as a backer when I am cutting the last joint with my chisel.   You will also notice the carpet square (rectangle) on my bench.  I buy these by the dozen from a carpet store (generally they sell them for about $1) and throw them out as soon as they are dirty or have glue stuck on them.

When I take the tape off the guitar I park it on a ball.  The first one I "created" got to be bigger than a basketball - this one is not that big yet.  As you can tell, this is not a "technique" - just an eccentricity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

wpe4.jpg (9430 bytes)    The last thing to do to the binding is to round off the edges.  A sharp edge is uncomfortable and also is really impossible to finish.  I use the blade from a jointer and scrape a curved edge on the binding.  This is really quite easy and quick.  After it is scraped I sand the edge with a 150 or 220 grit sandpaper to finish it off.   At this point the guitar body is ready for final sanding and finishing.

 

This website and all of its content, text and images are copyright ©1997-2012 by Charles A. Hoffman.  All rights reserved.

2219 East Franklin Ave.
Minneapolis, MN. 55404

hoffmanguitars@qwestoffice.net or choffman@hoffmanguitars.com

(612) 338-1079