Official Luthiers Forum!

This will be my first time working with abalone - my second guitar for that matter - and I am planning to make a rosette very similar to the one in the image below. The inner and outer purfling rings seem straight forward enough, but the central ring has me questioning. In my research I am finding that there are several ways people go about creating an abalone ring that is bordered with purflings:

Cut a single channel and install the abalone and purflings in one shot?
Cut 2 channels for the purflings, install them, and then cut a channel in the middle for the shell?
Or, cut a channel for the shell, install it, and then cut out channels for the purflings?

Which methods (or other methods) have worked well for you, and why?

I prefer to cut a single channel and install the abalone and purflings in one shot. I have done it the other ways you list. This is really for you to decide. There is no right or best way.

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

I use the teflon strip method, installed with the purfling then pulled out to allow for the pearl to be installed. I bevel and install the pearl in the entire rosette then flood with CA

_________________
Fred Tellier
http://www.fetellierguitars.com
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/FE-Tellier-Guitars/163451547003866

I have done it both ways and prefer the poly or teflon removable strip.

_________________
John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

I can't imagine trying to do option 2 or 3. You'd either damage the installed purfling or leave a sloppy fit for the shell. I wouldn't want my little router bit to hit the shell either.
I cut one channel and dry-fit the parts. Adjust the channel until I can get the parts in. 3 hands would be nice but some tape helps me hold things in place. Then I drop in some thin CA glue.

Just be sure you have a clean work area...When the purfling springs out of the channel and sends your shell pieces flying you can find them easier

I'm not the OP, but have a rosette-related question: my son is building from a kit that arrived mostly assembled. Top is glued on, and soundhole cut. He'd like a simple purfling job around the soundhole (the soundhole arrived w/o adornment of any kind).

All of the rosette-channel cutting tools and jigs I've seen on Stewmac and LMII appear to be intended for use before the soundhole is cut out, as they use a centering hole as a guide, located dead-center of where the soundhole will be.

Forgive the newbie question, but what's the best method for marking and cutting such a channel? FWIW, I've already ordered the Stewmac Dremel router base for other inlay projects, but can't see a way to use it here. Many thanks.

For Benz, I'm another one who has used the teflon strips for both sound hole rosettes and abalone purfling. I simply laminate it with whatever bwb I'm going to use, pull it when done and then insert the abalam. I've had good luck using straight pieces and simply snapping them off in short lengths to make curves - if you push them together tight enough you don't see any gapsl

For SpinalTap, do you mean the top is already glued on the back and sides? If so there are ways to cut channels referenced off of the edge of the soundhole - I think it is called "violin purfling". There was an article in American Lutherie a while back - I'll see if I can find it.

If the top is not braced or glued on, but has the sound hole cut I would just make a dummy plug and clamp it to a piece of plywood.

Thanks for the advice, everyone!

A Teflon strip does make a lot if sense - too many trips around the sound hole with a router seems a bit tricky anyway.

Thanks. Top is glued on already -- body is complete, neck yet to be attached. I figured there had to be a tool that used the edge of the soundhole as a reference, but didn't find one. I'll keep up the quest!

OK, the article is in American Lutherie #104 but I don't think you want to try to duplicate it - he uses a floating router attachment on some sort of air suspended table for the instrument.

There are probably ways you could add a couple of bearings to the bottom of a dremel plunge router base, but if I were your son I would say "this is the minimilistic rosette, wait until you see my next one" Good luck to both of you