Official Luthiers Forum!

I am wanting to put binding around the fingerboard for the first time on my next guitar.

   My first question is what is a good thickness for the bindings? I almost always use wood bindings and I can’t find a supplier for any bindings that are thinner than .080. Is that thickness okay? I have also been wondering is there any other way to cut the notch in the fret tang without buying the expensive tool from Stew Mac?

You can thin the bindings down to about .060". My opinion is that it looks better thinner.

I used a side cutter, grinder and small files to remove the tangs on my first...a real pain. I got the SM nipper and found it worth every penny.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

The only problem with thinning the bindings myself is that I don’t have a thickness sander. The only thing I have for thinning is a drill press planer and I don’t think you could thin bindings with that, and I don’t even want to try to thin them with a hand plane.

Colby, you could glue them to the fingerboard while they are a little oversize, then plane or sand them down to the thickness that looks good to you.

That would be easier to handle then trying to deal with the bindings by themselves.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

Hi Colby,

Someone here could surely sand you some bindings...

Just ask...(I don't have a sander yet, but plan to asap!

Colby, what kind of bindings are you using? I'd be willing to run them through my sander if you want to ship them to me. It will take all of 2 minutes.
As for the tang nipper: I wouln't waste your time on different methods. It's the only REAL way to go and you'll waste a LOT of time trying to grind them off. A cheaper alternative is Radio Shack. They make a similar cutter but it doesn't have a groove to hold the main part of the fret. That has to be gound into it. But it's like $10 and worth the effort of grinding in my opinion. You might check the libraries of the MIMF as I remember there being a discussion about this about a year ago. (That should be enough time for them to get the discussion archived)

If your using ebony bindings on an ebony board - use them at what ever thickness you have.080 will be fine.
You might what to look into getting a Luthiers Friend - this will think your bindings with ease.

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Buy the tool...you buy it once and have it for a life time. I couldn't go thru all the nonsense with out it!

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Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

[QUOTE=LanceK] If your using ebony bindings on an ebony board - use them at what ever thickness you have.080 will be fine.
You might what to look into getting a Luthiers Friend - this will think your bindings with ease. [/QUOTE]

That is what I do. I built my own Luthiers freind but it is pretty much the same design. Works like a charm. The more I use it the more operations I find for it.

[QUOTE=Pwoolson] A cheaper alternative is Radio Shack. They make a similar cutter but it doesn't have a groove to hold the main part of the fret. That has to be gound into it. But it's like $10 and worth the effort of grinding in my opinion. )[/QUOTE]

Radio Shack has discontinued that item. I found one on the internet from an electrical supply place and ground my own groove.I don't remember where though. It works well. I think I paid about $8 plus shipping. Do a Google for sheet metal nibbler.

The one that ratshack used to sell is McMaster-Carr part number 3623A14
$21
Put that number in the search. I'm sure there are alternatives. Jameco and the other surplus houses probably have a cheaper version

Thanks for all the info guys. I am going purchase the fret notch nipper from Stew Mac, it sounds like a wise investment. On the binding thickness, I would like to thin them on a drill press sanding station, but I can’t pay the price to buy a new one from Stew Mac. So I think I’ll look into making a shop made version.

WAIT ! ! !

I think Grizzly is making one now...same thing I believe.... and no dount it will be less expensive.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

I’ll wait as long as I can since I have not even bought the materials for this guitar yet.