Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi folks!
I am in need of some tortise purflings. I have some of the binding material, but I need purfling material, that is maybe .060 or 070 wide and more importantly, 1/16th or so tall/thick.
I want the color of the spruce top to show though the purflings.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks
Lance

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Lance,
Have you tried Axiom inc.?
Brad

I got some recently from Martin's Luthier Connection.

Edit: this was binding, not purfling. Sorry

Make them.

Rip them on your table saw out of normal binding material.

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tim...
http://www.mcknightguitars.com

How do you hold a 65" piece of floppy plastic that is 1/4" wide steady enough to rip on the table saw?

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

http://www.lie-nielsen.com/images/TGaugesm.jpg

I've been tempted to try this tool from lie-nielsen for just such a job. I can't find
a source for tortise purfling but this tool might make binding into purfling.....

Bruce

You can do it on a tablesaw,using a thin kerf blade,zero clearance throat plate and featherboard(s).You also need a fence that is tight to the table.
Brad Goodman
(who has no luck logging in anymore.)

Clean out your cookies and temp. internet files, Brad.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

How about using that slick setup for making strips out of ablam?

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Joe Breault
Merrimack, NH
Perpetual novice

"How about using that slick setup for making strips out of ablam?"

That would set it on fire!

Even at low RPMs?

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Joe Breault
Merrimack, NH
Perpetual novice

No, low RPM and a slitting saw blade would probably work fine. I was just thinking of that Dremel, flat-out, with a diamond wheel.

Maybe tortise pickguard material glued to white veneer. Cut with a stanley knife.

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Horton, MI

build a purfling cutter out of polycarbonate and #7 exacto blade and use binding material. you will likely on get 2 per blade but will get the job done, need to fence on both sides and a guide to keep in from wanting to climb the blade. Shouldn't be that hard to pull off.

Do you have a picture of one of these... I think I know what you mean, but a pic would confirm it..

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

No but look at Stewmacs purfling trimmer. Same concept

Well dag it I just went to SM site and cant' find it any more anyway it is a base with two adjustable sides as fences and a slot and screw to hold the razor blade and a bar to hold the material down to the base as it approaches the razor blade.

Table saw, Freud 40 tooth, 7-1/4" Diablo blade(am I talking to myself or does anybody ever listen?) and a zero clearance insert. Rip any material to any thickness/width you desire.

I hear ya, Mario. That's how I would do it. I've already thanked you publicly a couple of times for introducing me to that blade, but thanks again.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

I have that exact set up at your recomendation. I think the larger question though is how to HOLD the material while you rip it. It is only 1/4" wide to start with. If you use a featherboard to hold it down it wants to heave up when you push it though.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Push block....

A scrap of 1/2" or thicker plywood, about 5'" by 8-10" long. Use 1/4" plywood of you want to use a featherboard to hold it to the fence(I use my fingers)

Raise the blade about 1/16" higher than the binding. With a finger, or featherboard, hold the binding tight to the fence, and with the plywood block solidly on top of the binding, feed it through. If you can't seem to get enough "traction" with the block, add some high friction tape to it, or better yet, clean up and lightly wax the table like you're supposed to <g>

Feed in 10" lengths, move the block back, and feed again. Safe as safe gets, cuts clean as clean can be... I make purflings from veneer with the same methods, and trim existing bindings to width on the same setup...

Don't attempt this with any kind of buzz(beer, dope, Everclear, whatever turns your crank) happening, as your fingers will be in close proximity to the blade unless you chose the featherboard route.

If feeding is a problem, you can also double-stick tape it to a backer. You will then have to make one cut to straighten up the edge before you make your final cut to width.

As for cutting 10" at a time and moving your push block back, you may want to figure a way to keep it moving smoothly through the blade at all times. If it's like cutting plastic filler strips for abalam purfling, it will soften and really want to buckle if you let it sit in the same place for even a second or two. That's the case with a 10" diablo anyway. Maybe the slower speed of a smaller blade doesn't build up as much heat.

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http://www.chassonguitars.com

Thanks Mario and Kent. Excellent advice for cutting thin binding and purfs
on the table saw.

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

I do this (rip bindings into purfling) often on my bandsaw. I use a 1/4" fine tooth blade. The secret is to run a piece of plywood, scrap spruce, etc. into the blade several inches. This provides a solid base that will keep the binding from rocking or sliding under the fence (set the fence to the desired distance from the blade befor doing anything). Next feed your material into the blade against the fence. Hold the binding against the fence with one hand and feed with the other. The downward cutting action of the blade will force the binding flat against the table/plywood, at least near the blade. Once the outfed end of the binding is long enough to grab, I do so and pull it through with my right hand. The left hand stays on the infeed side of the blade to hold things up against the fence and keep things feeding straight. It's not hard at all. Once you get it started, it's cake! Hope that all makes sense.

Let us know how it turns out!

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Don Sharp
Got Brazilian?
http://www.sharpguitars.com