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If you build classicals in a solera, I'm curious when and how you install your end wedge or end strip.
Thanks, Wendy

I install end wedges after I rout the binding channel but before I bind the instrument. I will taper the end wedge making it longer on both ends than necessary. I lay it in place and mark both edges on the sides. I saw to the marks and chisel out the wood. I test fit the taper, adjust as necessary with a file, then glue it in place. Having the extra length allows for inaccuracies in cutting the width of the tapered recess, and corrections made with the file to perfect the tapered fit. After the glue is dry I trim the ends to the binding ledges.

Thanks Clay. So do you have a way of clamping it in place or do you just let the tightness of the wedge hold it while the glue dries?

You can stretch tape across the lower bout or use a band clamp to hold it in place. A 2 ft. Pony (F body)clamp could also be used but would be a bit less handy.

Like Clay I do it as part of the binding process - there is often some mitering and/or purfling that needs to be addressed. I like to clamp two pieces of scrap wood to my bench separated by the width of the waist and sticking out 6 or so inches. Pad them, slide the body between them butt up and clamp another pieced of scrap on the outside to hold the body in place. It puts the butt of the guitar at about the right working height and makes it easy to saw and chisel the groove. I'll usually glue it in place before the binding but that all depends on the miters. I have one long quick clamp that reaches from head to butt - light pressure is all you need.

bindings first then end graft

I route the end graft channel and glue in a temporary graft made from scrap. I do this as part of my sides assembly. After routing the binding channels, I remove the temporary graft and glue in the permanent one which protrudes into the binding channel. Then I cut the miters in the graft and follow with the bindings.

Thanks Michael Lazars, I like your use of the temporary graft. I like to cut the end graft before I install the top and back to avoid nicking or cutting into the top\back when cutting the slot. (I did that once) Having a temporary end graft to allow routing the channel straight across will save me a lot of work hand cutting the binding channel near the end graph.

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http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

Interesting methods here. I just read through Gores book and he routs the end graft after the binding. Seems tricky to do it taht way. I pretty much do it like Clays method. I clamp it though to be sure:

This is how I go about it, but without the temporary graft, if I'm not going to add purfling to the bottom edge of the binding and wrap it around the end graft. I, too have nicked a back and had to get creative to cover it up. I might try the temporary graft next time I wrap the purfling around the end graft.

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Tony Thatcher
Bozeman, Montana

depends upon the level of purfling but i generally do the graft before the binding rebates and clamp it up at rim assembly. really depends on the level of ornamentation though. traditional classicals usually have rectangular grafts with no taper btw.

many ways to do this as long as you don't wreck something and it doesn't take forever.

I install the end graft before routing the binding channels. I stick a piece of extra purfling stock to the face of the plates at location of the end graft with a couple of layers of blue tape when routing. This causes the routing channels to bump up as the router raises up the extra height of the purfling. This leaves some trimming on the binding channels for an inch or two of length to get them down to where they need to be.

I'm thinking about changing this to glue in the end graft after routing the binding channels. That would save a lot of extra binding channel fettling.

I can't quite wrap my head around the temporary end graft idea. I don't know what problem is solved by doing this extra step. I would like to hear more about what problem this helps solve.

As others have said, there are many ways of doing this, and to some degree it depends on what purfling treatment you want.

The way I look at it, if you do the end graft rout before the binding channel, you risk the binding router dropping into the end graft channel and screwing up the binding channel. To get around that, you need the temporary fill for the end graft channel (and then to remove it), or put the end graft in and mess with the purfling channel and mitres (or don't mitre).

If you cut the binding channel before you rout the end graft channel, you risk blowing out the end grain at the end of the end graft channel.

Doing it as per the book, going for a "framed" look, cutting the binding channels, gluing in the bindings and purfling, then cutting the end graft channel, fitting the purfling mitres and gluing in the end graft gives a more predictable outcome and doesn't take long (once you've done a few!). I still use the essence of the book method, but rout the end graft channel (another custom jig) rather than cutting it with a knife and chisel. But I still fit the mitres in the same way as shown in the book.

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Trevor Gore, Luthier. Australian hand made acoustic guitars, classical guitars; custom guitar design and build; guitar design instruction.

http://www.goreguitars.com.au