Reducing Purfling Width

Hluth

Hluth

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Most purfling is sized for guitars and is too wide for use on ukuleles. So, I shave my purling to about .008" wider than top thickness before gluing. To do this, the purfling is slid through a slot cut in the end grain of maple, and a scraper is used to shave off the extra width. Stewmac has a router jig, but it's very expensive. I was wondering about what other ways there are for doing it.

binding_scraper1.jpg binding_scraper2.jpg
 
If I understand your question and you are talking height and not width, I just install proud and scrap off excess after they are installed. Seems to work for me... Yes, guitar materials in an ukulele world. Can be a problem.
 
That McRosite trimmer is like $200.00 just for the jig and like you I think it's pretty expensive. I use the faux tortoise binding often and I'm gonna give your method a try.
Thanks for the idea!
 
stew macs .040" bwb are very nice
 
resoman said:
That McRosite trimmer is like $200.00 just for the jig and like you I think it's pretty expensive. I use the faux tortoise binding often and I'm gonna give your method a try.
Thanks for the idea!
Click to expand...
$200 plus shipping to the UK...Not for me! so I made one from scrap bits of plastic wood and stuff that I keep around... Good design tho and it works well.
 
Timbuck said:
$200 plus shipping to the UK...Not for me! so I made one from scrap bits of plastic wood and stuff that I keep around... Good design tho and it works well.
Click to expand...

I see the StewMac one at the AISA symposium every couple of years and shudder at the price. I like your spring set up!
 
Beau Hannam Ukuleles said:
stew macs .040" bwb are very nice
Click to expand...

I like Stewmac because they use maple for the white instead of fiber. I also make my own purfling when I need something unusual for just one or two instrument's, or want to match some other wood, then use the trimmer to smooth the saw cuts.
 
Just a tip...I made up some Stewmac WBW binding with acetone using the Stewmac Teflon jig thingy But! I didn't use the binding for about 6 months ...it bent quite well around the Tenor uke I made ....But it must have got brittle during the time it was in limbo co' s a short while after the uke was completed I noticed that there were transverse fine hairline cracks on the outer bends..so I advise making up the binding and using it while it's still soft before it drys out.
 
Timbuck said:
Just a tip...I made up some Stewmac WBW binding with acetone using the Stewmac Teflon jig thingy But! I didn't use the binding for about 6 months ...it bent quite well around the Tenor uke I made ....But it must have got brittle during the time it was in limbo co' s a short while after the uke was completed I noticed that there were transverse fine hairline cracks on the outer bends..so I advise making up the binding and using it while it's still soft before it drys out.
Click to expand...

I have found that even fiber purflings have a shelf life, maybe a few years of so, before they start to delaminate. I have enough purling material to last me 10 years so I keep it in my climate controlled room.
 
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