New approach to binding

Hi everyone,

I'm very new to instrument building, so this trick might be old news. Basically, I've never been that happy with my bindings. I tried tape, but could never get exactly the pressure and control I wanted. Same with cotton string. I spent so much time fiddling about getting everything taped right, I resorted to ca glue. I would have much preferred titebond because I would like the join to be reversable. It also seems to me that I get a tighter more invisible join with titebond.

I recently discovered a very simple method of binding that (to my mind) is extremely effective. I got it from Tom Sands, a very good UK guitar maker. Basically it involves cutting mountain bike inner tubes into 15mm wide strips and using these strips to clamp on the bindings. These rubber strips have just the right amount of pull to them, and they don't tend to slip around. I find that one tube cut into 4 strips is more than enough to do one ukulele. I just bound six ukulele with this method, and am completely sold. Just thought I'd pass this along!

I've been using a combination of 3M green tape and rubber pallet/crate bands where the binding wants to be stubborn. I also use Titebond. Binding is always nerve racking for me, but I'm getting pretty fast at it. I do make dang sure the channel is clean with some sandpaper and knock off the inside corner of the binding with the edge of a blade just a bit. I'll probably try using just the bands in the near future.

I use the same trick for clamping fretboards in place.

I usually get a large bag of large rubber bands and after taping the binding in place, I basically cover the instrument in rubber bands stretched in every direction so the binding has nowhere to go except flush with the instrument. Nothing I have tried works better and I have been building all sorts of instruments for around 20 years now. I have a friend that uses vacuum storage bags in the same manner and his way is far less time consuming.

Surgical tubing works great if using tightbond, not so well if using CA glue. CA eats every type of tubing I have tried.