Question regarding trimming bindings

Liam Ryan

Liam Ryan

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Has anyone got an ingenious method to trim bindings to width/height (not thickness, that's done in the sander)?

At the moment I just hold them in one hand and run a block plane down them in small increments. Not accurate and a PITA.

While we're at it, what about celluloid bindings? Can they be run through the sander to thickness them or do they burst into flames?
 
I've cut a slot the correct thickness and height for the binding on the table saw in some MDF and then slipped the over tall binding into that slot. Then fed that through the drum sander to take the binding down to the correct height (just kissing the top surface of the MDF). Is that what you are thinking of?
 
That's exactly what I was thinking of doing but I was curious to see if there are any other ways.

Allen, have you fed tortoise bindings through the sander using this method?
 
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This works well, though it was a little scary the first time I tried it. The bindings were first bent as a 'side' in the fox bender, then sliced thick on the bandsaw, then the edges surfaced top and bottom in this sled. I have run about 10 sets through with this method so far, no problems, weird noises, or anything to make me think twice about it.




At this point in my learning, I have been gluing side purfling on at the same time, but separately from the binding. 2 bodies completed this way, it works fine.
 
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No, haven't tried any abs or cellulose ones. I suspect that they would just melt into a gooey mess with the heat generated by the sanding. Ken's suggestion seems to be a more viable option.
 
I dimension the height and width of my bindings on the drum sander before I bend them and after I rout the channels. After cutting the strips on the table saw, I stack the strips on edge and tape the bottom and run it through as if it were a single board ( IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ). I run abot 50 or 60 through at a time. When one side is sufficiently sanded, I flip the stack over, apply new tape then remove the old tape from the other side. The two pieces of tape are at the very ends that usually get cut off when binding so the tape thickness doesn't matter. They are just a hair over sized so final clean up is easy.
(I also treat the width in the same manner, like one wide board.)
 
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I can't answer to wood bindings but for celluloid I coil it up into a circular recess in a piece of MDF. It is secured in place with an eccentric cam made out of a large penny washer. I then pass it through the thickness sander and finish it 180 grit on a sanding board. It's then cut to width on a bandsaw with this edge left raw so I know which way is up :)
 
Celluloid builds up on the sanding material and clogs it. I thin it one piece at a time on 60 grit belt sander with just finger pressure. Both sides, just for the heck of it, and I keep it moving across the belt. I'm not after a perfect fit, I just want to reduce the amount of scraping. Fortunately, celluloid scraps easily. I made a simple table saw jig for cutting binding to height. I'll shoot a picture on Monday and post it if this thread is still active. I prefer all binding to be slightly oversize in all dimensions. All bindings are scraped down to the sides. Plastic is scraped down to the plates, too. Wood binding/purfling is ground down to the plates with 80 grit on a random orbit sander. I used to use 60 grit until they changed the grit material. Good 80 grit disks last longer than crappy 60 grit and cut just as fast. I'm always on the lookout for better sanding material. Companies keep changing their product, almost always for the worst.
 
We have a table router setup that is kind of like a planer or jointer turned 90 degrees. Works great on anything I'd want to use for binding.
 
jcalkin said:
Celluloid builds up on the sanding material and clogs it. I thin it one piece at a time on 60 grit belt sander with just finger pressure. Both sides, just for the heck of it, and I keep it moving across the belt. I'm not after a perfect fit, I just want to reduce the amount of scraping. Fortunately, celluloid scraps easily. I made a simple table saw jig for cutting binding to height. I'll shoot a picture on Monday and post it if this thread is still active. I prefer all binding to be slightly oversize in all dimensions. All bindings are scraped down to the sides. Plastic is scraped down to the plates, too. Wood binding/purfling is ground down to the plates with 80 grit on a random orbit sander. I used to use 60 grit until they changed the grit material. Good 80 grit disks last longer than crappy 60 grit and cut just as fast. I'm always on the lookout for better sanding material. Companies keep changing their product, almost always for the worst.
Click to expand...

I do the same thing John for wood bindings. The Mirka Abranet disks are great for this job. Sharp, nice and stiff and long lasting.
 
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