Guitar Purfling Strips Don't Buy Them MAKE THEM

A demonstration of making guitar purling strips. You can have them in any dimension and specie you want them.

[@aroebuck1]

Thanks for all of the great information you share with us. It's really appreciated.

[@thepragmaticluthier]

Thank you for your comment. I'm pleased that you derive benefit from the videos.

[@johnford7847]

Once again, thanks, Kevin.

[@waynechase4595]

You are the BEST best luthier information channel I have found! And I mean that in a good way!

[@thepragmaticluthier]

Thanks so much. There are several other great sources out there but you compliment is very pleasing to read.

[@user-nn9go6tj3b]

Thanks! I'm inspired!

[@short6691]

Awesome video!

[@thepragmaticluthier]

Thanks!

[@stevecarver4906]

Thanks!

[@raytristani]

This is one of my favorite things to make at my shop. We do this exactly the same way 😊. I do send them through the drum sander on a platten. I’d rather sand a platten than the conveyor belt

[@thepragmaticluthier]

I establish parallel between the table and the drum using machinists' parallels and a feeler gage. It can be a little frustrating to get it exact, but if done carefully, no platen is necessary.

[@janettehill8544]

Because the Delta sander is an open sided machine, there is a little flex that pushes the drum away from the belt feed bed. It is more pronounced on the outside end than next to drive side. I would always do the final thicknessing as close to the drive side as possible. If I have a ways to sand, I will send the pcs. through on a diagonal. As well as the sand paper cutting more freely across grain, it also does not tend to gum up the paper. One has to remember that the drum is a small dia. There for if you run in one place a lot, the drum (and there for the sandpaper) will heat up. Heat is the number one enemy of sand paper.

[@thepragmaticluthier]

I've had no problem holding a tolerance of .002" across the entire length of the drum. When sanding those purling strips, you feed only straight through because the strips won't tolerate feeding at an angle. Given the initial thickness of the strips, a single pass through the sander should be less than .010" at a time.

[@tedrowland7800]

I so want my own shop space again. I had one in TN, not for guitars but for custom mill work, cabinetry and furniture. I made custom base boards, roll top desk, round wood tables ordered for restaurants, fire place mantels that I hand carved with chisels. Even made hair dryer chairs and furniture frames. Moved to MI, and I'm working in a 10 ft x 10 ft. bedroom. (LOL). I looked up on Facebook and found a drum sander, (Delta) from a shop downsizing for $400.00 listed 11 hours ago. Unfortunately, it is 250 miles away. I'm bummed

[@thepragmaticluthier]

Don't feel too badly about that sander. The Delta is FAR from excellent and has some predilections that will drive you nuts. Worse yet, parts are nearly impossible to get and they are, necessary. ALL Delta sander are several years old ( mine is 22 years) so one can expect that there is wear on anything you buy. hope you can get yourself a better shop sometime soon.

[@tedrowland7800]

@@thepragmaticluthier Thank you.

[@OpenWoodShop]

Today I learned "chatoyance".

[@rakentrail]

Kevin, I use a lot of holly and red cedar just because it grows here on the farm. (free) Holly is very white and really accepts dye. I dye them in a PVC pipe tube and pressurize the tube to 150 psi. The dyes penetrate all the way thru the holly so no light spots after scraping! Really enjoy your approach. Thanks!

[@thepragmaticluthier]

Fascinating! I do exactly the same thing with Maple purling.

[@rakentrail]

@@thepragmaticluthier Great minds think alike! LOL!

[@lutheologie1517]

This is helpful, friends! Could you share with us what you use to dye the wood?

[@django02]

Great video! Do you ever make purfling laminates for purfling schemes that have multiple purfling strips? Something like a black/white/black three-piece purfling. Or do you install individual unlaminated purfling strips all at the same time?

[@thepragmaticluthier]

I invariably use several purling strips of different colors, natural and dyed and I install them individually.

[@pigjubby1]

I plan on gluing Indian rosewood binding onto a mahogany body. What 's the best glue? I'm concerned the CA glue will stain the wood and Titebond won't be able to hold it with the oily wood. Thank you

[@thepragmaticluthier]

If you use cyanoacrylate, put a wash coat of shellac around the binding ledge. Aliphatic resin glue is perfectly acceptable and so is polyvinyl acetate, which will give you a longer open time. If you are concerned about adhesion, wipe the binding with naphtha just before glueing. Give the naphtha time to evaporate before glueing.

[@micdunsmore3553]

Kevin…. do you have much problem with the perfin warping/twisting while drying from a water based solution?

[@thepragmaticluthier]

I have learned that selecting very straight grain material is my best insurance against that but sometimes yo get fooled. Given straight grain material, you shouldn't have enough trouble to make it an issue.

[@user-df6ek2sy4m]

Thanks for the videos. They're very informative! What do you dye your purfling with ? I don't remember you saying anything about that

[@thepragmaticluthier]

I dye my purflings with water soluble anilin dye, mixed hot. I put the purflings in a length of 1 1/2" PCV pipe fitted with air fittings and pour the dye in while still warm. I screw on a cap sealed with teflon tape and put 50 lbs of air pressure in the pipe. It puts the dye through he purling nicely in a week.

[@user-df6ek2sy4m]

Thank you !

[@walterrider9600]

thank you. Would a 6 tpi blade do better ?

[@thepragmaticluthier]

As you increase the TPI on a bandsaw blade, the resultant cut become smoother but the feed rate must decrease. Given that all of the purflings MUST be drum sanded, a lower TPI doesn't seem to matter much.

[@walterrider9600]

@@thepragmaticluthier thank you

[@hereasafanofallsorts5164]

purfling is traditionally black white black - so how are you making that ?

[@thepragmaticluthier]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eniufqmVpLyoaLs

[@hereasafanofallsorts5164]

Awesome thank you @@thepragmaticluthier

[@tribestribes2555]

For a European it,s hard about them inces here and there. As a Swede it,s mm that counts.

[@thepragmaticluthier]

Inches X 25.4 = mm.