Veneer With Binding?

[darwinphilosophy]

I was planning on putting some type of veneer on my next build. The veneer would be about 1/42" thick. I am also planning on putting some plastic creme colored binding around the edge. After I glue the veneer down on the top I was wondering if while I was routing out the channel with a dremel tool for the binding if that would crack and ruin the edges of the veneer? Or would it leave a clean enough edge. I was planning on using a Lacewood, Quilted Maple, or Quilted Sapele for the veneer. Thanks for the help.

[ray]

as long as your veneer is glued down tight it will cut clean

routing out the channel with a dremel tool for the binding is a major PIA

if you have access to a router table use a rabbet bit you will get a much better cut

you will route top & bottom channells in 5 minutes or so - using a dremel will take a lot longer

the dremel is way underpowered and you need to take many passes to do it - each pass makes it more likely that a blunder will occur - it works however and if you are carefull and have a decent rebate jig yull get the job done

[darwinphilosophy]

Top and Bottom Channels? I am only doing the top of the guitar(not that I know what you mean by top and bottom, so it might mean something totally different then the top and bottom of the guitar ). And I don't have a router let alone a router table. I might be getting enough money to buy a router set but I still wont have a router table, and thats if I could even afford the router set. But that you for the advice. So do you guys like Lacewood or quilted sapele better ?

[ray]

yeah

one top of guitar and one on the bottom

maybe you could get access to as router and table at a woodwork club or a school

otherwise the dremel willdo it

look at stewmac for a decent binding jig that screws onto dremel

[brewu22]

Top and Bottom Channels? I am only doing the top of the guitar(not that I know what you mean by top and bottom, so it might mean something totally different then the top and bottom of the guitar ). And I don't have a router let alone a router table. I might be getting enough money to buy a router set but I still wont have a router table, and thats if I could even afford the router set. But that you for the advice. So do you guys like Lacewood or quilted sapele better ?

How are you going to build a guitar without a router? My router is one of the most used tools in my shop. You could do it without one, but it would be much more difficult, and easier to screw up. IMHO

[darwinphilosophy]

I am going to do it with the fact I have no money but still love making guitars...so I do with what I have, I can take a router off someones hands if they want but I do know I need to work on getting a router.

[Myka Guitars]

Put a few coats of lacquer on the veneer and it won't split when you route, cut, or chisel it (providing of course that your tools are sharp). Let is soak in and saturate the veneer and you should not have too many problems.

You can cut binding channels with a razor blade if you can made a fixture to hold it. All you really need is some scrap wood and a couple screws. Model it after this one: Purfling cutter. Basically it holds the blade at a specific distance from the handle setting the depth of cut (or width/height of binding).

~David

[WezV]

Top and Bottom Channels? I am only doing the top of the guitar(not that I know what you mean by top and bottom, so it might mean something totally different then the top and bottom of the guitar ). And I don't have a router let alone a router table. I might be getting enough money to buy a router set but I still wont have a router table, and thats if I could even afford the router set. But that you for the advice. So do you guys like Lacewood or quilted sapele better ?

How are you going to build a guitar without a router? My router is one of the most used tools in my shop. You could do it without one, but it would be much more difficult, and easier to screw up. IMHO

one of my most used too - but i did manage to do my first guitar fairly well without one!!

not ideal but still possible!!!

[Drak]

Yes indeed, if you do not have your veneering chops down cold, and you have a glue starved veneer edge, it will chip out in a heartbeat, especially using a Dremel tool. OTOH, using excessive amounts of glue when veneering is also asking for massive disaster, there is a very definite amount of glue one should use when veneering, and you can only find that out by practicing with veneer lots of times on dry runs until you get the hang of it and you can already picture what's going to happen before it even happens.

I would recommend you buy some scrap veneer and do about a dozen veneer practice runs before attempting a real run, ESPECIALLY if there is binding involved.

I think this project might be over your abilities at the moment. Practice veneering, and practice cutting binding ledges until you know what's going to happen before it happens. Then you can answer your own question, because by then, it will have happened to you and you will have learned what to do to correct the situation, i.e, be it learning how to properly apply glue to veneer, or how to cut a good binding channel, etc...

Buying fancy high priced veneer is no way to learn. You will be nervous and anxious and not willing to just let things happen for the sake of letting them happen.

And as far as veneer, when talking about Lacewood or QM, those two veneers need two very different treatments, they react differently, you cannot just interchange one veneer for another thinking all veneer acts the same, because it does not.

Practicing with a few different scrap pieces of veneer will teach you what to be on the lookout for and how different veneer can react differently, and it won't cost you a lot, and you will L-E-A-R-N how to do it. Learning happens when you repeatedly do something over and over and over until you understand what's going to happen before it even happens.

Building guitars shouldn't be an excercise that is full of surprises if you want to build nice playable instruments, you should practice these things first, many times if possible, before actually doing it for real.

Veneering is an art. People study veneer for years before they get good at it.

Cutting binding, yes, it also takes much practice before you can cut a sweet binding channel clear of defects.

Take these two topics and start to practice each of them until you can do both with confidence, -then- approach the guitar.

Best of luck to you!

[darwinphilosophy]

Well I have done veneers before, havent cut a channel yet so I will give that some practicing, thanks for the tips.

[Drak]

Got any pics of your veneer work? I always love to see veneered guitars.

[darwinphilosophy]

I actually have a picture of one in the 'In Progress and Finished' area of the forum it probably is on the 2nd or 3rd page it is a bass and I think it is titled something like 'Finally Finished with my bass' or something like that. Just look for one of the only posts by me. And there is a picture.

[pmarlin]

This one?

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...c=31254&hl=

[darwinphilosophy]

Thats the one.

[Drak]

I downloaded your pic and enhanced it a bit, I would like to see some more pics of it in better lighting, but all said, if that was your first veneer job with no practice runs, you did a mighty fine job of it.

I would never expect someone to get a veneer job perfect the very first time out.

Nice looking bass, you should be proud of that.

[darwinphilosophy]

Wow thanks, I feel proud that someone really liked it, thank you for the compliments. I do need better lit pics. Thank you though. I just wished I knew someone personally that knew how to work with wood or had tools or anything. To bad my dad doesnt make cool stuff