Jump to content

What to do with the edge...?


Recommended Posts

Here's the deal; took 3/8" off the top of the body with my router (body was too big for a thickness planer), then glued on the spalted maple top. The problem is, this body formerly sported a curved top edge (1/2" roundover) which still shows slightly at the glue line (you can see remains of the black finish), even after I trued up the edge of the top with a drum sander. There are also some pretty big gaps (up to 1/4") at the forearm contour where the 3/8" thickness was just too much to bend properly.

The back will be finished black, the top will be clear-natural; but I'm at a loss about what to do with the top edge. The options I've pondered are:

1) 1/2" wood or plastic binding (large enough to hide the glue line), but where can I get binding that wide?

2) 1/2" roundover pass (with the black stopping at the glue line)

3) 1/2" roundover pass with a thin black-burst on the top

What do you think? The spalted maple varies tremendously in hardness; the wood around the edge tends to be very soft, so that may be a factor. Let me know if I've missed an option for the edge, and also how you think I should fill the gap.

thanks!

DN1.jpg

the complete top

DN2.jpg

the gap at the forearm contour

DN3.jpg

the edge

Link to comment
Share on other sites

buy/make some more clamps, seems to me as if you didn't use enough of 'em

The problem wasn't enough clamps, but that 3/8" is really too thick to bend properly, especially with such a variation in wood hardness. I really should have thinned it before gluing the top on; by the time this developed, I was already committed. The place where the gap is located was close to the bookmatch glue joint, and I didn't want it to get too wet when I soaked this part of the top.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why not fill the gaps with epoxy, wood filler or whatever someone that is an expert recommends and paint the black up to the spalt line on the edge?

The back is going to be black like you mentioned and I think the black/spalt edge will give it a nice look. The black will also cover the filler you use.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...