Binding Maple neck

[Walter Morgan]

FIrst let me just say how much I appreciate Frets.com. It has been and continues to be

a source of invaluable information and inspiration., Thanks Frank:)

I normally build one piece Maple necks and leave them unbound.

I thought I'd try applying binding to one just for S&G but I'm not sure about how to do it.

Do you just glue it to the sides of the neck and then feather it to as small a lip as possible

on the lower part? Does the binding need a channel? Use the thinnest binding material?

Don't try it?

thanks

Walter

[Ned Knepp]

Hi Walter. 

Every bound neck/head I've seen has a channel cut just as you would for a guitar body. I don't know how else you would do it .

I suppose it might be possible to narrow and shorten the fingerboard slightly before you install it. It might even be possible to bind the narrowed/shortened fingerboard before installing it BUT I've never tried this so I no idea what "gotchas" you might run into.

[Walter Morgan]

Hi Ned,

Thanks for the reply. I hear ya about gotchas:)

I think I feel the need for a trip to the guitar emporium for some "research."

cheers

[Frank Ford]

It is absolutely possible to bind the fingerboard first, then glue it on and complete the final shaping/sanding of  the neck.  Such well-known makers as Gibson and Martin do it that way.

[Jeff Highland]

Yes you would normally bind the edges of the fingerboard before installing it.

Since you are building one piece maple necks, inless you are willing to change to a separate fretboard, you will have to cut a chanel.

This may be easiest while the blank is still square on the edges and face.

[Walter Morgan]

Thanks Jeff.

I see it what you mean.

I'm still going to experiment a little bit. It seems to me that if the binding is glued down then it could be sanded (feathered) to almost flush with the neck. So it would be at it's thickest at the frets and tapered to nothing. You might have the slightest bit of a lip but the lacquer could even that out.

I've never seen it and it might not work but what the heck.

I'll report back success or abject failure:) Now, black or white?

cheers 

Walter

[Russell Vance]

Walter, 

Do not feather it to "nothing" you will get a wavy line and a "lip"  in this high traffic area is not a good idea for a number of reasons   -  glue an appropriate thickness of binding to the fingerboard before installation and aim to have sufficient thickness remaining to make sure that you do not shave it away to nothing and show the edge of the fingerboard on the side of the neck.  A good twenty five thou (.025/one sixteenth) is probably a good place to finish.

You can cut a rebate on the  neck with the fingerboard already installed (without frets usually) by way of jigging a router guide but this is not "101" Stuff.

  Good luck, Rusty.

[Walter Morgan]

Be one with your router, grasshopper:)

thanks again Russ.

[Paul Verticchio]

Walter,

Frets exists to promote good lutherie practices.

I'm in the camp that is trying to dissuade you from doing your glue & scrape plan.  Although I like to think outside the box as well as the next guy; it's just the absolute "wrongest" way to do it.

Look at it this way, if it was easy to do and resulted in an attractive & durable binding, everybody (especially manufacturers) would be doing it.

Best of luck with your project (-:

[Walter Morgan]

Paul,

Thanks for the reply.

cheers,

Walter

[Pierre-Antoine Roiron]

I usually cut my fretboard shorter on each side it needs a binding. Then glue my bindings and glue the whole assembly on the neck. For a one piece neck, I would channel the neck sides (router+chisel) before radiusing and profiling, then glue bindings and profile/radius.

[Walter Morgan]

HI Pierre,

Thanks for the reply. Very helpful!

best,

Walter

[Jeff Highland]

Probably better to cut channel, radius and SLOT first  before binding