Building: Chapter 4. This tutorial on building an acoustic guitar is broken up into six chapters. Jump to chapter: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6

Chapter 4 - Friezing and Binding
This can be a testing experience if you are not prepared so take your time. The top is easy done with a router or Dremel tool with either the router base or a purfling tool. Stewart-MacDonald has them. I never used one but I am sure they will fit the bill.

Cutting The Top Binding Channel
I do the top first. With some scrap wood set the depth you need. I set the depth first and cut a light score first for location of the scrap so it matches the depth of my binding. I like to make a light cut first to avoid tear out and later repair and filling. Once the depth is set I will make the final deeper cut to match the side binding. Then I will set the lower cut for the inner binding or pearl if that is what my pattern is. Work slowly and you will get a good result. Test fit the binding so is as near flush as you can get it.

Cutting The Back Binding Channel
The back is a little different. You have a radius on the back that will throw the router out of square and will pinch off at the top near the shoulders of the guitar. I use a tilt base laminate trimmer set at 5 degrees to compensate for the throw but if you don't have that kind of equipment you can carefully use a good rasp and pare it back. Work slowly and carefully so you don't nick up the side where the binding drops in. If there are some openings don't try and file it out. When you are satisfied with the fit of the friezed area you are ready to bind it up.

Gluing In The Binding
The glue of choice for me is DUCO brand cement. Don't waste your time reading the instructions on the tube. I did and it doesn't work. I was out at Martin and saw how they do it. If you have multiple pieces of binding material here is what you do. I tape them together in the pattern they are to be applied. I cut lots of 3-4 inch strips of masking tape and have them ready. I work in about a 6-8 inch length at a time. Also have some clean rags, lots of paper towels, and a book on cussing. You need to work fast and careful. I like to lay in a bead of duco along the cut. Don't fret about the multiple binding unless you are using some that are the same size. I start at the neck block and only do about 4 inches to get started.

Press the binding into the glue and where the neck will cover put a piece of tape on. With the rage press and wipe but hold the binding with one hand and tape the other end. Wipe the area a few times to set in firmly into the glue and cutout. Tape firmly being sure to set the binding flush to the side and the top. You can use a little piece of wood to rub it down.

Now that you have a start work in the 6-8 inch length and wipe, rub and tape. I work from the start, then 1/2 way around the shoulder. Then into the waste, then I go around the bottom. You can pull the binding a little to help set it into the groove. You may have to redo your first binding as this is a skill that takes a little practice. You can try dry fitting it to get a feel of how to tape and how the process goes. Should you need to redo the binding you can clean the Duco off with acetone, unless you are using celluloid base binding like the tortoise shell or ivoroid. The acetone can come in handy with these for melting the scraps for fill. Just soak the pieces in acetone and they will melt. You can drop that into the voids at the joints if you need to. The regular black or white binding won't melt in acetone. I like to use a toenail clipper to trim the binding.

Joining The Binding Ends
When you get to the end, you will need to join them. That will be on the bottom. Be careful. Don't trim to fit before you bind. It will stretch a little as you are gluing so be careful and trim in small pieces.

On the back I trim up the joint when I am finishing up the binding and using a nail clipper try and get the joint as good as I can. If you need to fill a void, sand some of the scrap to make a powder and super glue it into the void. You can make a very inviable repair.

You will need to do some scraping and sanding to make it come perfectly flush with the sides but I usually wait until the filling process to do this.

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