bending wood bindings for guitar

Starting with a template and some wood bindings I got from the ASIA symposium.

This is African Bubinga and the the blond wood is Avodire or African satin wood.

Lay the template out on 3/4 plywood.

Drilling pilot holes and using large finish nails I go around the pattern about every inch or so.

A few nails on the opposite side to hold the shape.

Soak the wood for a few minutes,it doesn’t take much its pretty thin.

Preheat homemade bending iron.I let it get as hot as it will go, you just have to be careful not to burn the wood.

I start with some overlap and start to bend checking against the form.

Now it has the shape of the body. I will leave them in the form until Im ready to glue them in place.

 Now I will trim the top flush to the sides and then use my Christmas present,a StewMac precision router base to cut the ledge where the binding will go.