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John, did you know that you can get 30" strips from guitarjigs.com for $2.85 for the first 99 and $2.60 after 100, and they're all spanish cedar. Maybe you did and this isn't what you want. Just thought I would let you know.

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[QUOTE=tippie53]   I pay $3.85 for a 32 inch strip. Why bother at that price. But if you like to make them have a great time. There are times when buying is cheaper
john hall [/QUOTE]

Paddy's original question relates to us guys over in the UK, where we have to get them sent over form LMI or someone. By the time we have paid shipping and our tax (17.5% on the price and shipping) they start to get expensive. I'm all infavour of Paddy starting up a little cottage industry.

Colin

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I make mine much like Tim; I saw it first at Bob Gleason’s site. Colin, import tax in this country is 25% and (I imagine) shipping rates are at least as high as to UK, so making parts myself usually makes sense for me too. Making a whole lot of kerfed linings is not much more work than making a few, so I have a lot of them. I haven't thought about making them for sale yet though, the local market up here is non existent!

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[QUOTE=laurent] I heard you can get a good variety of purflings…
[/QUOTE]

Ah, I just had a senior moment, late youth syndrome… You meant
kerfing, right?
Cheapest I saw is StewMac, no Spanish cedar, only basswood or
mahogany.

StewMac Kerfinglaurent38737.2990277778

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Laurent

Stewmacs Kerfs are only 15.5 " So they appear cheaper but you need eight per guitar

I use a variation of the apparatus that Mr.Ford has on his site to cut my kerfed strips. Thank you Mr.Frank Ford.

It will make the kerfs in the Regular Straight, Triangle, or Reverse Kerf linings in any length you want.

All it does is cut the kerf in the strip, evenly spaced and at the desired depth. The spacing and depth are adjustable.

I use mostly reversed kerf linings. I saw and rout the strips,usually about 32" long, run them through the planer, then through the Semi Automatic Kerfing Cutter on the band saw. The whole process takes about 1 hour to make 20 strips.

If anyone wants details of the kerfing apparatus you can P.M. me and I can give details of the one I made.

D.L., maybe you could post the details here. Then if folks find them helpful maybe it can make it into the tools and jigs section here on the forum. I, for one, would like to see them.

Oh yeah, include pics if you have them.Dave Rector38742.3811458333

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

[QUOTE=RussellR] Laurent

Stewmacs Kerfs are only 15.5 " So they appear cheaper but you need eight
per guitar[/QUOTE]

Ah! Another manifestation of the late youth syndrome… Where does John
Hall get his kerfing for $3.85?

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Let me say again, you can get 30" strips from guitarjigs.com for $2.85 for the first 99 and $2.60 after 100, and they're all spanish cedar. This is realy a great deal, maybe the best I've seen. You can get it in standard triangular shape or reverse kerf.

Of course, if you want a different material, than your out of luck here I think. You could always drop Mark an email and ask for different wood.Rod True38742.3930092593

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"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Steve at Colonial is a good source its on special at the moment I think, Also Mark at guitar jigs has it very reasonable, but I think he is a bit backlogged at the moment.

I just got a nice batch of 48 from Mark Kett and they haven't been on order very long so he's not too backlogged. I got some spanish cedar and spruce reverse kerf linings.

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[QUOTE=RussellR] Laurent

Stewmacs Kerfs are only 15.5 " So they appear cheaper but you need
eight
per guitar[/QUOTE]

All well and good, but its the wood that supports your top and back; the
kerfs are just empty space. Not worth much money, even from Stew Mac.

I cut my own because I size them relative to the width of the purflings. I
also like to control their height and the grain direction.

Tim, you are still pushing your hand at the blades when you do this.
Please find another way to hold down the strips.Howard Klepper38742.5783217593

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http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Can somebody tell me what the trade-offs are regarding solid vs. heavily kerfed strips? I have noticed some builders use solid, others prefer heavy kerfs, and some use both within the same guitar!



This photo shows both strip types in action. Note the solid strip still has a few small kerfs at the major stress/bend point...

Are there musical or scientific reasons (beyond sheer economics) why solids are deployed instead of kerfed? Are there some guitar designs and/or wood combinations that influence the decision? Will changing the strip type impact the guitar's sound? If so, in what way and by how much?SonicAgamemnon38742.6351273148

Solid linings are stiffer, but more of a pain to bend.

[QUOTE=RussellR] Steve at Colonial is a good source its on special at the moment I think, Also Mark at guitar jigs has it very reasonable, but I think he is a bit backlogged at the moment.[/QUOTE]

I just bought some from him. They were backordered but he shipped Mid-December. He may be OK on stock currently. The price and quality were worth the wait.

Steve

I've always had trouble bending solid liners thicker tan 5mm or so. If you use wide purflings, as may do on the tops, that doesn't leave much wood holding the top to the sides. Kerfed liners allow for more width, which is handy sometimes. As usual, there's no one 'right, true, and holy' answer, unless you're trying to make a clone of something.

[QUOTE=SonicAgamemnon] Can somebody tell me what the trade-offs are regarding solid vs. heavily kerfed strips? I have noticed some builders use solid, others prefer heavy kerfs, and some use both within the same guitar!

Will changing the strip type impact the guitar's sound? If so, in what way and by how much?[/QUOTE]

Not that I would know from my own experience, but I understand solids are preferred by some, particularly classical builders who are looking to maximise the projection of their instruments, because there is a belief that the kerfing, even reversed kerfing to an extent, effectively absorbs sound waves rather than reflects them. Think of egg cartons being fixed to a wall and you will understand the concept. Then again, I could be quite wrong

Cheers

Kim