Comments on: Purfling cutter photo gallery

By: Oren

Oren — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 21:55:27 +0000

Hi,
I’m a classical guitar maker and googled ‘purfling cutter’, and it came up with this beautiful example – wish I could afford to commission one. Looking around your site, it made me wonder whether it had ever been suggested to you to make classical guitar machine heads/tuners? The standard has risen in the past few years, but in my experience even the best ones are not yet ‘perfect’ – completely consistent feel all the way through the turn, with just the right level of stiffness.
These are the best makers around at the moment:
http://alessituningmachines.it/
http://www.rodgers-tuning-machines.co.uk/
http://www.graftuners.com/

All the best,

Oren

By: admin

admin — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 09:43:15 +0000

Hi Chris

There may be some news in the near future on the purfling cutter but it is a little bit too early for me to give any details.

I have been promising a violin maker friend of mine some finger planes so I will have to do something about it soon.

So keep watching the site.

By: Chris

Chris — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 07:21:10 +0000

It is such a shame that your experiences trying to make tools for luthiers was not great, I’m just starting out and looking for good quality tools. It seems to me that a good modern approach to a purfling cutter is desirable, like this one, and also an elegantly designed rosette cutter, with the ability for fine adjustments.

Love your planes, truly creations of beauty.

Best wishes,

Chris

By: admin

admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:17:39 +0000

Thank you for your nice comments.

By: Taylor Made

Taylor Made — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 07:30:47 +0000

I found your resource via Google on Thursday while searching for taylor made and your post regarding Purfling cutter photo gallery « From the Workshop looked very interesting to me. I just wanted to write to say that you have a great site and a wonderful resource for all to share.

By: admin

admin — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 09:52:52 +0000

Hi Ethan

Yes this is the purfling cutter I made for Zachary Taylor. There doesn’t seem to be a market for high end tools amongst the luthiers, so it is not economically viable and I have to try and make a living!

By: Ethan Sincox

Ethan Sincox — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 02:51:36 +0000

Karl,

I don’t know if you remember, but I emailed you about your purfling cutter a few years ago. You made one for Zachary Taylor and he showed it off in a book he wrote on box making; I wanted to know if you were still making them.

I think you said back then even that it wasn’t something you would probably ever make again.

Still looks like a beautiful piece of work.

Cheers,

Ethan

By: Tom (wizer)

Tom (wizer) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:52:38 +0000

Thanks Karl.

By: admin

admin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 08:57:18 +0000

Purfling is “a narrow binding inlaid into the edges of the top and often bottom plates of stringed instruments. Purfling serves to reinforce the plates and prevent cracking along their edges”. This tool cuts the groove for the purfling.

By: admin

admin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 08:47:05 +0000

Hi Black

Didn’t have digital cameras in my furniture making days so no library of pictures. If I remember right you had to have a massive camera on a tripod and put your head under a shroud. The furniture I liked making was campaign furniture. I do have a coffee table in the military style (I know they didn’t have coffee tables!) but it is buried under a steam loco.

Karl