Learn how to bring banding to precise length with perfect ends using this jig.This is an excerpt from Fine Woodworking #13, Winter 1978
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When fitting out a project with decorative wood strips and binding (on a guitar or violin, a marquetry frame, or a fancy box) a most difficult operation is making tight butt or miter joints between the strips—especially if the wood is white. A little jig that I call a miter block surmounts this problem. It will produce good, flat gluing faces on the ends of the strips at 90° or 45° (or whatever angle you design it for), and will also trim them to perfect length.
The block itself is a square of metal or dense hardwood (say 2 in. by 2 in. by 6 in.), with opposite faces parallel and all four faces square. One end of the block is cut at 90° and the other at 45°. It is placed on a flat base, and the decorative strip, rough-trimmed and marked for length, is placed (usually vertically) against the block’s side and the base, and held securely in place with a straight caul. The left hand holds both block and caul so that the strip’s end protrudes slightly past the end of the block. The right hand holds a small, straight sanding stick (a high-quality metal nail file is best) against the end of the guide), and works the stick to and fro, sanding the end of the strip until it is flush with the block’s end and the length mark is reached. Sandpaper glued to the caul grabs the strip so the left hand can feed it into the moving sanding stick. The process is complicated to describe but a cinch to carry out. By changing the orientation of the block, both inside and outside miters can be obtained. The block can be used for pearl, ivory, and other inlay materials as well.
Fine Woodworking Recommended Products
Bahco 6-Inch Card Scraper
Whiteside 9500 Solid Brass Router Inlay Router Bit Set
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