T004 Binding and Purfling

While the binding of a ukulele appears as a significant aesthetic design feature, many musicians don’t realise that it also serves an even more important structural role. Once the body of the ukulele is boxed up, the edge of soundboard and backboard are exposed around the body at the join with the sides. In many places, this edge presents open end grain of the soundboard and back timber plates, which is significantly softer and more prone to moisture ingress than the rest of the timber surface. By routing and installing solid timber bindings around the joint between the sides and the soundboard/back, the end grain is protected from both dings and moisture. Binding has even greater importance for ukuleles built with a softwood soundboard such as the Bunya Pine on the T004 Tenor Ukulele.

Body binding being glued in

The body binding also allows a luthier to show some creative expression in the selection of the binding timber colour, as well as the decorative purfling. For this ukulele I selected matching “Stealth” body binding timber strips, that were the same Tasmanian “Tiger” Myrtle as the back and sides. I coupled this with black/white/black purflings along the soundboard, back, and sides. This combination of binding and purfling is eye catching, yet doesn’t detract from the beauty of the timber in the rest of the body, as contrasting bindings tend to do.

Stealth "Tiger" Myrtle body binding