First I'm applying a bead of glue to the binding and purfling channels:
Mary sure is a great help when it comes to binding, which BTW is one of my least favorite parts of the building process. There is simply NO room for error and NO way to mask mistakes if one doesn't do a perfect job of applying the bindings and purflings. Its a very stressful time for me but her helping hands and calming voice are heaven sent.
Mary hands me tape at just the right pace.
Here is a tip that may be helpful to other builders? When you pull the tape too tight, the tape oftentimes breaks at the most inopportune time. Here you can see me pushing the binding in tight against the body, using the plastic handle of an old screwdriver, with the end cut off for safety. I stick one end of the tape down to the sides, push the binding tight against the side with the plastic handle, then pull a little tension on the other end of the tape and stick it down to the top or back, USUALLY before the tape breaks. The screwdriver is doing most of the clamping work instead of pulling too hard on the tape. I've found that I break a lot less tape using this method and it speeds my binding process up quite a bit.
I should mention that this is a two part process for us. I first tack the binding down by sticking the tape first to the top or back and then pull down on the tape to pull the bindings tight into the lower ledge of the binding channel. I do this about every 3" along the length of the binding. Once I reach the other end of the binding I go back to the start and put tape between the 3" spaces but this time I stick the tape first to the sides and pull the bindings inward using the screwdriver handle method mentioned above. This assures a nice tight fit everywhere.
The last step is to clamp the ends and waist. Flat wood cauls are used on the ends. Contoured cauls are used on the waist which fit the waist precisely. The waist is one of the more difficult areas to fit bindings and if there are any gaps this is one of the areas that will give a builder fits. Clamping these areas securely after applying tape will add another layer of safeguarding to assure a precise and gap free fit.
Some builders prefer to use the rope method to secure bindings while waiting for the glue to dry. I have tried the rope method but I usually end up with a tangled mess and a huge ball of string that bounces everywhere. There are other methods to apply purflings and bindings; using scalpel blades, tape and Super Glue. There are many different paper, and plastic tapes to choose from as well. In the end its choosing what method one has the most confidence in using and I'm certainly not saying my method is the best but just another path to the finish line.