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Incorrigibly how I am, I have invested once more more time in a project than possibly necessary. Now I have also build a Jig for routing the Bindings.
Now my question to the Luthiers here in the forum, who uses such an jig and how are your experiences?
Do you routing the whole binding channel or do you go in two or more steps to the final measurements? In this case you have to adjust the JIG and turn the Guitar a view times! When I have still milled from hand, I have always made at least two steps.
Do you routing the step for the Purfling first? It will be nice to her of your experiences, before I do this on my new build.
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Hello Morante, I have handcut the channels for a view years with an gramil and chisel. Than I have used a laminate trimmer for a time. I build my guitars with an 15f dom at the back. With the jig I expect cleaner cuts perpendicularly over the binding length at the back.
In addition I love building jigs. Guitar building is my hobby, in my real life I'm working as an Ingenieur.
I use a laminate trimmer with a 1/4" down spiral bit set very shallow (1mm or less) to make the initial cut then finish the binding slot with a binding jig similar to yours. This helps eliminate chipping.
By the way, nice job on the binding jig. You're a real craftsman.
I have used one of those for a while. They work well when you build the box detached from the neck, as I do most of the times. But I find the hand held router good enough, with the help of a file on some places.
Well Vince, with such a nicely built jig, I think you will enjoy using it. I can see how some people are happy with handheld devices, it certainly saves space in the workshop, but having done channels with gramil, and with handheld router, and with a 1/4" spiral downcut bit, I am much happier with a tower style jig with the stewmac bit and bearing. Especially since some of the instruments I build have more pronounced radiuses. I just feel safer with the fixed router, and get results that do not need touching up.
One suggestion, do not press the body too hard against the bearing, it will leave tracks