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Well, after trying the angled base w/ laminate trimmer method and having less than stellar results I decided to build a binding jig. I went the easy route first and built one similar to what Taylor shows in their factory fridays video. Unfortunately I found that it was much too difficult to keep the guitar firmly planted on the guides, and so my test pieces would end up with very visible gouges in the purfling channel. So, after browsing some other designs posted here I came up with this, my third attempt at a binding jig!

All of the materials are available at lowes, including the dewalt laminate trimmer which comes with the roller bearing guide. The only exception might be the 3/8" lexan which I had leftover from a router table insert. The drawer slides are standard 16" length, although 12" would work equally well. For the base, I superglued a couple of plastic washers around the bit opening, and made a 1" hole for the bearing guide to stick through. The bit is a 1/4" spiral cut and I've had zero tearout so far. I make one pass around the entire guitar starting at the headblock, no need to make only downhill cuts. Also for the body chassis, I just used wing nuts as I couldn't find enough of the black knobs. All in all I spent about 2 hours building the jig and I couldn't be happier with it!






and some shots after it's first use!

I love that half chevron purfling very nice

That does look nice Karl. I like that it appears to have an adjustable depth bearing. I may have to check that out. Thanks for posting

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

Karl that is one cool jig. Love that Bocote too, I have some sides identical to that.

Question: What is the red rider ring? And... how is it installed into the lucite plate? TIA

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Thanks for sharing that one Karl, i am also thinking of building a third binding jig and was hesitant about this one and the one from Taylor's video.

I think this kind will suit my needs best!

Great looking jig!

Serge

Very nice jig and very nice work! I too am using the DeWalt laminate edge trimmer in a similar jig.

Just a suggestion for after you have used it a bit. I found the DeWalt depth control with the bearing to be very crude, loosten the holding nut and it wiggles about 1/16" or m ore either way. I ended up getting a fly cutting bit with a batch of bottom bearings that screw on. Much more acurate and much less frustration. Just a thought.

Alan D.

Great looking guitar and jig! I also use a DeWalt trimmer and rout the
channels with the angled base on the back, not super accurate by any
stretch of the imagination…
Question: with such a jig you just rotate the guitar in the carrier and press it
against the trimmer's guide, you don't hold the trimmer or the tray?

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Thanks for the compliments! The nice thing about the roller guide is that you don't have to buy the bearing bits from LMI/SM and you can set the horizontal depth to whatever you want. Plus you can use a solid carbide bit, which in my opinion is less likely to cause tearout.

As Alan said, the vertical height adjustment on this trimmer isn't the best, but once it's tightened down it is solid and will not move. The horizontal depth adjustment (roller guide) seems to work fine and locks down solidly as well. Of course I make sure to test my cuts on a piece of scrap first.

Michael - if you ever use the chevron purfs, make sure you double check their orientation before bending! I taped mine together and mirrored 2 of the pieces so the 'slash' was pointing the opposite direction, but they don't butt together at the tail very well. Next time I'll mark the waist so that the alternating colors transition better.

Bruce - the red ring is just a plastic spacer/washer and I superglued it to the lexan. I sanded the surfaces first so the glue had something to hold onto. Also, have you worked with the Bocote yet? I found it to be really brittle, and I had to glue up several cracks in the sides that popped up when I was sanding the rim. Side braces are pretty much necessary with this wood... I used 4 per side.

Yes, the tower is stationary and the trimmer rides along the outer 1/4" or so of the body while you rotate the body in it's carriage. This keeps the bit parallel to the side and at a consistent depth.

[QUOTE=ksudar] Yes, the tower is stationary and the trimmer rides along the outer 1/4" or so of the body while you rotate the body in it's carriage. This keeps the bit parallel to the side and at a consistent depth.[/QUOTE]

And does the trimmer raise and lower along the drawer guides in the tower to adjust for the height difference in the guitar body? Or does the guitar in the carraige need to be adjusted perfectly level?

A little of both perhaps?

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Thank You and Best To All

Hey, Karl
Tha's beautiful purfling. It looks rather wide, was it really hard to bend?

Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

[QUOTE=dunwell] I found the DeWalt depth control with the bearing to be very crude, loosten the holding nut and it wiggles about 1/16" or m ore either way.
Alan D.
[/QUOTE]

Hi Alan, Do you think the Porter Cable has the same issue?

I remodel kitchens for a living and we have standard tools that most carpenters buy. The Porter Cable 1 1/2 hp router is the standard issue. Is the PC tilt base laminate trimmer in that league, or is there a better one?

Kurt

Yes it is a little wide but bends easily.. I just taped them up with the bindings and bent everything together, no problems.

Hey, nice set up! Did you make that purfling yourself? It looks great.

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin