Official Luthiers Forum!

Just got my Micro Fence guide. Great tool. Well made and good people to talk/deal to/with. It adjusts in the thousandths of an inch...I think I'm gonna love this thing!

_________________
Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

Dave,

What router do you use with it?

Wayne

_________________
53% of all statistics are made up on the spot
http://driftwoodguitars.blogspot.com/

Post some pics!

Looking at their web site it does not appear that this will cut a small enough circle to use for rosettes. Did I miss something?MichaelP38779.4068981481

I think Sylvan figured out how to get it to do that.... Somewhere there is a thread that explains it in detail.

_________________
Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

The router to use is the PC 310 professional Lam Trim. Although it takes lots of others.

Michael...yes you missed it...you need to order a few more parts..."center bar & leveler kit" $39.95 you can make circles down to an inch! Item #'s...36/KIT and MFC-A and 22SBA (if using the pc310). It's a well machined tool with some weight and of course the 310 adds more weight and stabilization...no comparison to the S.M. This thing realy feels and works like a real tool.

_________________
Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

P.S. Sylvan's the man...he's the one. He has lots of working knowledge with it. He's the one that turned me and the forum onto the product.

_________________
Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

I got mine a few days ago, it is a very nice tool. Cutting my first rosette/channel was a bit tedious though, I think I've got it figured it out. The rosette fit perfectly, I'll post a picture soon. I have the attachments that allow a circle down to 1/2", it really can do it too. Great tool, I'm using the P.C. 7310 which worked great.

Greg

_________________
Gwaltney Guitars

I have had the micro fence on a PC 7301 trimmer for a couple of years now and am not very happy with the results. The way the tool attaches to the trimmer allows a small amount of "play" at the attachment location. This allows the trimmer to move as it it cutting the circle and it is out of round. Has anyone else experienced this?

What is the total cost of this tool/setup, without the router? I looked at the website but couldn't tell exactly what was needed for routing rosettes.

[QUOTE=Tom Dowey] What is the total cost of this tool/setup, without the router? I looked at the website but couldn't tell exactly what was needed for routing rosettes.[/QUOTE]

Tom, look at Dave's post above for the part numbers. I just ordered it and it came to about $260.00 including shipping.

_________________
Scott Thompson
Port Townsend,WA

"In a perfect world we'd all sing in tune
But this is reality so give me some room"
-Billy Bragg

Sorry to hear you are having troubles with yours Robbie. I'm guessing that it's your router and the way it attaches that is giving you problems. With the 310, the thing is rock solid and very, very accurate.
Since I quit doing rosettes (after guitar #3) I've had difficulty figuring out how to put purfling into the bound soundhole. With this setup, I route the purfling channel, move the guide to the inside stop, lower the bit and cut the soundhole. Perfect every time and less than a couple of minutes involved.

I did notice that when I bought the setup from the owner of microfence he winced a bit when I told him it was for a PC 7301. Apparently the way it attaches to the PC 310 eliminates the problems I am having. In general though it is a really good tool.

Robbie,
not sure but I think they have also improved the add on parts since they got many requests from luthiers. They now even show the end result of an installed rosette in their DVD. So it seems like they are very much aware of who is using the product for what.

_________________
Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

Robbie -
The problem you are having is probably caused by the Micro Fence
attachment which allows the mounting on a PC laminate trimmer. It actually
lifts the router into the air about 1/4" or so. This introduces alot of play in
the cut and severely lessens the stability when using small (1/16") bits. To
fix it I made a new base for the 310 that allows the micro fence to sit on the
ground and work like it should. I have posted pictures before and, if they are
not in the archive, I will be happy to post again. It really is a great setup-but
not as furnished by Micro Fence!

_________________
Sylvan
http://www.wellsguitars.com

Dave
Which microfense system/accessories did you get. Was it the circle set???
I am curious what to order if I get one
Andy

_________________
Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

A good tool is a good tool, but man, does anybody else get steamed when an attachment costs considerably more than the trimmer/router to which it connects?

Andy,
don't get the circle set...that's not what you need. I posted the item #'s in the above post.
Carlton,
I agree...but I think this is the last one you will ever buy. But hey that PC310 was over $200 too...not cheap!

_________________
Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

Sylvan,
I saw that post and the piture and thought it was really good. I contacted microfence today and he has asked me to contact him tomorrw to see what we can do about the problem. I'll keep you posted.    

I talked with Rich Wedler today from Micro-fence about the issue I was having with the tool. After a long and very friendly conversation I think I have the issue solved. I think in part it was due to the way I was using the tool. We discussed new ideas for the tool such as the type base that Sylvan designed and made for the tool. The microfence really is a great tool and does exactly what it was designed to do. It makes rosette cutting a breeze. You also couldn't ask for better customer service either.      

Can we see a picture of Sylvan's base again? Where can I find it.

Thanks,
Greg

_________________
Gwaltney Guitars

[QUOTE=CarltonM] A good tool is a good tool, but man, does anybody else get steamed when an attachment costs considerably more than the trimmer/router to which it connects? [/QUOTE]

For my router table I bought a cheap 1100W router for ?19.99, the CMT pattern follower bit for it was ?22.00 and the no volt release switch was ?25!

ColinColin S38781.3572800926

_________________
I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

[QUOTE=GregG] Can we see a picture of Sylvan's base again? Where can I find it.

Thanks,
Greg[/QUOTE]

You can find itHERE

It is about 2/3 of the way down the page. He also explains all the parts you need.

_________________
Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com