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Did you find the type of binding cutter bits the come from stewmac and LMI?

Pat

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Pat

I don't use those anymore you can find rabbet bits if you look.
https://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shopsit ... Rabbet+bit

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Nope, I have the decimal in the right place.

When I start stacking up 4 or 5 layers of purfling the glue line becomes significant...

I started out doing the same size as the binding and my binding would always be too thin or uneven after I faired it down to the sides.


As I said I would rather take the side down to the binding (which adds another couple of thousandths) rather than visa-versa. I learned that from Charlie Hoffman

When working with solid materials you have the luxury of going a little deeper on the binding channel and sanding the side to match. When working with laminating veneer it is better to try for flush to very slightly proud, and then work the "proud" areas down to "flush" with files and Emory boards. Because I laminate matched veneers I do have a little leeway with sanding the sides, but I try not to go there.
Some time back I bought some NOS Rockwell high speed steel router bits for 75 cents apiece and have been using them for binding channels. HSS doesn't hold an edge as long as carbide, but initially it is sharper, and can be resharpened more easily by the user. For composite materials they aren't that great, but for routing wood in a non-production environment they work fine and can give better results than carbide.

I hadn't really thought about it until now, but the whole value prop of the SM bit with the extension bushing is that you can cut the binding ledge first and still have the bearing hanging low enough to follow the body.

https://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/T ... t_Set.html

I guess that doesn't matter if you do purf ledge first.

Brad

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wow, am I really the only person who scribes them before cutting them?

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

This looks like another one of those parts of guitar building that can be done successfully a number of different ways. Since sanding is one of my least favorite things, I prefer to level sand the sides just once to get a flat smooth surface for the cutter bearing to ride on and have the level sanding of the sides over and done with. The bindings I use are typically 0.080" thick so I use the bearing that cuts a 0.080" ledge. The glue adds about 0.003" so the binding ends up very slightly proud of the sides and sanding it level to the sides is trivial which makes me happy.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

I saw on the SM site they recommended to use the biggest bearing (the flush bearing) to trim back the overhanging binding once they are on rather than sanding back.

Does anyone actually do that?


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Gosh, thanks everybody.
I've been out of town for a few days and just now got back to the forum.
I really appreciate all the great info and sharing that everyone has offered.
Looks like Shellac, Sharp bit, Climb cut and Cut in increments.
Once again, Thanks!

Bill

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Formerly know as Mandodiddle.

I trim the overhang with climb cuts on the router table with a top bearing flush cut bit and sand off any small edges when I block sand to level the sides before binding

I made a larger MDF top I can clamp on the table so the guitar is supported.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

I have a flush bit in a router to do that but yes many ways. I stopped using the table as if it difficult to climb cut on it.
I do climbs at the bouts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-364fAT89b8&t=128s

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

I’m uncomfortable routing off the overhang. When I glue on the top, I leave overhang for the gluing, but then sand it off afterward at the belt sander, being mindful of grain direction. When I glue on the back, I trim off the overhang before I glue. Any little overhang left after gluing gets taken out by the rolling pin sander.

But this is all before binding. Regarding the idea of trimming any overhanging binding with a router, I would not do that. I don’t like narrowing the binding anyway; I prefer a deeper channel, then sanding the sides to be flush with the binding.

Thanks, Don. That’s what I was asking. I use a flush trim bit to flush the top and back after glue up, but the SM site is recommending flushing the binding with the rabbeting bit, which seems like a recipe for heartbreak, but I bet people do it! It would be quick, that’s for sure.


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I really like the Super Rabbet Jr from Amana, https://www.amanatool.com/flipbook_online_catalog, page 202. 1/4" shank, 1 1/8" diameter. You can rotate blades (4 positions) to bring a new sharp one to use. And u can buy replacement blades. and there are a bunch of collars on next page.

Mike

(never for flushing anything though)

Advice above about making multiple passes of increasing depth, if honored, would seem to me to be a safe and conservative technique. We amateurs aren't billing these tasks by the hour, and especially while we're learning we can go as slow and thoughtful as we need to.

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Peter Havriluk

Part of my rationale for doing the purfling cut and then the binding cut in one pass each is my theory/paranoia that the more times the router is brought in contact with the guitar, the better the chances are of something going wrong.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter