Official Luthiers Forum!

Hello,

I’ve seen some folks here mentioning that when they flush trim the top and back they also use a rabbeting bit to take the plates just below the surface of the sides. The purpose is so you aren’t sanding the endgrain of the plates when flattening the sides.

My thought was to just use a flush trim bit first and then put the body in the binding jig cradle to trim the plate back. The idea being to set the depth of cut to the thickness of the plate and put a bearing on that lets the cutter take it .020 or so below flush.

Is that the idea or do you do it some other way?

Brad


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

_________________
Insta - https://www.instagram.com/cbcguitars/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/cbcguitars

I have a rack of four routers each set to a specific cut.

My excess cut is .060 by maybe a 32nd less than the final 1/4” binding height.

So after flush sanding the sides the binding bit only cuts about .010 deeper and 1/32 down.

That's perfect. Thank you sir!

_________________
Insta - https://www.instagram.com/cbcguitars/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/cbcguitars

I do like Ed. I use a 5/8 inch flush bit with 1/2 inch bearing.

Pat

_________________
Pat

Perhaps slipping past our view, Ed has routers dedicated to binding tasks, and doesn't install a bit each time he wants to make a cut.

I'd done something similar in my hobbyist's shop, I had a HF trim router hanging around and dedicated it to a flush cutting bit, A real treat and a time saver, and yes, the router is at the bottom of the food chain, but it isn't being asked to do a precision job. Good enough for flush cutting. Tied up a whole forty bucks.

_________________
Peter Havriluk

I found that if I let the router ride along the top or back the way gravity wants to make it ride on the domed top or back (particularly the back), the router would actually be tipped slightly outward and then I ended up having to sand some end grain. Instead, I make a point of holding the router vertical to the sides or even tilted slightly inward. The result is that there is very little to no end grain sanding when leveling the sides. I use a 1/2" flush bit.

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

Btw, my final binding rabbet is .070 x .250...so the XS route does the heavy lifting, the binding route just skims it to correct dimension after flush sanding the sides...

Not sure that I understand the issue with having to sand a little endgrain. Is it just that you are only hand sanding, or using light duty electric sanders, or is there something else I've missed? I've always used orbital air sanders and they could care less whether I'm sanding wood endgrain or marble. Always interested in learning things I've overlooked. Thanks, Bob

_________________
“ The meaning of life is to find your gift and the purpose of life is to give it away” Pablo Picasso

I agree with Bob, doesn't seem to be a real big deal to me. I use a Whiteside 1/4" flush trim downcut bit then clean up the sides with an ROS.

_________________
Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I use a flat block by hand.

Same for me although I keep trying to work into the rolling pin sander. I haven’t quite gotten the hang of that thing yet. 120 seems to just gum up instantly and 80 takes off too much too quickly. Probably a technique issue. But I will say, by hand with a block when I’m keeping the paper fresh, it goes quickly enough for me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

_________________
Insta - https://www.instagram.com/cbcguitars/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/cbcguitars

One album, unless it’s wenge, lol...

I too use the album unit of measure for tasks. Particularly for sanding operations. For fret work too.

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

I’m not allowed to listen to music when fretting...

Listen to your music and be happy, don't fret...