Why pay $300 plus for a binding jig when you can make one yourself?
Sure, it ain't pretty but it will do the job :)
Printable View
Why pay $300 plus for a binding jig when you can make one yourself?
Sure, it ain't pretty but it will do the job :)
nice one DB, so the idea is to feed the body into the router and rotate the body ? Is there enough clearance to do the binding channel around cutaways and hard to get places ?
Why do you need so much height adjustment with your nicely cut slots in the RHS beam ? I assume you drop the router down so it sits at the body height ?
Yes, you feed the body around and there is enough clearance for cutaways..
The extra height is for working on Acoustic Guitars.
no worries DB I thought that was the case for higher body axes/bass's.
Nice one, must have been hard work cutting the height adjustment slots, is that RHS about 2-3mm thick ?
aahhh, i see it, cool and simple, thanks
Was easy as, Woks.
Drill holes either end and attack with angle grinder!
Sometimes simple just works. Nice tool DB.
ah of course DB, the old angle grinder removes steel real quick !
And it saves me some difficult work. 👍
And here we have Crusaders LP getting the treatment :p
nice one DB, how come you cutting a new binding channel does Crusader want different colour binding ?
Thats the one, Woks.
Also cut a groove down the centre as well, Crusader has a very funky idea for the finish on this axe that is gunna rock the house down :)
sounds good Crusader's plans DB, wonder what is going in the centre strip
A length of binding....
ah ok DB that should look cool Crusader
Nice work DB. How many of these are we going to see made now I wonder? At least one in holgate I know that. 😀
cheers,
Gav.
AWESOME!!! Can't wait to get my hands on it :)Quote:
Originally Posted by dingobass
Cheers DB thanks for the help.
If you need to work on acoustics then (as DB will tell you) you will meed to make a 'tray' to support the acoustic guitar body as you will want the top or bottom that you will be routing to be perfectly level so that the router bit cuts evenly and straight throughout the process....also be mindful to follow the grain with the router bit to avoid tear out with an acoustic....also with an electric but its less of an issue!Quote:
Originally Posted by dingobass
Nice work DB!Quote:
Originally Posted by dingobass
What Gavmiester said about levelling is very important.
With Crusaders body I had to shim it in a few spots to level it up.
Nothing fancy, just slivers of timber stuck down with double sided sticky tape.
However, I will make up a set of proper height adjustable feet.... One day :p
Yes I am hoping so.. It will be different anyway.Quote:
Originally Posted by wokkaboy
I have a template...... :)Quote:
Originally Posted by dingobass
I made something similar to remove the binding on my second build.
I had a few design problems, but all were overcome. More details in my build diary
Great idea Muzza
Good idea re drawer track for height adjustment. (File that one away for future reference)
The Ally angle is a nice touch, much neater.
As for the router floating on the top, not such a good idea for a few reasons.
1. The binding channel will mirror any undulations in the top, and magnify them. This can leave you with a wobbly binding line.
It would also be very difficult to rout an arch top instrument evenly.
2. Would be very easy to accidentally have the trimmer drop off the edge. I can see the plenum crashing down and damaging the binding rout...
3. It is a good idea to be able to see down through the plenum and watch what the router bit is doing. Gives you a better chance to stop if a chunk of tree starts coming away from the edge of the rout.. This can happen.
All you need to have touching the guitar is the guide bearing. Hence the need to lock the trimmer in place (easy mod).
Then by using a sliding board with adjustable clamps to hold the body level and secure, you simply run the body around the router bit.
This will always give a perfect result, regardless of instrument type, size and style of binding.
So, quick modification to lock the trimmer and lose the nylon washer and that will be a very handy routing jig.
Nice to have the time to think through designs, mine was built on the spot to do a job.. Think it took me less than an hour to design and build it.
But hey, it does the job required so for now it will do..
In the end Muzza, if it is working for you, then it works, enjoy the process mate
To point out the problem of wobbly and inaccurate binding channels cut by having the router rest on the top, I have taken a few pics to make it easy to see where I am coming from.
I have used a LP body for this example.
First pic shows the channel correctly cut as denoted by the blue tape.
You will see that the bottom edge of the binding is parallel to the back edge.
Black penline shows approx where the bottom of the binding would run if the router ran over the top.
As you can see, it is out by a country mile and would look very ordinary indeed..
Next up is a pic of a true arch top Guitar. As you can see the arch is present on front and back.
The only secure way to mount this type of body is with adjustable clamps.
The same would apply to an Acoustic Guitar, as the back is not flat on these either.
This is why you wont see a floating type of binding jig in too many Professional Luthiers workshops.
I have spoken to some of my collegues, and they all agree with me on this one.
Binding router jigs should be height lockable and not run on the body for very good reasons.
DB that blue tape line at the top isn't parallel with the top, the black penline is.
So with the pic of the almost finished LP the binding is thicker in this section, are they supposed to be like that ? I always assumed the binding was parallel with the top the whole way around.
Looks like you are saying the binding is parallel with the bottom of the body ?
Yes Wokka. The blue tape is meant to be parallel with the bottom edge as it should be.
Black line denotes munted binding channel......
The reason you want the binding parallel with the bottom or back edge of the guitar is simply because it looks better and it is much easier to install.
wow ok DB, I never knew that ! Will have to check my chinese LP copy !
so that means you have to use binding about 4-5mm thicker for the whole job so it fits the wider sections ? Then just trim it with a sharp knife and sand ?
Looking to do my first binding job on a non PBG Denim Tele project and am 3/4 the way through building a routing jig very similar to yours DB... However there is one big question that is still outstanding for me, and that be - Which glue do I use to secure the binding to my build?
I have TiteBond for set neck jobs, Titebond III for outdoor jobs, PVA for general wood working jobs, and superglue for all manner of other jobs, and I thought Weldbond made by Frank T Ross & sons in Canada might be a reasonable choice for doing binding. Any other and/or better recommendations there DB?
Depending on the individual - some will go straight acetone, but others go with Tarzan's Grip - not sure whether that is available outside Australia though.
Thanks Brendan.
I've used Acetone for a lot of things, particularly in the cleaning department but never as an outright glue onto wood.
'Welding' a join in the binding with Acetone makes sense as many plastics will melt when in contact with Acetone. Not sure if I want much of that effect when putting on the 'Mother of Pearl' (as SWAMBO calls it) binding to my Tele partscaster build. I'll need to do some trials first.
I've seen Acetone mentioned a couple of times in relation to gluing binding. Acetone is a solvent rather than a glue, I can understand it for sticking binding to itself but I wouldn't have thought it would stick binding to wood. Or does it soften the binding enough that it sticks to the wood itself?Quote:
Originally Posted by Brendan
Great question, I'd like to know that as wellQuote:
Originally Posted by Maddogm
Just going on this guy's binding effort - he uses acetone...
https://youtu.be/hszYf0V7HlA
Nice binding result...
Got the picture fine with the Acetone, Sadly it probably will not work on a denim covered body as sanding the denim to the same extent as in the video might cause an issue...
Took a leaf out of DB's book and built a jig to do the routing for binding. Test cuts worked well, just need a 1/4 inch shaft rebate bit that gives me the correct cut depth and I'll be able to proceed with my partscaster Alder Denim Tele build...
The rope is only for stability. On its own there is some wobble in the motor head that I didn't want, so putting a little tension on the metal frame fixes that. Test cut on the pine block looks quite good by my half blind eyes...
cool idea Marcel, is there a way to make the router to bracket connection more sturdy so the router has little movement ? I assume you move the body underneath and the pattern bit follows the edge of the body?
Not really Wokka. The router comes with a L shape bracket that is solid enough to be used as a guide but is just a little light to hold the router on its own. A more solid L bracket would be better. My little arrangement with the rope keeps the L bracket under light tension and holds the router quite steady.
Yes, the job moves under the router and follows the pattern or rebate bit bearing. The base board is standard plastic coated builder concrete form ply. The upright strut is a Uni-strut piece bolted to some pine 45x90 under the form ply.