Disaster with binding router jig

[Bruce Sexauer]

I use a fixed tower and move the guitar around it in a cradle using a lot of extra strength to control movement while climb-cutting. I do each of the 2 (usually) ledges in one pass. If I am mitering the back bindings, I use a a piece of green tape (highly visible) to mark the back strip to avoid cutting into (or through) it. And yet I have, on more than one occasion. Plans change. No biggie.

[Howard Klepper]

Originally Posted by TroyWoodyard

https://share.icloud.com/photos/029e...WgVDnoQvSiWl_w

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0c00...N_btkuKCYmZJxw

https://share.icloud.com/photos/06ca...4VepSYRArn1W1Q

Nice job on the side purfling. And you got great alignment of the back stripe and the end graft.

[TroyWoodyard]

Originally Posted by Bowie

Just wanted to say, thanks for this thread. I'm one who feels mistakes are the best educators and appreciate the discussion here. I've only been routing for a couple years now and haven't come across too many hurdles but it's good to know what can potentially go wrong.

I’m just here to make others feel better [emoji23]

[TroyWoodyard]

Originally Posted by Howard Klepper

Nice job on the side purfling. And you got great alignment of the back stripe and the end graft.

Thanks! I’m hopeful to be able to salvage the whoopsie on the upper bout.

[TroyWoodyard]

Originally Posted by Bruce Sexauer

I use a fixed tower and move the guitar around it in a cradle using a lot of extra strength to control movement while climb-cutting. I do each of the 2 (usually) ledges in one pass. If I am mitering the back bindings, I use a a piece of green tape (highly visible) to mark the back strip to avoid cutting into (or through) it. And yet I have, on more than one occasion. Plans change. No biggie.

That’s helpful. Perhaps I’ll try to climb cut the whole thing. I actually thought of that but I see most people talk about climb cutting only the “uphill” sections before cutting normally. Climb cutting seems “safer” for the guitar, though I understand the dangers. I once shot a 5-10lb breadboard end for a dining table 10 ft across my shop on my router table with an inadvertent climb cut.

I thought next time perhaps I would tape a l shaped block over the end graft so I would bump into it. This is guitar 4 and I made the same mistake on guitar 3 [emoji849].

[Bruce Sexauer]

If the body gets pulled into the router by being held too casually, real damage occurs very quickly, often requiring wider than planned for purflings. No need to ask me how I know.

[TroyWoodyard]

I got my channels finished with the climb cut… not perfect but good enough for all the new techniques I am trying on this guitar. I’ll try to post photos after I get the bindings on.

[nikpearson]

I hate cutting binding and purfling channels. Whatever approach you use it can go wrong, and with a router very quickly.

My first two instruments were cut entirely by hand. Very slow, almost two days work to cut and refine. The first effort was awful, the second better but took just as long. I’ve used the StewMac Truechannel which worked well but takes quite a while to setup. The Elevate Ultimate Binding Jig is much quicker and much scarier to use in equal measure. I’ve made a copy of this jig with some minor improvements but still get very stressed every time I use it.

In my haste, I’ve done exactly the same thing as you and cut right across the back strip and end graft leaving no excess material for mitres. Lesson learned for next time.

The other problem I’ve had is when using peones and spacing them for aesthetic reasons. The router pulled quite a few off, possibly as I’d glued them with HHG which dries crystalline hard and therefore brittle, Repalcing these was quite a challenge in the lower bout, using a combination of long reach haemostats, and guitar strings threaded through a tiny hole drilled into the peone.

This is one of the few luthier jobs I dislike, along with sanding, but good binding and purfling work can look so elegant.