MIMF

Hello to All,

Just a quick question....I have built the popular binding jig that many of you may use and tried it out for the first time with decent sucess. It is very evident though that maintaining the sides as parallel to each other and then setting the instrument in the carriage square and plumb to the router is most important. I'm not looking for an easy way out but any tips on the use or the precautions with this tool would be most helpful.
I flush trimmed a guitar back that was either slightly misaligned in the carriage or slightly off from one side to the other and the result was good all around aside from a two inch path that cut into the edge a bit too much. Although the binding will ultimately hide this it is a bit unnerving that a perfect cut may be the holy grail. As I read the forum I see that this procedure is a source of much anxiety for luthiers new to the trade.
Also, would anyone out there have the plans to the LMI binding machine? I would be happy to pay for the time, trouble, copy, or?? I thought maybe trying a couple of different binding jigs would help me settle on the one best suited for me and it appears that LMI does not sell it any longer.

One last note: I am finding that building little components of the finished guitar to see how things will fit, look, etc...really helps and it kind of keeps the excitement of the finished product in check for me. Time, funds, etc..seem to drag out my build time and this is just the taste to keep my appetite strong.

Many Thanks,

DJ Parker

Hi DJ,

I'd suggest checking out what's wrong with your current setup before building a new one. On your next build, clamp the guitar body into place and, instead of installing the router bit and collar, install a 6" length of steel dowel into the collet (router unplugged!!!). Your setup should keep the centerline of the router (the dowel) parallel to the guitar side. Do a pass around the body using the dowel as the bearing, again router unplugged. Stop every couple of inches and confim that the dowel is in close to full contact with the wood. Where it's not, you'll end up with either a too shallow or too deep cut. How shallow or deep depends on the geometry of the cutter and bearing you use.

Good luck...

That's an interesting idea DJ.

One tip I can provide is that I make up some short spacer blocks of MDF that are about 1" wide and 3" long. I use these continually during the build to make sure the body is staying properly registered. I use the blocks laying flat on the workbench (3/4" dimension) to space the body form correctly. I use the 3" long dimension to make sure the body is clamped at the right height in the cradle before cutting the binding slots.