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Guys I've just cut my binding channels with a stew mac router base with edge guide, there are a few areas which need attention after cleaning with sandpaper as the bindings won't sit flush. I was wondering how you all tidy yours? I was thinking of getting some riffler files as its in the waist area.

Thanks

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Formerly JJH

I learn more from my mistakes than my successes

One thing that I do and I think many others do is to bevel the inside/bottom edge of the binding as sometimes that edge can keep the binding from sitting in the channel properly.

The other thing I do is make sure and go around the channel several times with the binding cutter as using any edge guide like the stew-mac or those which come with a laminate trimmer can cause the channel to be cut uneven (depending on the tangent of the guide to the side) so I make sure that the guide and cutter are tangent in each location by going over the channel a few times. After cutting a few bodies you get the hang of your binding cutter and the technique required to make it work right.

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John my friend a couple of things that may help you out:

First - many builders will run a scraper along the bottom, inside edge of the bindings (the part that sits in the bottom, back of the cut binding channel) and knock down this edge at approx. 45 degrees. If your binding channel is not perfectly square and cut at 45 degrees in this corner knocking some material off the bindings here, just a tad, can help the binding snug into the channel nicer. This can be done after the bindings are bent, carefully....... or before.

Next I cut my bindings so they are a tad proud in height of the top and proud of the sides slightly too. After the bindings are glued into place I scrape them flush on both the top and sides.

Also, if your bindings are not bent well enough that a dry run of taping them in place, fitting and taping the waist area first still leaves gaps the binding need to be touched up on a bending pipe until they fit well before attempting to glue them into place. During the dry run of taping them in place I mark on the bindings where the exact center of the butt wedge is and then remove the bindings and cut them on the mark in a small miter box. When I go to glue them on I start at the butt wedge center and work around toward the waist.

If you are going to use CA to glue the bindings be sure to shellac the end grain of the top and I would also extend the shellac out about 2" into the top all the way around. When removing the tape there will be less risk of lifting fibers when the top has been shellaced in the areas where the tape will come into contact with it. Remove the tape at 45 degrees to the grain of the top and warm it with a hair dryer first to help release the adhesive. Or use Titebond or LMI White or Fish Glue and staining the top will not be an issue but I still shellac the top to avoid lifting fibers when removing tape.

If the binding channel is not clean and uniform, which I think was your original question.... , use files to carefully clean it up.

Some folks may weigh-in with the use of a gamil that will also clean up the channels but I have no experience with one - yet.

I hope this helps bro.

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Ann Arbor Guitars

Good job Rod you beat big mouth here to the punch....

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Ann Arbor Guitars

My first problem is I borrowed a Stew-Mac precision router base and edge guide, the guy had made a tapered sole plate to help with the curvature of the back and sides, but had never used it, he struggled without initially, and I took a few test cuts and all seemed well until I took a cut in the opposite direction around the body and it cut deeper than I'd intended as the roller was off centre to the cutter.

So now I've glues a strip of 0.8mm modellers ply on as WBW purfling strip and will make it fit! I just have a couple of gaps which should fill with glue and saw dust, and just have an awkard hump in the waist which needs smoothing out before I glue in postiton. I was gonna use titebond I'd rather have a longer wait and not chance the CA wicking up the grain,

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Formerly JJH

I learn more from my mistakes than my successes

John when using a router base with a donut or a tapered wedge make a mark that is easily seen on the base where the wedge is thinnest. As you move around the guitar twist the router so that the mark or thinnest part of the wedge is always pointed at the imaginary center of the guitar body. This permits the wedge to do it's intended job and that is to counter the dome on the top and back that tends to make a router lean back when not using a wedge.

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Ann Arbor Guitars

Hesh I was doing that like you said once I'd got into the swing of things, the problem which I've now solved and the channel should be better on the back, the thing I didn't like about stewmacs edge guide was that the roller was only 5/16" so am attempting to make my own version. Gonna have to get me one of those wheel thingies.

Cheers

John

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Formerly JJH

I learn more from my mistakes than my successes