Official Luthiers Forum!

I know most of you guys use a dremel with the router attachment but I got a laminate trimmer with a circle guide, the problem is that the circle guide that came with the laminate trimmer won't cut a circle that is smaller than a 3" radius so that means it it's useless for rosettes and soundholes. Do you think I should just take a piece of plywood and route a groove into it then attach a plate with a hole in it that (or just a piece of plywood with holes in the "right" location for the index pin) and attach it to the laminate trimmer base? or should I just go and buy a dremel with the right router attachment (which means $100 for a multipro kit and another $60 for the precision base and another $60 for shipping, and possibly more for a rosette jig) ?

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

Tai Fu check out the archives for the Well's/Karol jig. It's designed for a laminate trimmer, works very well, and you can make it yourself for very little cost.

I think that my pal Rod True has been making some of these lately - you might want to PM him too.

Could you post a link to the instructions for such a jig? I searched the archive but it's not there (whatever website it links to is dead)

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

It's in the section on Video & Picture Tutorials.

Thanks Dave my friend I forgot about that!

Here it is: http://luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10117&t=18858

See http://www.wellsguitars.com/Articles/Precision_Router_Base/Router_Base.html

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Sylvan
http://www.wellsguitars.com

Thanks. I don't need to make mines that complex but I think I get the idea. I probably have to use wood though since I can't seem to find UMHW or whatever the heck that is... I went to a plastic shop today and they don't know what it is. All they got is PVC, ABS, Acrylic... but I heard acrylic is a bit hard to machine because they tend to fracture. I was actually thinking of just taking a piece of 1/2" or 3/4" plywood and drill a large hole for the bit and a small hole for the locating pin and route a groove into it then using the angled bracket that came with the laminate trimmer that was on the original circle jig, route a groove in which it will slide along then adjust accordingly...

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

Tai Fu, it's actually Polyethylene. The UHMW stands for Ultra High Molecular Weight which, of course, doesn't mean anything on its own, but thats what people have started calling it. Of course it doesn't help when people sometimes get the initials in the wrong order .
Normal polyethylene is softer and less rigid. It's what opaque plastic containers are made of.

You can also make something like this for a laminate trimmer:

http://www.amazon.com/Jasper-400J-Route ... HTQJYGVM0D

http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/10961

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

Yeah, but for that price you could build 2 of the Wells/Karol bases. Complicated? It don't get much simpler then that I think. And the W/K base is alot more bang for the buck.
I bought one of the jasper bases and used it to cut 2 rings then saw the Wells/Karol precision base. Put the camera on record and built one. The Jasper has been sitting in the drawer ever since.
Want to make an offer?

I'll put in another vote for the Wells/Karol base - a big advantage of this base is the ability to easily change the radius a few thousandths of an inch either way so you can adjust the fit for your rosette or purfling. You could probably make it out of any plastic that machines ok and that will hold threads. If you have the capability it would not be that hard to make from aluminum.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

As to cutting the rosette or binding the sound hole the Wells/Karol jig works very well .You can buy the plastic from Lee Valley in an off cut bag for @ 12.00 can. I just happen to know that Tony will be building about 10 of these jigs on Wed.the 21st Jan so give him a call or email.

That's fine and danty but it is important to know what kind of laminate trimmer router is being used. Although it's pretty universal it's a good idea to make sure something won't be in the way . If so then slight adjustments will have to be made. No big deal.
You can also do a search on router bases, rosettes, etc. There is all the info you will need on this subject since it gets discussed about every month.

I wasn't suggesting buying a Jasper base. I said, "You can also make something like this for a laminate trimmer", and posted the link so that Tai Fu could see the pictures and get ideas of how to make a simple base plate with multiple pin holes for various radii. I'm not knockin' the Wells/Karol base, just pointing out another option, which a) is much easier and quicker to make, b) might meet Tai Fu's needs perfectly well, and c) has its own advantages. This method has its adherents among accomplished builders. It's a matter of personal choice and building style. If Tai Fu wasn't aware of it, well, now he or she is aware and can consider both (and other) options.

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

I stand corrected. And yes they are handy and fast as a template or jig for repeating ones set patterns of rosettes. You make a good point.

I'll go ahead and make something like this... I just need some thumbscrews and steel bar. I think I can make the stuff out of wood or something. Problem is in Taiwan some hardware (like wing nuts) are so hard to get through the retail channel. I know they make tons of stuff in Taiwan but most of them don't deal with individuals. By the way the laminate trimmer I have is made by this company called "Rexon" or something which is a company in Taiwan that makes power tools/machine tools. I am not doubting that they are the same company that made tools you see on Grizzly.

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com