Official Luthiers Forum!

Hello,

I recently built a carriage to use with my Ribbecke style binding machine.

1. The instruction say to make the top of the guitar same distance from the bench.
2. Then it says to adjust it so the sides are 90 degrees to the bench.



My guess is to have an even groove, the 2nd is the setup to use.
Please let me know if this is true.

Also, during the build, what steps do you take to keep the sides parallel to each other? When I set my guitars in the carriage a adjust all the sides to 90 degrees... I am not able to get them all 90 degrees simultaneously, meaning, when I glued up my sides, the neck and/or tail blocks were splayed slightly. I doubt it is enough to cause any issue with the binding, but if anyone has a foolproof way of keeping them exact, please let me know.

thanks.

_________________
Chris Oliver
Infinity Luthiers
...in the shop.

live every minute...

With a flat flatop the result would be the same.
But with the rim surface profiled for a 28' or so radius, the sides at 90 degrees method is the more accurate

I use the Ribbecke binding jig as well and I've found that I get the best results with the sides at 90 Deg.

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

If there is any splay, just spilt the difference. This setting doesn't have to be all that accurate. A half of a degree off isn't going to be noticeable.

The main thing to watch out for is when routing the back. The taper and the more extreme dome can make a big difference if the sides are not plumb.

Sides at 90º is what matters. I think the first is a reference to making the top the same distance from the bench at the head and tail blocks (and also at either side if it isn't a wedge, if you are building conventionally (with the body taper all in the back). Then when you flip it, the head and tail block on the back will be different heights off the bench, which is fine. Just keep the sides perpendicular, and the rest will follow.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Thanks guys. I have always found instructions that accompany tools and jigs very interesting.

It is good to hear from folks that actually use it and have already... learned the best way to get consistent result.

_________________
Chris Oliver
Infinity Luthiers
...in the shop.

live every minute...