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Hello everyone,

I just wanted to see what everyone uses to cut their rosette channels, and the recesses for their inlays. I see that stew mac offers a percission dremel base with a binding attachment, that you can also use with a rosette cutting attachment. Before I invest the $$ I wanted to see what everyone else used.


Thanks,

Jimmy

I use a Micro Fence with a PC 310 router.
Excellent channel width adjustment and good depth adjustment (on the router).



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I have a similar setup as RustySP. I use a Dewalt 611 with precision collets in a micro fence plunger router base with their edge guide attachment. One difference is that I've made a small phenolic spacer that replaces the "levelers" seen in RustySP's picture -- I find this to be a significant advantage for routing circles, especially when the pieces are small (like rosette blanks).

Rusty, where did you get that?

Meddlingfool, microfence.com

Toonces, do you have a picture of the phenolic spacer?


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Rusty,

The site says the circle jig only goes as tight as 6". Did you modify it?

I use a Foredom tool with a plunge base from Bishop Cochran. It's basically a heavy duty version of a dremmel and all the stew mac attachments. My advice: If you're just starting out you can definitely get by with a Dremmel and the Stew Mac stuff, just go slow and be sure to use good sharp bits. Downcut spiral bits are a huge improvement over normal bits, end mills, etc. for inlay and rosette work so try not to skimp there if you can help it.

RustySP,
No photos on hand -- but it is essentially just a block underneath your plastic router base. UHMW plastic would probably be more ideal than phenolic. The block is properly thicknessed so that the router base stays level (in other words, the same height as your "levelers").

Meddlingfool, there is an attachment (Center Bar & Levelers) that lets you cut smaller circle

http://microfence.com/edgeguide-center- ... p-218.html

This is an expensive tool but the micro adjustment is extremely convenient and the Microfence quality is just superb.

I use fly cutters. You can get them at the hardware store and you can grind your own cutters to cut any size slot. They are cheap enough to by amd set up for each individual motif

Would love to see and hear more about the fly cutter method.

I stopped by the shop of a pro luthier to let him pick my stuff apart and he blasted my rosettes because they weren't perfect enough.

He showed me his custom fly cutter which was a solid bar of aluminum with a 3/8" rod in the center that chucked in his drill press. The alum bar had little blades set in it for his standard three ring rosette.i had never heard of this technique and want t learn more.

Dave.

I've been using a flywheel type circle cutter in my drill press, it's very easy to get the HSS cutters and grind them to the exact width you want.
Works really well.
The problem I ran into was when I sanded through some homemade purflings in a rosette after the top had been installed and the soundhole cut out.
So I got the Stew-mac rosette cutter attachment for the dremel router base, and worked perfectly. The StewMac setup is a lot sturdier than it looks in their pictures.
I'm probably going to use it on my next guitar to install the rosette. If I like it, I'll probably keep using it.


Here's a youtube video of my flycutter


In order to use it, the table must be perfectly perpendicular to the drill press in all directions or the cutter will not cut an even depth all around.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

In order to stabilize my flycutter, I replace the drill bit portion with a 1/4 inch rod.
I install a bushing into the soundboard that I got from LMII for their rosette cutter. This keeps it cenetered and consistent, without damaging the wood.
The bushing is at the bottom of this page: http://www.lmii.com/products/tools-serv ... tte-cutter

BTW I have both versions of this cutter, their old and new, and haven't used it on an actual guitar yet, it's that picky to set up.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

For me, I'm real tired of using the dremel. It's ok, does the job, but I want more power. So I want to be able to use a laminate trimmer...

Worked great for the touch up. I can see wanting more power though.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

That's exactly it. It can tend to chatter. So I do the initial scoring cut light, extend the bit and cut deeper, then widen. It's not a big deal, but I'm busy enough these days that nursing an underpowered tool is frustrating. Staring out the window whilst you creep the tool along...

I think there are a few of these kicking around from a DIY video posted a while ago by Chris P. - works great for me:

Come to think of it, I did have to cut pretty slow, and I only did the outside two purfling lines, with a pretty small bit. I can see how maybe an 1/8th inch or even one of those 3/8th bit dremel router bits might take a while.

The flywheel cuts pretty fast and clean....

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Old growth, shmold growth!

It's Dremel for me. It suffices if you take your time and use a sharp bit.


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True, it did indeed cut the touchup channel perfectly..

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Old growth, shmold growth!

It's a circle cutter. Cheap too.


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A simple to make rosette channel cutter is a router's replaceable sub base with holes drilled in it. I make mine from corian scraps. The holes are drilled at various distances from the bit and fit onto a dowel located at the center point of the soundhole.
For simple single line rosettes hole saws can be stacked one on top of the other and the vertical offset allows you to drill out the soundhole and cut the channel at the same time.
I also use "fly cutters" but usually only to score the inside and outside boundaries, and then chisel or rout out the center. Make sure the arms are tightened securely - having one whizz across the shop is quite a thrill.

bishop cochran router base with a porter cable 310.

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Where do you guys get a 1/32" bit with a 1/4" shank?

Stewmac sells a collet adapter that allows you to use 1/8th inch shank bits. For those slightly smaller a bit of tin foil can tighten them up (if you dare ).


http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Ty ... Bits/Bits/

I picked up a Well's/Karol jig from Tony Karol at the Luthier day at Exotic woods last year the replace the one I made for my Dremel as a adaptation for my Stewmac base. All I can say is trim routers are much better than a dremel for cutting the rosette channels. Tony's unit is a bit rough compared to the commercial units but works flawlessly.

Dremel style circle cutter


Tony Karol jig


Fred

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