Official Luthiers Forum!

Ok,
So, my binding routing jig has cost me quite a few guitars over time. It happened again after tightening every possible thing that the bit depth changed going around making the binding channel go lower and lower. Argh! Half inch binding anyone? Grrr!
So I gave up on the router (makita) and bought a Ridgid with the micro adjust wheel. I modified my jig to accept it, made it real fancy so that different routers with different bits and depth settings can be interchanged to speed things up, instead of changing bits, bearings, and depths each pass. So after checking everything carefully and making some test passes on scrap, I made to cut on a guitar, and again, coming around the corner the bit depth dropped and chewed up the sides. At least the guitar was already pooched, but now I can't even give it away.
So here's the deal. At certain vibrations, the micro adjust wheel will spin by itself and the router will drop through the base due to gravity, lowering the bit, even if the main collet/clamp is cinched tight. This will make you very sad. The solution is to A, buy a different router, or B, tape over the micro adjust wheel so that it cannot spin. I really hope this never happens to me again. Or anyone else....

I have not done binding with mine - but I just made a jig and I plan to - in my limited use - I have not had any slipping.
I will tape mine from now on though - sorry about your sides -

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It's this new idea from recent decades that everyone gets a participation award. - MUX

I plan on getting a bosch colt trimmer for binding. I have read a few tool shootouts in fine woodworking magazine and they stated that bosch colt has the best adjustment mechanism out of any of the trimmers out there....Mike

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Another day, another dollar.

Definitely with Todd. When it's locked, nothing should be able to move it.

Re: the Colt.

I have one. I had to make a shim to get the base plumb to the motor, and I'm not the only one that has had this problem. Pretty pathetic when the only point to a base is to hold a stupid motor square and it can't even do that. When it was the only thing out there, it was a great little router, but the Dewalt palm router simply blows it away IMHO.

BTW, the adjustment mechanism on mine is nightmarishly bad. Some of them are great, and some of them are junk like mine. It's luck of the draw, I suppose. The QC on this particular router is non-existant.

On my recently purchased Colt, I had to tighten the lock nut on the cam lever thing before I could use it.

I was surprised that it couldn't be used "out of the box".

Kevin Looker

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

Same here!

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

As an extra precaution, once the height is set, I put a piece of masking tape on the adjustment wheel of my Bosch trimmer, thus locking it in place.

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)

I have three Bosch Colts. No issues. Maybe I tightened the Nylock nut on one of them, but I don't count that as being a real issue.

I do feel your pain on the sides, though. I had a headache of a binding job very recently, although it was a cheap King Canada router, not a Colt. (What can I say? I was given the router, and I was trying to find a use for it.) I routed the whole top of the guitar about four times before I got it "right" and then I noticed that while my purfling channel was finally correct, my binding channel was now about 1.5-2mm deeper than I wanted. So I scrounged around and found some extra purfling and added that. It looks not too bad.

I figured out that the problem was with the router- it will not hold a depth adjustment at any setting, so I locked it with hose clamps. Makes depth adjustment a pain, but at least I know it's not going anywhere.

I had the same problem described above with the Colt. I think I have it fixed now but I still do not trust it. I like the Porter Cable. Very nice adjustment wheel with a thumb screw to lock it down so it can not move.

EddieLee

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EddieLee

I have the Rigid. When the clamp is tight I can't move the micro adjust knob. I unclamp, do my micro adjust, and then reclamp. The clamping process doesn’t seem to impact the micro adjustment.

Now I have a Royobi router that the clamp won’t stay clamped unless I tape it. That is frustrating beyond belief, so I feel for you (I can’t wait to upgrade that one). I think if you tighten the clamp on your Rigid will probably do the trick.

Good Luck,

John

I've definitely tightened everything again now. It's one of those things where you just go
"Really? Again? Really?"... and then say a few other things. Poor little guitar:(
It's a parlor, so I can't even make a smaller guitar to salvage the top, which was a one of a kind piece with unique marking that I've been holding on to for years. At least it was the decoy guitar, and not the commission I'm working on....
as to the bit, I found out that it did indeed slip in the collet, even though it was wrenched tight. Even lmi's good stuff trips sometimes I guess.

I am running a Ridgid laminate trimmer attached to a Luthier Tool binding base. The tool is working great, and the balance is really good. As per Chris Klumper's recommendation, I am using a 1/4" downcut spiral bit, which if my visualization is working correctly, is tending to pull the router up rather than down.

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Stay with the happy people.
--Reynolds Large

I love my rigid trimmer...good little workhorse...my only wish would be a tilt base.....

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