Binding Router Guide

My first binding job,worked perfectly!excellent for arch top binding!

An excellent tool but it sometimes takes a little tweaking to get the adjustments right. One recommendation: practice before you use it. Once you get the hang of it, it's great

It looks a little precarious at first, and I noticed a few people extinding the guide bearing, but I just made a base...it took all of a half hour to put together. Found a scrap of rosewood that was nice and flat on the "base" side, drilled a 1 1/8" forstner hole, bandsawed a relief cut for clamping, drilled another shallow hole for adjusting nut clearance, bandsawed some excess, added a small clamp, and there it goes.

See photo for the way I re-engineered the screw through the brass roller. I borrowed someone's idea about extending the screw. I made mine out of an old door hinge pin. I installed it in my wood lathe and turned it down to proper dimensions with a "bastard" file. Then I re-tapped the threads (because I didn't have a tap or die small enough) to metric #3 .6. (smallest I had in my tap and die set). I cut a slot in the end of the screw with a fine bladed hacksaw for tightening with a screw driver. It works really well now because I can use the extended screw to hold against the sides of the mandolin. If Stew/Mac is smart, they will be offering the extended screw like this for sale before long... its a must have and is the way it should have been designed all along.

Bought this binding guide and tried it on my new build. Overall, it worked well, but I'm very glad i cut at .5mm increments. It is a bit hard to hold steady, especially through the cutout on my new OM. I think with practise, it will prove a handy tool. But, I'm going to get a toolmaker I know to fabricate a better guide system to the sides. It wobbles very easily, and can put gouges just where you don't want them--ask me how I know....I think that the modifications I have in mind will make it a very handy tool....

When I recently completed the body for a 00-18 accoustic, I decided to treat myself to the binding router guide, rather then use the laminate router, I generall use. It was easy to set up and did and continues to do a great job. I have read a few reviews where people have had issues with run out. My recommendation is take a light first pass and follow up with one or two additional cuts. Slow and easy and the results will be very good.

I bought this tool to remove the binding from my mandolin, which needed the soundboard taking off. It did that well, but you have to hold it vertically very carefully. For routing for a new instrument I would want to add something extra to stabilise it.

As others have mentioned, it is not the most stable router base, as it is small, but that's what it's suppposed to be - as advertised, for archtop instruments. I haven't used it on a guitar yet, but testing on a piece of scrap I think that this can work, although it will need lots of care. I'm sure there's better solutions, but for the price, I would give it a try.

It is a great tool, except for the fact the height of the roller is not adustable. Being so, I always have to improvise some sort of template or jig to employ it. I think the pictures in the site are a bit misleading, as this product is not ideal for long routes. There are better/more stable tools for routing extensive lenghts. This tool (IMO) is better suited to headstocks, cutaways and small hard to reach areas.

As others have noted, keeping the roller flat against the side of the guitar is tricky at best. VERY easy for the Dremel tool to rock. The brass roller is just too small. I made a new screw and roller with the roller about 3/4" long and left an extended screw head to provide a grip with my other hand. Now and can easily see when the roller is in full contact with the side and I can guide the tool with two hands. It's still a bit frustrating to set the cutter bit depth (length?), having to remove the tool, loosen the collet, move the bit, lock it down and check it again. I'm thinking of making some thin plastic shims to put between the tool and the Dremel.

It ultimately did the job, but sure am glad I am working on a cheap guitar for my first effort.