So I was cruiz'n ebay and ran across several binding machine.. but one from Hawkins guitars was of a radically different design than I've seen before, and I rather liked it. Finally A Guitar Binding Jig That Really Works Guitar Routing Binding Machine | eBay and of course I found several more well known designs too. Fleishman Guitar Binding Machine Martin Guitar Kit | eBay Guitar Binding Machine Martin Guitar Kit Building | eBay Martin Guitar Standard Bit Router Binding Attachment | eBay and because I'm about to embark on some LP adventures very soon. Binding has been on my mind. I don't currently have a binding router other than the VERY older version of the stew mac Dremel attachments.. and to be perfectly honest I HATE binding work. I can do it and it looks like it should.. but i just HATE it with a passion. I'm sure some of this is due to my use of the dremel attachment and some because I haven't found a way to "clamp" my binding that is satisfactory to me. I've looked at the Bob Benedetto Videos time and again and he makes it look like a walk in the park.. and he only uses tape! I've not had such good luck with that method. So lets hear about binding and all the ways to rout for it and install it.
Bruce, for what its worth, I use a home made version of the stew mac binding jig/machine that has worked well for years. Its pretty worn these days and I will be buying the stew mac one to replace it eventually. Instead of regular masking tape, try the fiber strand reinforced packing tape. You can really pull on it and get the binding tight in the horn and cutaway area of a LP type build. It also helps to heat the binding with a heat gun and bend it around this area as well.
I also use a homemade version of the StewMac binding jig - it has worked quite well for me thus far but I have only done three or four binding jobs with it. However I discovered the hard way that it is extremely important to use ball bearing drawer slides in the construction...
I used bearing wheels I bought at home depot from screen door sliders. They are finally wearing out and I'm getting more and more nervous they will fail at the worst time, you know, when I'm using it.......... Need to upgrade soon.
haha that would definitely NOT be good...I used two slides rather than one, they are quite sturdy - I would defintely worry that one day if it is not sturdy it might permanently embed a router bit in the top of a guitar :O
Definitely intrigued by the binding machine posted in the first link... has the gears in my head a-spinning!
I built a binding machine a while back. It rides up and down on ball bearing drawer slides. It works good even with my el cheapo Harbour Freight trim router. Total cost under $20 plus like $29 for the router. I have now done 5 Les Pauls with it, and I can't find anything I don't like about the thing. I made the little doughnut outta maple. in action... I cannot, for the life of me, understand why anyone would build a binding fixture as complicated as some of the ones you linked to. Maybe many of those features are necessary on acoustic guitars, but not for a Les Paul. Those other designs are way to involved for me... I could be missing something, but my design is way easy to fabricate. It seems like it would accommodate an acoustic, and the cradle to hold it. (BTW you don't need the cradle at all with a Lester since the back is flat) The tape is the packing tape with the reinforcement fibers in it. That stuff is STRONG!
I like the idea of the fiber-reinforced packing tape, but have you ever had any issues with burled (maple, buckeye, etc.) or spalted wood chunking out when you rip the tape off?
I haven't, but I've only used it with plain and mildly curly maple. Plus I am a rookie...maybe a more seasoned pro can more adequately address this question.
Here's how i did it. I didn't take photos. When I made mine I used 3/4" stock, but ended up thinning it after the doughnut was made to about 1/2" cause the router bit wouldn't reach so start with 1/2" stock. Take a compass and draw three circles one around 2.5", the second one should be the same diameter as the bit you will use, and the third is the diameter of your bit plus 1/8-5/32" (this will be the flat ledge that rides along the body). Next cut on the 2.5" outside line. Then I drilled through the center with a 3/8" hole and glued a short piece of dowel in (1.5" long maybe). I chucked the dowel up in my hand drill and started shaping the doughnut on my belt sander. Just be careful not to shape away what will be your ledge. You could also chuck into a drill press if you wanted to. Once it is shaped to your liking cut off the dowel flush, lay the puck flat and drill your through hole. It will obviously need to be slightly larger than the outside diameter of your router bit. The overall diameter of the puck is not critical, and might be better if it is a little smaller. The puck works best if the little flat area is very small and the curved sides are very steep.
do the sides of the puck HAVE to be Rounded? Could they be at say a perfectly flat 45? I was thinking about doing this with 1/2" thick UHMWP.
I just did mine on the belt sander Jonny, seemed to come out OK Probably wouldn't want to do it that way with plastic though. Mine is oak I think.
