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I need to start building a binding channel routing jig, and i'm on the fence about how to go about doing one. Mostly between a jig in which the router stays still while the work piece is fed into it, or a router on movable, parallelogram arms that routs a channel while the guitar body stays still.
I've used the movable arms type and I really felt that being able to move the router while the body stayed still offered more control. it just felt right. I've never used the Stewmac style one in which the router stays stationary and only has vertical travel. it seems to me that feeding the body around the router just wouldn't offer the same amount of control.
I guess its similar to knowing that certain jobs i prefer to use a router table, and feed the workpiece into the cutter, whereas other i prefer to use a handheld router while a workpiece is immobile. different technique, different feeling, different control, ya know?
So what do you all like to use and why? Anybody here use both in the past and have preference of one over the other. Any response will be much appreciated and given much thought. Thanks!!

Zachary, I prefer to use a hand-held laminate trimmer with a large base.
I cut the channels in three to four passes and run the trimmer at medium to slow speed.
This works for flat bodies and headstocks.
For a carved body, I route the channel before carving.
I'm looking at the Stewmac Dremel attachment but have not decided if I will try it.
Dan

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Hey Zach - I've used the William's jig, the tower/fixed - move the guitar around jig, and the Luthier tools iteration of the Wells/Karol hand-held jig and I greatly.... prefer the William's jig for the very same reasons that you stated above.

A great binding job should have the binding thickness not change throughout the binding path. Although all three jigs are capable of this there are some pit falls.

The Wells/Karol jig, hand held can be tipped inward taking a divot out of the top and that bothered me enough that I gave mine away to a student and went with the William's jig. The tower/fixed jigs just felt unnatural to be spinning the guitar around and I felt as if I had very little control.

When I settled on the William's jig it was perfect for me and that's what I used for most of the guitars that I built.

I also have one for sale with a barely used legendary Porter Cable PC-310 already loaded on the thing if you are interested PM me, Chicago is not too far from the People's Republic of Ann Arbor.

My William's jig was so easy to use even my dear departed Yorkie, Sony could use it with safety glasses of course...

Zackary, I started with a hand held laminate trimmer that I taped some little 5 degree wedges on the base - it was fine for acoustics with shallow domed tops and backs. I also bought the StewMac gizmo for a Dremel when I built a mandolin, frankly found it very difficult to use.

When I started making archtops and carved tops I tried a router table and just didn't feel that the guitar was stable enough - if it rocked a tall the channel was foobar. I broke down and bought the StewMak sliding column jig and adapted my laminate trimmer - it works fine on both flat tops and archtops

I have a home made version of the StewMac jig using ball bearing drawer slides & a counterweight on a rope & pulley that offsets the weight of the trimmer.

IMO the most critical part is the "doughnut" around the cutter that references off the guitar top or back and defines the depth of cut. If there's little gap between the cutter & the doughnut and the height of the doughnut tapers away quickly, you'll get good results.

Feeding the guitar into the cutter is not the most natural maneuver but once used to it you can take very controlled, light cuts.

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.

Here is a picture of the "donut" that Kevin is referring to



I'm using the StewMac bit with different sized ball bearings which follow the sides, the donut follows the top. I'm also using the StewMac base plate which holds the guitar but I had to add a bunch of different holes for shapes other than standard sized acoustics.