Plans on building the Cory Router Guide

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Kevin Sjostrand
Posts: 3712
Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2008 8:06 pm
Location: Visalia, CA

Re: Plans on building the Cory Router Guide

Post by Kevin Sjostrand »

Gibsonman,
Bill was making those himself and selling them. I bought one from him 11 years ago and used it on the first 4 or 5 guitars I built. It works okay, and it is very simple.
I think I still have it, and If I do I'll gladly pass it on to you for the cost to mail it to you.
I am leaving town in the morning until Monday afternoon. Give me a few days to find and if you are interested, just PM me and we can work out the details.

Kevin
Gibsonman
Posts: 38
Joined: Fri May 11, 2018 4:17 pm

Re: Plans on building the Cory Router Guide

Post by Gibsonman »

Well thank you all for all the great information and thank you Kevin for your offering.
I think when I am ready I will get the one from Mr. Hall.
It would be a night mere to get that far and then mess up the binding. Again thanks to everyone.
KLW
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2012 1:27 pm

Re: Plans on building the Cory Router Guide

Post by KLW »

Bob

Glad to see I am not the only one who envies the Elevate jig, Made by Chris Ensor, I could not afford one so built one from wood, it did what the aluminium one did BUT like you I don't have the guts to use it. I tried it on "test" guitars and just can't rely on myself to make it work.. I know lots use it and love it and it is certainly quick and easy to set up, just not for me..

I use the LMI one as I am space constrained and the John Hall et al one is too big for my space.

Kerry
Bob Gleason wrote:The whole topic of binding cutters/machines is very interesting. For over 40 years I've pursued the "ONE". I've tried almost all of the configurations I've seen. Everyone had it's drawbacks. For me consistency is very important, but speed of setup and the time it takes to do the job is equally important. The cutter I admire the most, or I might say the builder's I admire the most, is the age old one that is horizontally bench mounted, with the builder holding the body vertically to the cutter. This one really defines the saying "Trust your abilities". I'm just too chicken to try it. Recently , on the web, I saw the unit made by the Elevate company. A web search will turn up the unit. It appears to be a pricey take off on the traditional horizontal bench mounted cutter. It looks like it would be fast to use. Some of it's design innovations are lost when using on smaller instruments, but it might not be too hard to improve on that. Anyone here using one? I did call one of the builders who endorse the cutter on the Elevate sight, and he had good things to say about it. BTW, I currently use the Fleishman style binding machine that I got from John and it does the job very well. I think it is especially good for less experienced builders and those who do a lot of repeat shapes because it is hard to make serious mistakes.
yellowesty
Posts: 23
Joined: Sun Jul 17, 2016 11:58 pm
Location: Petaluma, Calif.

Re: Plans on building the Cory Router Guide

Post by yellowesty »

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Ken Cierpilowski's Binding Channel Routing System. It's inexpensive to build, very flexible - accommodating all conceivable radii of top and backs - and, as I'm living proof, as goof-proof as can be. It indexes off both the top and the sides and is operated by moving the guitar on a foam-covered "shuttle" against guide blocks. Operator error results in cuts that are too shallow, never too deep. Multiple passes result in excellent binding channels.

I owned one of Ken's systems and used it on several guitars but it was lost in a fire and Ken, most sadly, is no longer with us. So I recently built a replica and have now used that for the first time. Excellent results.

Building the replica was fairly quick (and I'm NOT a speedy builder) and inexpensive. The only parts needed other than wood and a bit of foam rubber are included with the $54 trim router from Grizzly (H7791) and a ¼" straight bit. The Grizzly router includes an edge guide that can be partially disassembled to use as the "side" guide in Ken's design.

Unfortunately, Ken's website is no longer active, but a video on YouTube shows the system in action. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwxVHIfvJqw

If you're looking for a new or replacement binding channel cutter, check it out. If you'd like pictures of my replica, PM me with your e-mail address.
ruby@magpage.com
Posts: 1564
Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 8:03 am
Location: Chestertown Maryland

Re: Plans on building the Cory Router Guide

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

yellowsty

I use the handheld version of that same rig sold by Ken - I got mine in 2012. The only thing it lacks is that screw adjuster and now that I have seen that, I think I will add it - the machine is a little fussy to adjust without it. Here is mine:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/ ... 606115293/

This is the clearest shot I have of it - I clamped it in the vice because the ukulele body was too small to clamp down and pass the router around. You can readily see the family resemblance. The tall wooden "fence" rides agasint the side. I have finished using it on 8 guitars so far and have not made a significant mistake yet - nothing I have had to repair. scroll left and right, text below.

Plus it stores on a shelf

A shot of it hand held on a guitar:

Ed
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Ed M
OldManGuitarGuy
Posts: 22
Joined: Tue Dec 19, 2017 9:55 am

Re: Plans on building the Cory Router Guide

Post by OldManGuitarGuy »

Gibsonman wrote:Can anyone tell me where I can get the plans to build the Cory Router Guide?
Also those of you that have used it what are your thoughts on it. Thanks in advance.
I've got a PDF file that appears to show how to build one. If interested, email me here, and/or send me a PM telling me you've done so.

Doug
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