Binding Router Guide Review

Rating: ** (out of five stars possible)

The binding router guide is shown below. This is item number 5248 on the Stewmac website.

I own a lot of Stewmac tools. Most of the tools they sell are excellent. This tool is the exception.

You use the guide to cut a rebate in a guitar side before installing binding. You attach the guide on a Dremel tool. Depth of cut perpendicular to the side is adjustable by means of a fine thread screw.

There is no adjustment perpendicular to the back or top surface.

Let me say that again:

There is no adjustment perpendicular to the back or top surface.

The only way to adjust depth of cut perpendicular to the back or top surface is by moving the cutter in or out in the Dremel chuck.

This tool may work somewhat on an unfinished guitar body, but it is not useful on a finished guitar where the back was removed and replaced. The problem here is that rebate cutting may require slightly variable depth of cut perpendicular to the back or top surface. I won’t go into why this is here, but fine adjustability perpendicular to the back or top surface is important. Moving a cutter into or out of the Dremel chuck is not "fine adjustability perpendicular to the back or top surface".

I experimented with this tool several times on scrap guitar bodies and found it to be less than useful.

Don’t waste your money.

©2021 D.R. Hanna