OOps !! Its a Hole in One

[Zen]

OOPS-- big problem while routing for my binding on an acoustic jumbo. The router somehow slipped or jumped and chewed up a nice hole about the size of my little finger in the top of the guitar. Its a Cedar top and the hole is just along where the binding will be going but will not be covered by the binding because its too large a hole . All was going well and i had almost completed routing top and back and then this happened. Its my first build and i feel a bit foolish to say the least. Just wondering if anyone has a fix they could suggest.I am guessing that the obvious one is to try graft in a piece and sand it down but I have tried that and its harder than it sounds to get it looking exactly right. Some one suggested putting a flower or a Star in abalone over the repaired area afterwards. I would have to think about that but first things first --damage limitation !! Any suggestions?

Thanks guys
Rusty

[tippie53]

can you post some pics?

[Zen]

can you post some pics?

Many Thanks for your input John. This is the little bugger--well maybe not so little !!

Thanks again
Rusty

[tippie53]

OUCH
I bet you were climb cutting and it got away from you. It is a shame it looked good . Ok your options are you will have to fill that in. You can inlay apiece of spruce , trying to match as well as you can. Then do a sun burst on the top , the darker out side will help hide the repair.
What binding set up were you using ?

[nkwak]

I'll echo that sentiment: OUCH.

If you are able, you should look at Cole Clark guitars (out of Australia IIRC) and see what they do. They do some sort of fancy inlay at the waist - which was probably inspired by a similar situation. A friend of mine did something similar after he had a router oopsie with his first build's lutz top that was nearly as bad as yours. He looked to the Cole Clarks as inspiration, though he used his own artistic vision.

Ironically, I'm also working with cedar and something similar - though not as catastrophic happened. I was told to rerout but I think I'm going to try what tippie suggested for uniformity.

[tippie53]

I like that idea to. When you make a mistake it is a design enhancement opportunity

Maybe after you fill it an oversize arm rest might cover it up?
-tommy

[Zen]

OUCH
I bet you were climb cutting and it got away from you. It is a shame it looked good . Ok your options are you will have to fill that in. You can inlay apiece of spruce , trying to match as well as you can. Then do a sun burst on the top , the darker out side will help hide the repair.
What binding set up were you using ?

Thanks so much to all who posted about my dilemma and thanks a million for the support.

I had not been on line all day so didnt see the suggestions until now. What i have been doing is trying to slot in a piece and was going well or so I thought until I realized the grain is not running as it should be--as you can probably see from this Pic I am posting

I have not actually decided on the binding but was looking at cocobolo or whatever matches . What actually happened was that the router that I borrowed has a home made wooden guide attached and the screw came loose . I was not aware until I felt a bump and luckily stopped, but not quickly enough !!

[Zen]

I'll echo that sentiment: OUCH.

If you are able, you should look at Cole Clark guitars (out of Australia IIRC) and see what they do. They do some sort of fancy inlay at the waist - which was probably inspired by a similar situation. A friend of mine did something similar after he had a router oopsie with his first build's lutz top that was nearly as bad as yours. He looked to the Cole Clarks as inspiration, though he used his own artistic vision.

Ironically, I'm also working with cedar and something similar - though not as catastrophic happened. I was told to rerout but I think I'm going to try what tippie suggested for uniformity.

Thanks for the suggestions Neil--I had a look at Cole Clarks Site but cant see any inlaid instruments but I will keep looking. Hope you have better luck with your build--this is my first and I'm pretty nervous about it I guess. As you can see from the last pic I posted here, I slotted in a piece and was delighted how well it fitted until I looked closer and saw the grain is wonky. I'm guessing that would be very obvious when I sand it all down ? Its about 1 inch long
Thanks again
Rusty

[Zen]

OUCH
I bet you were climb cutting and it got away from you. It is a shame it looked good . Ok your options are you will have to fill that in. You can inlay apiece of spruce , trying to match as well as you can. Then do a sun burst on the top , the darker out side will help hide the repair.
What binding set up were you using ?

I had been thinking about using the yellowish plastic binding or should I call it an off white--it looks old anyway. Reason for using that was that this is my first ever attempt and thought it might be easier to fit ? But open to suggestions as well on that.

Heres a pic of what i have done to repair the hole --its not sanded down yet--and as you can see theres a slight line at the edges so was wondering what glue to use --Is it Titebond or should i try mix some shavings or sawdust with it to try fill the tiny gap and then sand it down ?