fookgub Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 I glued a 1/4" maple top on a semi-hollow I've been working on last night, and I ended up with a couple gaps. The gaps are about 2-3" long and maybe 1/32" wide. I think this is from lack of clamping pressure, as both pieces were flat. I used titebond. What are my options to fix this? I might be able to heat and re-clamp in a few places, but I've been told that the glue will lose strength once it's heated. I could just fill the gaps with sawdust and glue, but the would be more noticable than I'd like. How would you guys fix this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibreakemineedtobuildem Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 The fixes that come to my mind are a burst finish or cut a binding a little taller than 1/4 inch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 definately not ideal bu tits either scrap it, remove the top -clean it up and re-do it or fill it and hide it with binding. Only you know which is the best method for you You can try heating and reclamping but, like you say, you wont be able to garantee the wood strength. But i would still clamp it without heat as it dries out so the gaps might be alot smaller and more fillable - clamp it and leave it a week or so Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fookgub Posted July 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately bursts and binding aren't options (don't like 'em). I'm going to try to work a bit more glue into the gap and reclamp. Maybe I can salvage this thing yet. I wanted to use more clamps when I was gluing it, but I only had 11. I'm going to buy a few more before I try this sort of thing again. I was really annoyed to find the gaps this morning. The rest of the build as been going quite well, and I was proud of getting this far without any major eff-ups. Oh well... this is only my third body from scratch, so I guess I'll have plenty more chances to get it right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 You could have used twice as many clamps and still had the same problem - but a hefty caul slightly larger than the guitar probably would have done it with your 11 clamps. I sometimes use sink cutouts from kitchen worktops for making cauls for stuff like this, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fookgub Posted July 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 (edited) Ok, disaster averted, I think. I went home on my lunch break to check out the guitar, and the gaps were smaller than I thought. More like a 64th or less. I worked a little glue into each gap with a razor blade, then clamped the crap out of it. I may still need to fill them a little, but it's going to be very slight. Plus, the worst gap is on the bottom of the lower bout... not a very visible location. I feel much better now... You could have used twice as many clamps and still had the same problem - but a hefty caul slightly larger than the guitar probably would have done it with your 11 clamps. I sometimes use sink cutouts from kitchen worktops for making cauls for stuff like this, That's a very good idea! I'll be keeping that in mind for my next build. Edited July 5, 2007 by fookgub Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 Sounds like you have your plan. One thing I try to do is prep my surfaces, set the top or back in place(no clamps) and check for gaps(you should have none). Then clamping pressure applied evenly(as opposed to very high pressure). High clamping pressures can be ok with hard woods, but if it is not applied extreamly evenly you can weaken the joint more than you improve it(by clamping harder) due to distorting. A clamping caul is a great idea to help spread the pressure more evenly. Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fookgub Posted July 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 Sounds like you have your plan. One thing I try to do is prep my surfaces, set the top or back in place(no clamps) and check for gaps(you should have none). Then clamping pressure applied evenly(as opposed to very high pressure). High clamping pressures can be ok with hard woods, but if it is not applied extreamly evenly you can weaken the joint more than you improve it(by clamping harder) due to distorting. A clamping caul is a great idea to help spread the pressure more evenly. Peace,Rich Noted. I didn't check for gaps before gluing up. Next time I will. I'm hoping that I won't weaken the glue joint too much. Is was only a couple small areas that I applied a lot of force to. I didn't have to draw the wood in very far, but it took a lot of pressure to do it. I just got home from work, and the guitar is looking pretty good right now. As long as it doesn't move after I take the clamps off, I'll be a happy camper. On a side note, I really appreciate having a couple of the 'heavyweights' chime in here. Your advice is always well-considered, and the fact that you guys share your knowledge so freely is a real service to everyone on PG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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