...........and this happened
This project is doomed.
Although this part of the neck will sit in the neck pocket ,as it's a one piece neck there'll be a nick out of the fretboard 🤬
To top it all I didn't check twice when I routed the truss rod slot on the back and I cut it all the way to the nut instead of stopping short so will now have a skunk stripe with a visible maple fillet in front of it.
This is turning out to be an expensive learning curve 🥱
What I’d do ....
A bit of round over on the top edge of the fretboard. That’ll blend the nick into the top of the fretboard, and won’t be noticeable.
Some fine maple sawdust and glue, mixed together into a smooth paste. Use that to fill the nick in the side of neck, just in case any is visible at the top of the neck pocket.
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I wouldn’t use a router for the round over - I’d just use some sandpaper.
But, looking at your neck ... is the fretboard radiused yet? It looks quite flat. If not yet radiused, do that first as it might also help camoflague the nick a bit.
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Oh yeah.... when you said 'roundover' my mind automatically jumped to roundover bit.
It's not radiused yet, so perhaps it won't notice so much once finished and fitted..... I'll keep you posted with the next cock up 🤣
I'll keep you posted with the next cock up
That's only fair - I've shared (some of) mine in various posts on here - I seem to manage to create a "learning opportunity" every time I try to build something!
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I've shared (some of) mine in various posts on here
Some of the bigger learning opportunities;
Here's the one where I routed the bridge pickup cavity where the bridge posts should have gone ...
... and here's the one where I carved through the top and into the hollowed-out body below ...
https://guitarmaking.co.uk/community/guitar-er-when-guitar-builds-go-bad/whoopsie/
... and there's plenty more that I could share
😆
Online guitar making courses – guitarmaking.co.uk
I'll keep you posted with the next cock up
I thought that I was king of the router cock ups. Have a look at my "First Practice Bulid" post, you'll find all my learning opportunitys documented there. You'll always get good advice from TV1, I think if you follow what Tony has said then nobody will notice that repair.
Some fine maple sawdust and glue, mixed together into a smooth paste
Christy TV! That sawdust and glue trick on your hole (Fnarr Fnarr) is invisible! Is there a recipe for the mix or is it just pure witchcraft? 🧙♀️
Is there a recipe for the mix or is it just pure witchcraft?
I prefer to think of it as wizardry rather than witchcraft
😆
You'll need ... one dollop of wood glue and a large pinch or two of sawdust. Ideally, you want the sawdust from the same piece of wood that you're filling, and nice fine sawdust.
Slowly add the sawdust to the dollop of glue, and mix it in. I use one of those wooden stirring sticks that you find in takeout coffee shops. Continue adding the sawdust, small pinch at a time, and mixing/folding it in until the mix is quite sticky.
Then use the mixture to fill the hole. You're going to sand it down afterwards, so fill it proud of the hole.
Leave it to dry (fully, all the way to the bottom of the hole) and then carefully sand it flat.
Maybe Mark should do a demo one Weds/Sat??
I was lucky with that hole that I filled. There were so many features in the wood that the filled hole just blended into the rest of them. See what I mean though ... no matter how big the cock up, the fun is in working out how to fix it and then fixing it.
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So could one use syooper glue and wotsit tape instead?
I've gotten the impression that superglue and wotsit tape is frowned upon.
Hi James,
You could always just glue a small piece of maple back into the hollow. If you get the shape right it should be pretty difficult to see once it's sanded. Admittedly, light coloured woods are more difficult than mahogany or walnut, but what you have there is far from being a disaster. Chin up and carry on! Just don't do it again!
Darren
@darrenking 's suggestion would make a higher quality repair if done well but it is a bit harder to pull off - you could try this first - you might surprise yourself!
Measure twice, cut once...
I’ve got a couple of router mistakes to add to the forum too, we all do them. My initial thought was to fill it so what @tv101 said is the best way to get the colour match. I automatically think car body filler but then I remember that I don’t repair cars any more. Although, I have found some two part wood filler recently that is basically the same stuff but coloured for wood, it’s available in several colours and it’s strong. The glue and sawdust trick is the best though, I think.
Make guitars, not war 🌍✌️🎸
The trick when shaping an infill piece such as this is not to try making it the exact size of the divit. Shape the end of a larger piece, which will make it easier to handle (and shape), and then you can trim off the excess once it is securely glued in place. Binding sounds like a good idea but is adding quite a lot of work if all you are trying to do is rescue a small mistake. You could end up in a guitar makers version of 'chasing the dragon' with each process designed to fix a small slip resulting other hiccups which then need fixing in turn.
I had the same experience when routing a neck. After some swearing that cost me some reputation points in heaven I took a deep breath and fixed it (more or less) by chiseling out a square and gluing in a piece of maple (off cut from the neck blank). It's still visible, but it's on the back of the neck. And after carving the neck it feels smooth, so it really doesn't bother me.
And from the right angle you don't even see it, haha!
I don't think I'll ever make a perfect guitar or bass.
"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception"
Groucho Marx
The best part of all these mega helpful answers is the knowledge that I'm probably not alone in cocking up! Cock up rectification advice must surely stem from prior experience of the cock up, hence the anti cock up path taken by the original cock upper can be passed on to the new cock uppee. This organic transference of lived experience thereby renders the newbie cock uppee part of a family........ a support group...... a safe...dare I say, 'bubble' if you will.
Therefore, rather than crying like a baby in one's shed cursing all things black and decker 😂, one gets a warm fuzzy feeling that only being part of a cock up community can bring.