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My luck...
I came in from work tonight and pulled my newly braced back from the go-bar deck and proceded to layout the rim for notching. During the process, the form my rim is in flexed and split the side about 6 inches - right through the waist area. It split - of course - right along the grain (Honduran mahogany). The break looks clean and seems there should be a way to repair it. Can I just open it up a little and flood it with hide glue and possibly add some more side reinforcement later?

I took some pictures but, of course, I can't find the cable to upload the pictures. I'm sure it'll show up when I calm down.

Man, they just don't quite have the right emoticon for this...westex9338658.8835069444

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Wes McMillian
Santo, TX
http://www.wesmcmillian.com

I'm not experienced enough to give any kind of expert answer but I've seen what Frank Ford can do with hide glue.
I've repaired a small split in a maple back (near the upper bout edge) and after three years I cannot find it.

Wes,

Repair away! I'm fairly new, but I've already had this happen to me before.

Did you install side braces? That's the first thing I do after gluing in the neck & tail blocks, before the kerfed lining. My only side split came before the lining was in.

Wes, im building a small bodied guitar out of Ziricote- or as Don Williams puts it, Mexcian Crackwood! I keep a bottle of CA handy

Press your crack together and flood with CA, it will be fine.

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Lance, on mahogany I'd be more inclined to use Hide glue. CA might darken the line and draw a little more attention to it. Though it would be a good repair, I think the Hide glue will make it invisible.
Wes, heck yes repair it. If you hung it up every time you had a little blunder, you'd never have a complete guitar. (If you are anything like me anyway). It's been said many times here that a good luthier/woodworker is one that can make his mistakes invisible.

[QUOTE=LanceK] Press your crack together and flood with CA, it will be fine.[/QUOTE]

Amd be sure to have a Doctor close at hand

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Paul - I concure! My brain said Honduran Rosewood, not mahogany! I agree - HHG will make a less visable repair.

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

And here's a doctor... intensive care unit ready, you can glue.

Thanks, y'all.

Truth is, had I not had this forum with all the great (free!) info, I would have just gone ahead and repaired it. Just couldn't see not taking advantage of the great minds here!

And the rest of you, too!

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Wes McMillian
Santo, TX
http://www.wesmcmillian.com

You may want to consider putting in some side braces even before attempting to repair this crack except over the crack itself till it is fixed so that in spreading the wound for glue you do not continue the wound.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

the hhg you use to fix this should be thin enough to wick in just like thin ca. and preheat the area of the crack to extend working time a bit.

and stiffen up your mould. it shouldn't flex like that.crazymanmichael38659.5695138889

Yep, my stupidity on the mold. The mold itself is very heavy duty - I love it - but I just stuck the halves together with a strap on either end, and only on one side, so it flexed laterally.

Won't happen again, by the time I get done with it, two Mack trucks won't pull it apart! Really, I'm sure I'll just put latches on it - top AND bottom. May hinge the other end...

Regarding side braces, how many do you tend to put in? This is on a dread. And my first.

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Wes McMillian
Santo, TX
http://www.wesmcmillian.com

regarding the mold, i use a couple of dowels to engage matching holes in the other half at the opening end if it is hinged or two at each end if it is just held together with draw clamps or clips. they positively locate each half of the mold in relation to the other, no shifting.

regarding side reinforcement, i use five each side, two in the upper bout and three in the lower.

there was a recent thread on this with photos you may want to have a look at.crazymanmichael38659.5978125