holes in laminated ribs

Cody Sisk · #1 10-26-2009, 10:57 AM

I have been scratching my head as to how to patch this hole and do it well.

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I thought about cutting the hole square, then carefully cutting away a large area of the first layer of laminate inside and gluing in a replacement that's larger than the hole. Then I'd glue in a piece on the outside and plane it down to match the ribs. Anyone else have a better idea before I tear into this?

I was surprised to see that the top ribs are solid wood and the bottom are laminate..

Jake deVilliers · #2 10-26-2009, 11:57 AM

I would leave the shape of the hole alone. I find that patches with square edges stand out like a sore thumb whereas those with an organic shape blend in better.

I would just back up the hole and fill it...

uprightben · #3 10-26-2009, 03:47 PM

Could you clean up the edges of the hole and fit a solid maple "plug", and then plane it flush on the front and back, and then put cleats all around the patch?

arnoldschnitzer · #4 10-26-2009, 04:19 PM

I would fit a through-patch, and then back it with a piece of veneer larger than the patch. I'd run the grain of the veneer at 45 degrees.

Eric Rene Roy · #5 10-26-2009, 07:43 PM

I didn't back mine like Arnold suggests...but you can see how I did one here.

Cody Sisk · #6 10-27-2009, 06:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric Rene Roy

I didn't back mine like Arnold suggests...but you can see how I did one here.

That looks great Eric, but you're lucky to be working with a solid wood rib and not a laminate. That's how I'd normally approach this repair..

Cody Sisk · #7 10-27-2009, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arnoldschnitzer

I would fit a through-patch, and then back it with a piece of veneer larger than the patch. I'd run the grain of the veneer at 45 degrees.

So even though it's laminate, do it as you would a solid rib like Eric's pics?

Eric Rene Roy · #8 10-27-2009, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DallasStrings

...you're lucky to be working with a solid wood rib and not a laminate...

I don't think I would change my approach. And if your through patch has as much gluing surface as mine did in that picture...I don't think I would bother backing it (although it wouldn't hurt to do so). Laminate, when done right, is very strong and would take the patch just fine. Get a sharp egg shaped scrapper, some chalk and a few good CD's and grab a seat for a day.

Cody Sisk · #9 10-27-2009, 08:38 AM

Got my gouge and my scraper, picked my sidewalk chalk color, got pandora started up, it's patch time!

I'll take pics too

Cody Sisk · #10 10-28-2009, 01:49 PM

Here's the finished product. Thanks guys for your input! It turns out that I was able to ignore the laminations and work as if it were a solid rib. Though I did remove one of the laminations that was peeling up anyway and it made for a nice slot to put the backing.

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The veneer patch has 3 super-thin layers that have alternating grain patterns..

As you can see the wood I used was way too nice and flamed for this bass, but I don't think the school will really mind. I didn't have any lower quality maple on hand..