reenforceing sound holes

[buckhorn]

Having just finished putting gauze around F holes, using TiteBond, I was wondering how many others still do it.. I tried not using once and sure enough, the beast split half way to the rim.. I always put the glue down then cover with gauze, let dry, then cover with a second coat of glue.. After drying, I can then open up the sound holes.. I use an old bottle of glue since there is no worry about strength.. Just can't stand to toss out anything that's useable..

[sunburst]

I haven't applied gauze to f-holes since my first mandolin. I don't think it does any good, and when the top cracks (often from someone grabbing the mandolin with their thumb on the f-hole wing; the "thumb crack") it is more difficult to repair because of the foreign substances (glue and gauze) on the wood.
This opinion and many others can be found in past discussions. Searching the term "gauzing" seems to bring up quite a few.

[Marty Jacobson]

Anyone use carbon fiber tow? That would do the same thing, much more effectively and impacting a much smaller area of the wood. I don't do it, when I want to reinforce an area of an f-hole because of my dumb aesthetic priorities, I just use a piece of the same wood as the top, biased at 90 degrees.

[mtucker]

Having just finished putting gauze around F holes, using TiteBond, I was wondering how many others still do it..

I know one Aussie that still does it.