I'm working on my first amp and while drilling the 3/8" hole for the amp knob (and one for the effects knob) I split my lid!

I can fix this with glue and clamps, but I'm wondering if this was common and how to prevent it. I know one mistake was drilling the lid just supported by the box, I should have opened it and supported with a junk wood underneath. I was also using a spade bit, not a round one. (I was also having trouble getting the center one to bite so I was pressing down a bit.)

Just bad technique here?

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The lid is obviously old and brittle, even if the bit was the biggest contributor to it's demise, after repairing it, hang it as a memento, piece of art, make a new lid from scratch add whatever design you wish. Just a suggestion, even after repair, it may not hold up well to other work on it, or use after the fact with string tension etc.

This is for the amp, not a guitar, so there shouldn't be any tension... 

Still need to drill more holes, but I think I just might not drill through the crack. The knobs can go anywhere. Maybe I'll just put a hubris-bolt in the hole that caused the split...

Yeah, mostly technique I'm afraid.  Fear not, I'm sure you can salvage the lid, but once you get it back together, absolutely use a backing board and a sharp bit, go light on the pressure, can't wait to see pictures of your end result!

Hole saws also work better than spade bits, again as long as you have some scrap underneath to support it.

I had just cut a 3" hole with a hole saw and it went fine! The good news is I got my father-in-law's forstner bits this weekend.

The forstner bits will make a nice clean hole.  Use a backup board, don't spin the bits too fast, and take your time.

Drilled my first holes today, not on this amp, but on a maple headstock. Sweet bits!

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