Split panel - How to Fix?

[Jack Young]

All-

Glad to be back on-line after a few weeks in Europe and catch-up on return.

I have a six panel door (exterior) which I've been asked to fix. One of the lower panels is spit top to bottom roughly in the middle, a fairly gaping hole. A painter I know said to fill it with wood putty, sand and paint. That's a quick fix, but is it really a "fix?" What is the better way to deal with it?

Jack

[Steve Cox]

You have two problems as I see it. One is the split. The other is the fact that the panel must be stuck (glue, paint, swelling?) so it won't float which probably led to the split in the first place. If you can get the panel to float again (and I don't know how ) I think a decent way to repair it would be to spread glue in the split and then use some pinch dogs to bring the panel together and clamp it until it dries. The pinch dogs will leave holes in the wood but it would be much better to fill and sand these rather than the split itself. I don't know, that's just the first thought that comes to mind. Maybe it will get some others creative juices flowing.

[Gary Max]

Jack this is a hard question to answer I would guess the very best way would be to tear the door apart and replace the panel. Repaint the entire door.
That's a bunch of work.
I like the thought of epoxy better than wood putty-----but I think epoxy rates right up there with the invention of the wheel---when it comes to wood repair.
Just a thought

[Chris Padilla]

Jack,

Welcome back. I assume the panel is split but it isn't in two pieces, right? In other words, the split isn't completey through the panel.

As always, pictures are worth 10,000 words on here so post a couple if you can and we can help you better.

I think Steve is onto something here with wood movement, however. It could be that you fix it only to have a problem in the summer.

[Jack Young]

The split shows from the top to bottom of the panel, though it is wider in the thicker part of the panel. as though the panel had been glued along both sides and shrunk during a dry spell, causing a split (and gap) along the panel's weakest part. It's interesting, though, that we have had a rather moist summer and the gap hasn't gotten smaller, I'm told. It may well be a defect in the wood, much like the turned bowl which relieves stresses by creating a split in the wood that never reaches the edge, neither getting larger or ever closing up.

Chris, I'd send a pix, but haven't been able to get my photos down to the 100K level. I'll make a point of learning how to do that. I was shown how to do it sometime back, but have forgotten.

Jack

[Chris Padilla]

Jack,

I sent you an email through SMC. Perhaps I can help you with resizing off line here.

[Mac McAtee]

If taking the panel out of the door is not an option, I would do the following.

Make a guide for a router, put a 45° pointed bit in the router (total 90° cut). Cut a groove the full length of the panel that is half way through the panel.
If the crack runs parallel to the grain so much the better, if it doesn't and you can work it out, cut the groove parallel to the grain. Hand cut the groove out to the end of the panel that you cannot reach with a router bit.

Find some matching wood. Make a spline with a 90° corner on it that is oriented so the grain of the spline matches the grain of the wood. That is if the wood panel is quarter sawn then the side opposite the 90° angle is the quarter sawn face of the spline.

Glue the spline in the groove and then finish it off to match the surface of the panel.

Turn the door over and do the same thing on the other side of the panel.

Refinish the two splines to match the rest of the panel so they blend into the existing finish.