Wood filler

[Steven Bolton]

I am looking for a good wood filler to cover small gaps, nail holes, etc. I want something that is durable and won't stick out like a sore thumb.

I might have asked this before, but can you use CA glue and then put sawdust in it?

Any ideas?

Thanks

Steve Bolton

[David DeCristoforo]

"...I might have asked this before..."

You mean like a few minutes ago?

[Richard M. Wolfe]

Using sawdust along with a medium like CA or epoxy is a little problematical. With some woods it works fine and with some the filler sticks out like a sore thumb. You just have to try it and see.

The easiest thing to use is color putty. I have several different kinds and sometimes take a little dab of this and mix it with two dabs of that to make an acceptable looking filler. It only works for a small gap (nail hole) and is not durable. The second easiest patch is to mix sawdust with wood glue. If it's water based it may take more than on "hit" to fill a gap as the patch will shrink as water is lost. I learned two things using it: mound a patch so when it shrinks it will still cover and wet the bottom of the hole to be patched with water before applying to get a good bite with the filler. If the hole is of a size to lend itself to the treatment I sometimes try to shape a small piece of wood to help fill the hole.

Mixing sawdust with other media that do not shrink is next and can be expensive. It's not the amount used for a patch but getting in and out of a container gives the possibility of the bulk of the matrix drying out. There is a material made for mixing with sawdust called wood flour cement that I like.

Best solution? Don't have anything that needs patching.....or go the "rustic" route and have the flaws as part of the 'style'.

[Brian Kent]

I have a lot better luck with using wood fibers - a slice or a plug or odd shape.

[Stephen Edwards]

If the void isn't too large (and this doesn't apply for nail holes), I've experimented with a techique that I first learned about here at the Creek and have had very acceptable results.

If the void is a tear out due to irregular grain going through the planer or jointer you might wish to try this:

First, sand the void so that there are no irregular or jagged edges. In other works smooth it out so that it's sort of a shallow "bowl".

Next, apply a couple of coats of finish to the *bowl" and surrounding area of whatever finish (stain, clear coat, etc.) that you're going to use on the finished piece.

Then, fill the void with crazy glue, letting it stand a bit proud of the surface. When it has dried, sand it flush with the surface.

This technique has worked fine for me on the projects I've had to deal with small voids. The void is hardly noticible. The important thing when using this technique seems to be applying the finish to the void BEFORE applying the crazy glue, so that it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb.

You can experiment on some scrap to see if this will work on your projects. Good luck!

[Bryan Parlor]

I am looking for a good wood filler to cover small gaps, nail holes, etc. I want something that is durable and won't stick out like a sore thumb.

I might have asked this before, but can you use CA glue and then put sawdust in it?

Any ideas?

Thanks

Steve Bolton

The guy who did our hardwood flooring filled any cracks with a mix of saw dust and the polyurathane used to finish the floors -it works well.

Bryan

[J. Z. Guest]

Epoxy dries clearer than CA and is much more durable and less brittle. Mix a little sanding dust into the epoxy. I just filled in some holes in some dovetails with this. Let it stand proud, then use a flush-cutting router jig to cut it down to nearly flush, then sand it flush. Looks much better than shims, IMO.

If you are finishing with poly, Bryan's idea might be ideal.

Another idea would be to drill a shallow hole on the imperfection, then cut a plug to fit & glue it in.

Sadly, my repair skills are improving as quickly as my building skills.