Q:

Occasionally, I find small knots and blemishes in the wood I use to build furniture. What’s the best repair for them?

Jay Riley, New Orleans, LA

A:

The best repair is an invisible one. This means that any patch should match both the color and the grain of the surrounding board. The best source is a cutoff or scrap from the same board. Select a flatsawn scrap that has a 2-in. to 3-in. section clear of any growth rings. Plane it down so it’s 1/8 in. to 3/16 in. thick. If you don’t have a suitable piece, make it at the bandsaw by cutting a flatsawn board to minimize the number of growth rings visible. Cut a diamond-shaped or triangular patch, but not a rectangle. Cuts that run diagonally across the grain are far less visible than those running perpendicular to it.

Plane or sand the edges of the patch smooth and bevel them slightly for a tighter fit. Then place the patch over the damaged area and lightly trace around it with a marking knife.

Rout away the waste and clean up the edges and corners with a sharp chisel. Glue and clamp the patch in place. After sanding the patch flush to the surrounding wood, use a brown pencil to lightly draw in grain lines that connect to the surrounding wood.

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