When applying finish to a tabletop recently, I discovered a couple of areas of severe tearout I had missed. To remove it with a card scraper or sandpaper would have left an obvious valley in the finished top, so I came up with a simple alternative. I filled the small voids with epoxy (I use QuickCure 5 Epoxy from LeeValley.com) and then leveled the areas with a sharp chisel and a card scraper. A bit of light sanding and a new coat of finish makes the tearout disappear. My method has worked under simple oil finishes as well as oil-varnish blends.
—CHARLES MAK, Calgar y, Alta., Canada
Fine Woodworking Recommended Products
Diablo ‘SandNet’ Sanding Discs
While Diablo’s SandNet disks perform similarly to conventional paper abrasives in terms of material removal and surface prep (with some exceptions at the lower grits), they make keeping your work surface and work area clean much easier, thanks to the great dust collection possible with them.
3M Pro Grade Sandpaper
This sandpaper is clog resistant and has a material on the back that prevents it from slipping. Great for sanding blocks.
Bahco 6-Inch Card Scraper
The size and thickness are what matter here. A consistent performer, this Bahco scraper is found in many shops we visit.
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Comments
I recently used this technique to repair grain separation and tearout on some pine doors. I used a disposable flux brush to "paint" epoxy into the area, clamped on a block coated with clear packing tape to force the grain to lay flat, then sanded the area to remove the excess epoxy. The flaws practically disappeared!
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