I am making a secretary desk for my daughter and picked a beautiful piece of curly cherry. I took all the normal precautions when using the jointer but still got some very small tearout (more like pits) in a few places. I could sand the piece down until they are all gone but then the piece will be inset a little in the rails and stiles. Is there any way to make a filler that would fill them? I have used commercial filers in the past and don’t like the way they look after finishing.
I have read that a combination of glue and sawdust works, but am afraid that it wouldn’t take a finish well.
Replies
Small drop of blonde shellac or CA glue in tearout followed by sanding area with 150 has worked for me. Try on some scrap first.
KU,
You might be able to get away with using stick shellac. Use a dark enough color that it matches the pitch pockets in the wood. Using a lighter color will show up more and more as the wood darkens with age.
Ray Pine
I've never found a sawdust filler to work well. Also in cherry the color will change over time, so a perfect match now may stick out like a sore thumb later.
If the pits are shallow, you may be able to feather them out with sandpaper. You'll wind up with a low spot but if there's not hard transition, the eye doesn't notice it. This is not a great option in a dead-flat table top, but it's viable for an apron. One other option depending on shape and the rest of the piece is black filler. This may be an option if the wood naturally has black streaks or pits already.
It may be time to sharpen your blades. Light cuts and/or slow feeds help also.
Pete
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