Replies

1. 
   notDusty | Apr 02, 2004 07:08am | #1

                          brillo ,

           In a word , yes sawdust and glue can be used for a filler. If the piece will get painted , if the piece will get a stained finish the glue will not accept the stain like the wood . Try a wood filler or putty that has a color as close as possible. A thin wedge  or slice of matching stock glued in the void is another way .Most putty says that it will accept color from stain ,  but IMHO that is not the way it goes .

                                        dusty

2. 
   BG | Apr 02, 2004 01:11pm | #2

   Brillo,

   I don't have a good solution either....but want to keep this thread active...maybe someone will come along who can help.  I'm finishing a walnut piece that has a tiny chip at the 45 on the front (wherelse) that occured while scraping...sigh...let's hope.
1. 
   Biscardi | Apr 02, 2004 01:22pm | #3

   I recently knocked a divit in a moulding. It was on the outside of the carcase and would have had to pry the entire moulding of. I glued a chip of wood in and planed and scraped it flush and sanded it. I think it won't show too badly. Probably no one else will ever notice it, but that sort of thing makes me crazy.

1. 
   BG | Apr 02, 2004 01:56pm | #4

   Biscardi,

   That's my problem, I'm not sure the solution will be less noticeable than the orginal problem.  The missing sliver is about 1/16 wide and 1/8 long...depth about 1/32....I've already oiled the piece but I could probably back that up...there is no stain....decisions, decisions. 

2. 
   sokdoggydog | Apr 02, 2004 04:03pm | #9

   Thanks for the reply and all the others! I know exactly what you mean. To me it looks big enough to poke my finger into and drives me crazy. My wife said she didn't even notice. Trouble is, it's canary wood, which is light colored and will really show any repair. I really like the sliver idea the best. Had not thought of that one. Man, this is great--tech support for sawdust!

3. 
   Pertz | Apr 02, 2004 02:11pm | #5

   I've been happily using this technique on flat surface flaws; basically the gaps in glue-ups where my jointing was less than fabulous (which happens a certain amount trying to joint 7 foot boards on a bench-top jointer). In that circumstance this hides the gaps really well. Works easily with maple. with cherry the natural darkening means you need to use more glue, less sawdust, while with the maple the higher sawdust concentration seemed to work well. I really don't know how this would look in a more prominent joint.

4. 
   grant | Apr 02, 2004 02:14pm | #6

   I've found that a mixture of fine sawdust and clear shellac is pretty good for filling small gaps, such as where dovetails don't quite match up the way they should. Fine sawdust of the proper species can be collected from the bag of an orbital sander. This mixture sands down very nicely and should accept stain and finish without being too obvious. It doesn't discolor the way sawdust and glue sometimes does.

   --Grant

5. 
   beck4000 | Apr 02, 2004 02:16pm | #7

   I use this all the time,Place the board on end,has to be the same wood your using and use a sharp Chisel to make a paste,you have to rub very hard to make the paste! then add wood glue to this mixture,the result will be a putty with wood glue mixed together and add that to the place you want the filler!works fer me!

   If nothing sticks to Teflon,how does Teflon Stick to metal. Huh

6. 
   parrothead | Apr 02, 2004 02:36pm | #8

   I have been using a mixture of fine sanding dust and some shallac, lacquer, varnish, etc what ever I am goin to use to finish the piece. I have found that this workes very well with dark woods, walnut, ebony, etc, or when the piece is stained dark. It does not work very well when using light woods, at least when I use an oil finish, the "patch" absorbs the oil at a higher rate and gets dark.

   As mentioned before, if the "hole" is big enough a sliver of the same type of wood glued in works the best.

   We are the people our parents warned us about. J. Buffett
7. 
   ETG | Apr 02, 2004 09:00pm | #10

   I teach high school woodworking and one of the first items my students learn is that a craftsman is able to recover from thier mistakes.  And we visit professional shops where the pros share some of their mistakes - obviously theirs are minute compared to the average woodworker or student. 

   The pros that I have visited use the 2 techniques already mentioned - sawdust and slivers.  The pros have plastic containers of dust from the various species they use - and they do mix it with the finish they will use, not glue.  The decision whether to use dust or slivers is driven by visibility and the grain in the surrounding area.  If the problem area will be more pronounced if the repair does not contain grain, then use solid wood slivers.  But very small areas work well with dust.

   The pros I visited always save scraps from a project - even after the piece has been delivered in case they get a repair request.  They also have an inventory of veneers in the same species for repairs.  In some instances, I have seen them actually enlarge the problem to accomodate a larger sliver that better blends in with the surroundings.  And lastly, there are times when hand applying some graining is the only solution - usually in very small areas and as a last resort.

   The techniques for repairing boo boos takes some time, patience but if you put your mind to it and have a good eye for grain and color, you will do fine.  Good luck!

1. 
   sokdoggydog | Apr 03, 2004 02:31am | #11

   Thanks a lot. Any and all information is appreciated. Being a teacher, you have probably seen it all! Fortunately, my dad was a high school teacher also, and one of the best lessons he taught me was that everybody can be a teacher! Even if you only teach yourself. Thanks for the help Edgregg and everyone else....................Dave

8. 
   sawdustmaker | Apr 03, 2004 02:41am | #12

   In my experience, gaps or chips are best filled after staining. I use planer sticks that are melted with an electric knife. There are many colors, and they can be blended. For an exact match, or to fill in any missing grain, I use powdered stain mixed with graining liquid.