Replies

1. 
   rob_ss | Mar 22, 2021 04:18am | #1

   Were it mine, I would either accept it (the box is ridiculously strong as designed) or would glue a shim on to the divider then plane down to a nice snug fit, and stick with the glue you are used to.
   Sounds like you are a better woodworker than me anyway, but that's my 2c...

2. 
   john_c2 | Mar 22, 2021 07:24am | #2

   Old brown glue. It's the most forgiving after the finish goes on. If you have toomuch PVA glue showing, finish will just highlight the oops.

3. 
   stantheman | Mar 22, 2021 09:23am | #3

   You mentioned gap-filling in the title, but not in the post. Is that the real issue?

4. 
   DRBWWing | Mar 22, 2021 10:17am | #4

   Tinted epoxy is a choice.

   Do you do the dados first, then mill the divider to fit?

5. 
   hoovermd | Mar 22, 2021 11:32pm | #5

   Well, yes I consider a gap of .005 too wide. Maybe it is the toolmaker/machinist in me. I guess "gap" is subject to some interpretation.
   There is little chance that I could cut a shim to fit, but the band saw is an awesome tool for this so i imagine given enough incentive I could.

   Yes, I did the dadoes first but they are hand-cut and I had transferred the dividers but hindsight sez that dadoes first then milling the dividers would have been smarter ;(

   Not worried about the strength of the box because as some said, it is plenty strong, but the anal retentiveness in me is a bit bothered by the gap.....
   maybe it is much ado about nothing...

   I'll cut the dovetails and use hide glue. I'll post a pic after all is complete (next weekend) and hope the gaps are acceptable.

   I've used epoxy in some projects but tinting this to match the natural finish of the beech seems difficult.

6. 
   EdWeber | May 27, 2021 11:21am | #6

   "Well, yes I consider a gap of .005 too wide. Maybe it is the toolmaker/machinist in me. I guess "gap" is subject to some interpretation."

   First, I would say that a "gap" of .005, which is 1/200th of an inch, is more of an annoyance than a gap.

   Titebond dark wood glue. http://www.titebond.com/product/glues/0d8d5e20-0660-45f6-a61e-69ada5b855b0

7. 
   fourier_transform | May 27, 2021 01:13pm | #7

   .005" is so small that when you add a water-based glue, it is likely that it swell the wood enough to create a nice fit.

   The next thing to try is gluing a plane shaving onto the wood. I could get a .005" shaving from maple or poplar without much fuss. And it is so thin, you won't need to clamp it.

   You could also glue a strip of veneer onto the wood, and then sand it down to get a snug fit. Commercial veneer is about .024" thick.

   I've known many machinists that take up woodworking and don't enjoy it because wood is such an ornery medium to work with. In engineering terms, it is a nonhomogeneous, anisotropic material that is filled with internal stress. The machinists that do enjoy woodworking enjoy adaptation.