I have made a prototype of a “soccer ball” dome. It is 10″ in diameter and the seams are 2″ long. Despite my best efforts (I’ve learned a lot; that’s why its a prototype!), there are errors at the seams. The interior seams have me baffled. What filler should I use? How do I smooth the filler once it is cured? It seems to me that the interior center of the dome is the most difficult, because of limited access and angle of approach.
As you can see from the photo, there are many seams and many of them are across the grain. If I sand along the seam, I’ll have cross-grain scratches on many edges. Would a water-wetted carving gouge with a round profile get the filler smooth enough before it cures?
Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me.
Edited 2/11/2007 11:23 am by JohnH
Replies
John
If that is made from solid wood, you're going to have an either larger problem.....seasonal wood movement. That object is going to come apart from all of the forces of seasonal wood movement due to changes in humidity. If I were you, I would go back to the drawing board. I'd work on getting all of the pieces cut to proper dimension using a stable plywood so that your posted problem goes away without needing a filler. Then, I'd veneer each piece, and assemble, knowing that it will all fit together without some hoaky filler needed which will look terrible, and also will remain stable.
Just my .02. Do it right. You'll be happier in the long run.
Walnutz
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled