I am making a solid walnut Pennsylvania secretary. My crown was milled from solid stock(clean, dry and straight grained), but the humidity fluxuations here in Mississippi caused enough movement that I can’t get the fit I want at the mitered corners. The upper portion of the crown is too thick to pull tight and expect it to stay while the bottom portion is too thin and I would risk splitting the stock. My only option is to use some fill(cat covering his mess) in the small but noticable space at the miter.
I would appreciate some suggestion as to what my options are. I have commercial walnut wood filler. What are my other options?
Would appreciate some suggestion.
Replies
Old Secret tip, been there done that! Hershey bar rubbed in and buffed with a rag. (Eat the almonds)
OR, you might try to hollow out the thick mating surfaces and undercut the part that's not showing and use a dark glue. Stein.
Edited 3/2/2004 10:04:34 PM ET by steinmetz
Wood filler will show up like a sore thumb. Can't recommend it. If the gap is small (say 1/32") you can try to burnish the two mitered edges together so the wood fibers overlap each other.
Stein - do you have a table of equivalences for using various brands and flavors of chocolate (for example - Hersheys Special Dark = Jacobean Oak, Milk = Light Mahogany, etc)?
Hersheys Krackle for MDF (It's the Rice Krispys that blend in.)
Hershey's Almond for Walnut
Walnettos for Almond wood
Licorice Ebony??? Stein.
Coolbreeze,
Is the gap in the miter itself, or between the molding and the case? If the mold has moved a bit and doesn't fit tightly against the case, try planing the backside of the mold and/or the case where the mold goes, to get a passable fit. Spot glue the mold along the front to keep it from moving after you attach it. On the ends, just glue the first 2-3" back from the miter, and allow for movement by nailing, or screwing thru elongated holes.
If the gap is in the miter itself, you really should trim the joint til it is a good fit. If that's not possible, like you've already attached it, try this old trick: rub some glue into the open joint, and take a nailset or phillips screwdriver and roll it over both sides of the open joint and mash the two sides shut. Let dry and sand lightly.
If you must use filler, try cutting a wedge from some of the same wood as the molding, and slip it into the crack. Otherwise I like stick shellac, but you must be sure crossgrain movement won't crack it and make it fall out. Or the wax crayons, after the project is finished. Go a shade darker than you think you need.
An old timer told me once that the difference between a good craftsman and a poor one was that a good craftsman knows how to cover up his mistakes so no-one can see them.
Cheers,
Ray
Ray,
The molding was made with 4 bits. It is 1 7/8 at the top and about 3/8 at the bottom. I squared the stock 8 weeks in advance. I had to make only a slight additional straightening after the 8 weeks of invironmental adjustment. I milled the stock and intended to install it within a day. I was interrupted and didn't install for a week. Since there was so little movement in 8 weeks, I did not recheck before cutting. Learning!!. I now know that the additional stock removal allowed additional movement.
I do not now have the option of trimming and fitting. I installed it knowing that I had no other option than close the space with some fill or procedure of which I am not aware. Hince the post.
I appreciate yours and others replying. My father-in-law once said "some cat that can't cover his mess". The project is the 18th Century Pensylvania Secretary featured by Lonnie Bird and FWW(154-6) It is a 40th anniversary gift to my wife. This cat is going to cover that mess. I just want the best option available to me.
Yo, Cool. I hope you can squeeze a response out of these guys, because I'm in a similar situation. I'm finishing up a cradle project for my niece's as yet unborn son. Since I'm a sailor it's based on a plan from Jordan Wood Boats...a 4-foot long dinghy on rockers! I've made it entirely out of cherry and due to a couple of fitting issues (everything is curved...not one straight edge in the entire project!) I have a few gaps I'd like to fill.
Searching knots, I turned up the suggestion to mix sawdust with sanding sealer. Tried that, but the patch was darker than the unfinished wood (BTW, I don't stain cherry. I finish it with gel varnish and let time do the coloring). The I tried hide glue mixed with sawdust (cheated on this one...used the bottled stuff since I don't have a pot, yet.) That gave an even darker patch! So what next?
For your walnut, the sanding sealer/hide glue sawdust mixture might work. I feel I got a smoother patch with the hide glue. Give it a shot on some scrap and see how it goes.
If anyone can suggest a solution to my cherry dilemma I'd be most appreciative. I'd hate to take the bondo route! Better I should leave the gaps and call them "expansion joints".
Lofton, don't know what to tell you on the cherry. It does darken when exposed to light and does it rapidly.
I have some fine sawdust from my bandsaw and will give it a try.
Bandsaw dust may not be fine enough for your piece. I usually harvest dust from the collector on my PC 333 random orbit sander. That's pretty fine, especially when using 180 grit disks. Let me know how it turns out.
Tage Frid recommends mixing sanding dust with a 2-lb cut of shellac if the piece is to be finished with shellac or oil. I have tried this method with good success. I don't think I will ever buy another commercial filler from now on. You could experiment with the different types of shellac that is available to match the color. Since you are concerned about darkening, perhaps you can start with a blonde shellac and then work your way darker if need be.
Thanks, Ricky. I'll give that a shot. But how do you mix a 2 lb. cut of shellac in quantities of four tablespoons?
Funny how these things work out...I started looking for a filler and in the process "discovered" hide glue and it's great properties compared to yellow glue. While I haven't solve the filler problem yet it looks like a valueable bit of knowledge seeped in without warning!
Sometime I'll tell you about my experience on this project using copper nails and roves for riveting the dinghy's planks together...another great discovery!
>> But how do you mix a 2 lb. cut of shellac in quantities of four tablespoons?
Get a kitchen scale that reads in grams or tenths of an ounce.
Or you take any weight shellac, add a few drops of alcohol if it is too thick, let the alcohol evaportate if it is too thin, as you rub the sawdust and shellac into the loose joints. Using a dead piece of medium or fine grit sandpaper to "rub it in" even adds a little new "sanding dust" as filler to finish the job.
It will look darker as you do it, just as the cherry or walnut looks darker as you apply any finish, but not really darker than it ultimately would be anyway. I recommend letting the shellac/filler dry, then sanding to blend it in (no edge line), before the overall finish.
Of course, you understand that this is all theory, since my joints are always perfect the first time. (What? You don't believe me?)________________________Charlie Plesums Austin, Texashttp://www.plesums.com/wood
Just buy some shellac off the shelf - most of it is a two to three pound cut right out of the can. Mix the sawdust in and roll.
This is not organic chemistry class.
Can you get pre-mixed shellac in 4 oz. packages?
I received Jeff Jewett's books on finishing where he suggests epoxy. I'll try that and hope it does not darken the filler as much as the things I've tried so far. And I will try the off the shelf shellac as well. Thanks to all for your suggestions.
I don't know. I'd just buy some and get the job done. I buy a can about every two months - seems to last that long. I use it for the inside of drawers and stuff like that. Or maybe mixed with sawdust to make a repair.
Could you saw out the ends with a fine tooth hand saw and insert solid blocks of walnut?
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)
PlaneWood
garret-wade tool company from NYC. sells a 202 gf high strength glue. i realize that glue and filler are very diffrent. but when used in conjunction with each other . i.e . hershey bar...you may find a solution.
http://www.garrettwade.com
Edited 3/3/2004 7:29 pm ET by the bear
Edited 3/3/2004 7:29 pm ET by the bear
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