Replies

1. 
   shaker1 | May 11, 2004 04:06am | #1

    If I see any gaps after the pieces are assembled , sometimes I rub some

    sawdust into the void. Sometimes it works, but if that doesn't my final

   finish is wax and I'll also rub that into the void and that usually works.

   I usually use the 1 to 6 ratio in cutting dovetails by hand, but remember

   this is a discipline. Just try the best you can and relax. Small gaps here

   and there are to be expected when it is hand cut. I  also do like the

   Shakers, I don't try and sand off the scribe marks completely.

    

          Tis a gift to be simple, Tis a gift to be free

          Tis a gift to come down, Where we ought to be

                                              Shaker Hymn

   
   

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   Edited 5/10/2004 9:14 pm ET by JStearman

2. 
   robkelly | May 11, 2004 04:06am | #2

   1. Use a wood filler of the right color like Zar, then sand flush.

   2. Even on my home Craftsman TS with a sharp blade and a stiffener, I can rip a strip of hardwood off the edge of a board at .002"- .003". That's paper thin and should fill any gap you can see.

   3.Finely chisel the gap wider, then glue and drive in a wedge shaped shim and sand flush.

3. 
   ScottPost | May 11, 2004 04:13am | #3

   Sometimes a gap that isn't wide enough for a bandsawn shim can be filled with a handplane shaving. Play with the blade projection until you get a shaving of the right thickness to fill the gap. This is best done when you first assemble the dovetails so there's already some glue in the gap. If the gap is too small for a shaving use superglue. Dab some superglue into the gap, let it sit about 30 seconds, then sand over it. How invisible it is depends on the wood. On busy grained woods like oak or ash it'll disappear. One place where it doesn't work very well is when you're joining two contrasting woods. For example, don't try this trick if you're building a drawer with a walnut front and poplar or maple sides - the mixing of the light and dark dust just won't look right.

   As far as taking stain, I suspect you're out of luck since glues don't like to take stains. I rarely use stains so it hasn't been an issue.

4. 
   BrianF | May 11, 2004 03:58pm | #4

   I have used "super" glue in fine gaps in joinery, and then lightly hand sand the area with good success. It can also be used to fill in narrow checking in the wood.

5. 
   grousemouse | May 11, 2004 05:22pm | #5

   Use very fine sandpaper to apply an oil finish.  The sanding dust will fill the voids and the finish will act as a binder.  I do this a lot with very small voids in dovetails.  works great.  Obviously use wedges for larger gaps.

   Brian

6. 
   AlanWS | May 11, 2004 06:31pm | #6

   Tage Frid suggests in his classic book to use a dovetail saw to cut a thin kerf along the join to widen and even out the gap so that a piece of veneer will fit in. Choose the veneer color carefully, match the grain direction, pound the veneer thinner with a hammer, and glue it in. The repair can be almost invisible.

   If it's really so small a gap that this is excessive, and you plan to varnish, it's possible that you can fill the gap with varnish.

7. 
   ETG | May 11, 2004 06:44pm | #7

   It's always helpful to look at the old pieces we are trying to emmulate.  Pieces that were "high end" 200 years ago have very tight dovetails.  But when you start to look at everyday items, you see plenty of examples of gaps and miscuts - to be sure they are quite small and hardly noticable - but they are there.  I just looked over a 200 year old Pa German blanket chest in good condition with all  the dovetail cut lines still there.  And occassionally I could find some small gaps.

   If you must fill in the gaps and they are too thin for veneer, I usually take my time and create a very long (several inches) tapered wedge that ends with a less than paper thick end.  If you are careful, you can drive the wedge in far enough to fill a gap - using matching wood obviously!

1. 
   CStanford | May 12, 2004 11:03pm | #9

   Amazing, isn't it?  The piece actually looked like it was made by a human being and not cut out by a laser.

8. 
   desertrat | May 12, 2004 05:33pm | #8

   For very small gaps etc. I will use a little wax on a piece of fine sandpaper and sand over the area.  The wax will pickup the sanding dust and fill the gap almost invisibly.