Sloppy Wood Working - Gap Filling

Brent Dowell

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Ok,

So, I've been working on a project for a while and have gotten stuck.

I'm almost at the sand-it-down and finish it stage, but due to some sloppy woodworking, I've got some gaps that need filling.

Now I know that most of the wood workers here would never have this sort of thing happen to them, but I was wondering if the collective could help me come up with some sort of method to fill the gaps?

I'm thinking of some sawdust mixed with epoxy.

I'm planning on putting a tung oil finish on it eventually.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Brent

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Get out a hand plane, set if for a thick cut and make some slivers to glue into the cut. A better match would be to use the TS and take some thin offcuts off the end of a similar board and glue them in. But the endgrain is a lot more fragile and harder to tuck into that gap. In this case, taking a thick shaving and glueing along the vertical board wouldn't be all that noticable. Either one is going to look a lot better than wood putty.
 
Ok,

I've got some gaps that need filling.
View attachment 14524
View attachment 14525
Brent,

Those are some good sized gaps. I doubt you'll be able to fill those with anything that will, a) be stable enough for such a large opening, and 2) look good under a clear finish.

I'm no expert on this (though I have filled a few gaps in my day :eek:) but I think I might try something else, like a shallow inlay to highlight the joint. I think you could do this by clamping a straight edge parallel to the joint and making a 1/8" saw kerf along the joint line. Then you could inlay a contrasting wood in the joint. This should give you a nice tight line.

Like I said - I'm no expert so I'm curious to see what others come up with.

Good luck! :D
 
You know, From a strength perspective, maybe running a 1/4 strip along the backside of the half lap might not be a bad idea. Since this is going to be used by a little guy, the extra strength could help, and it would hide these nasty gaps.

There are some other gaps on this as well, but I used the 'sliver' method to the address those...

Might get this thing finished yet.
 
Yes those are considerable sized gaps but in strength I feel they will serve the puropse, do you hide them with goo or slivers, I think not as it will look even worse. Hide them with inlays, perhaps (accentuate the negative and make the negative apositive) But for the most part, you accept it the way it is and try to do better next time. Remember it is a toy and subject to abuse and neglect. Perhaps the next one will be the heirloom that this didn't quite make.

WWing is a progressive development process and a learning experience. If the first one turned out perfect then why bother with the rest. Complete the task and move on.
 
Your project looks nice. If you can do a good job of fixing the gaps, it should look nice and last a long time.

I agree with Rennie's proposal - do an inlay. You don't have to do a contrasting wood - you can inlay the same wood and make it look good. Rennie's suggestion of using a saw kerf is good or you can use your router with a very small bit. Clamp a piece of wood for the router to ride against and run it through the gap, just to straighten out both sides. The positioning of the guide wood is critical or your cut will be at an angle and look worse than the original problem. Before you make the cut, check the position of the bit on both ends of the gap.

Don't go deep - an eighth of an inch will be fine. Then cut yourself the inaly on your table saw. If it's a bit too thick, use a block plane to thin it down. You don't need much glue. Use a soft mallet and gently tap the inlay down into the cut. When the glue's dry, sand it flush. It'll look great.

Congratulations on your project. I'm sure it will be appreciated and cherished forever.

Mike
 
You've gotten good advice, Brent. I just wanted to chime in and say the rocking horse is going to be very cool when it's done.
 
Well, Just ended up doing what I could with strips of wood to fill the gaps and such.

Actually, it ended up looking 'ok'. So Learned some lessons and the next one will try and do better. At this point though, the customer seems pleased :thumb:

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Doesn't look like he's real concerned with the gaps at all. ;) That smile is pretty great compensation for your work. :D
 
Hi Brent :wave:,
Your success is evident by the smile on his face.
When a crack needs filled, before you sand the side with the crack, cut yourself a 2' or 3' piece of like wood. Using thicker than 3/4" to start with is good but 3/4" will work. Set your table saw at about 5° or 4°and run a piece of lumber through the saw at that angle, cutting the outer most edge off leaving a dutchman tapered from zero to thicker. (If the crack is wider you can either increase the angle of the blade or use a thicker piece of wood.)
Cut the dutchman to the length of the crack plus a 1/4". Add glue to the crack and smooth on some glue either side of the dutchman and delicately slide it into position snugly. Once dry, get rid of the excess and sand. A perfect joint every time.:dunno: We all get cracks, we need just learn how to fix them.
Shaz :)
 
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