wood plug question

allen levine

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I cut the plugs, I use the identical pieces of wood.
I turn the plugs into the holes with the grain running the same ways, I push it in, give it a good tap in, and when I cut off the plug and sand, most of the plugs seem to turn and the grain is always running a different way.
What am I doing wrong?(do the plugs twist when I tap them with a mallet? Should I use a long nose pliers to hold them steady? Im afraid to scratch up the piece.) Is there a secret to something that seems so simple?IM sorry for asking such a simple question, but white oak is expensive in the north east, and I want the most out of my money. Thanx in advance for any help for such an easy question, I feel silly asking it here.
 
Are you waiting for the glue to dry completely before you cut the plugs? If not then when you cut them they might turn. I know I've rushed to cut plugs myself and I've also noticed that the plugs I cut often are smaller than the hole I drilled. I think that's why commercial plugs are often tapered. I think it's a Levine thing to rush some things.;)
 
Are you using tapered plugs? If not then you need to make certain that the glue is completely dry before you do anything about trimming them off. My advice - use tapered plugs and tap them firmly home with a 4-8oz plastic faced hammer.

(I probably use about 20-30000 8mm plugs a year - can't say that I sweat desperately about grain alignment)
 
I used the plug cutter for mostly pretreated, which had no real grain showing, so I just matched the color, and before I had a cutter, I bought precut plugs for anything I did in pine or poplar.

thanx for my answer, Id put in 15 plugs, maybe 20 minutes later, I cut them.
Ill try waiting overnight to make sure the glue sets in.
I do use a very hard rubber mallet to tap them in.

Ian, I never saw the grain as a problem, but when I put 3 coats of varnish on white oak, without any other coloring or staining, it sticks out like a bad skin blemish on ones cheek.
And its in the most visible spot usually, like on the arms of a chair, or the sides of a table.
Ill just plug everything and let them all set overnight in the future.
 
Allen,

If you are using Titebond you probably don't have to wait overnight, a couple of hours should be enough.
 
I cut the plugs, I use the identical pieces of wood.
I turn the plugs into the holes with the grain running the same ways, I push it in, give it a good tap in, and when I cut off the plug and sand, most of the plugs seem to turn and the grain is always running a different way.
What am I doing wrong?(do the plugs twist when I tap them with a mallet? Should I use a long nose pliers to hold them steady? Im afraid to scratch up the piece.) Is there a secret to something that seems so simple?IM sorry for asking such a simple question, but white oak is expensive in the north east, and I want the most out of my money. Thanx in advance for any help for such an easy question, I feel silly asking it here.
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For those areas where perfection is top priority consider boring the hole a few thousandths small. Then using the shank of a sacrificed bit the correct size, swage and burnish the hole to the exact size. For a 3/8" burnished hole and plug a letter U bit works fairly well in hard woods and a 23/64" works most times in softer wood.

If all the plugs are rotating the same direction the bored holes may be rifled and the burnish may prevent rotation.
 
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