Fixing boards for carving

[kcc2012]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/28/erebu8yj.jpg

I was wondering if there is a way to fix these types of blemishes in boards. I was thinking of cleaning it out some and using wood filler just didn't know if there was a better way.

[chief2007]

You might Try these products -

http://m.homedepot.com/p/PC-Products-12-oz-PC-Woody-Wood-Epoxy-Paste-163337/100649620 (http://m.homedepot.com/p/PC-Products-12-oz-PC-Woody-Wood-Epoxy-Paste-163337/100649620)


http://www.amazon.com/System-Three-Resins-1-Quart-SculpWood/dp/B005H0XRPS/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_img_z

[aokweld101]

I just looked at the product though home depot that is expensive depending on how much you repair on your boards and how much it repairs, and what is the shelf life once it's open?.....I ask this cause you can buy a 1"x12"x8' for $33.00 at home depot, kinda looking at the checks and balances....

[chief2007]

Here's another source via amazon $4.16

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002YOZKA/ref=gno_cart_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

[Old Salt]

I will cut the blemis out if I have the with to do it and glue it back together.

[FWMiller]

I've seen folks fill with tinted epoxy and then sand smooth.

[Firefighter938]

If your painting it, you could use any kind of epoxy, then after carve just paint over it!

[RogerB]

dollar store five min. apoxy coat hole mix saw dust make filler and fill hole let set and sand. Carve Works for me . Make sure you fill as deep as you can.

[henry1]

nice to see you again been a while roger

[Dan-Woodman]

If you have an inlay kit , you could make a templete shape and rout out the area , then rout a patch and glue it in.

[kcc2012]

Thank you all for the Advice, tips and links. I was lucky that the edge of the carving fell just below the blemish but then the board bowed after it was cut out.

[SteveNelson46]

Thank you all for the Advice, tips and links. I was lucky that the edge of the carving fell just below the blemish but then the board bowed after it was cut out.

Wide boards of Pine or Fir are really bad for cupping and warping. I'm guessing you used one of them. Try Alder. About the same price and carves beautifully.

[aokweld101]

I was going to ask if the area is small what would be wrong to use carpenters glue and sawdust I know you have sawdust....lol

[kcc2012]

I'm using pine and carved it a little bit to deep. I got a piece of fir once and a 1x12 3 feet long cost me $60.00. a 1x12 12 feet of pine is $35.00 here and that's the cheap boards which I'm lucky to get one straight without warps or knots. Unfortunately Alder isn't available locally. I'm hoping to take a trip to the mainland and go to the lumber yard and purchase wood which is a whole lot cheaper. So in the mean time I scour the racks of lumber every time they get a new shipment in and hope to find at least one usable board. The lumber yard has a monopoly on the island and they charge premium prices for crappy wood. I have a friend who orders alder bow staves and builds his own bows he really likes it.

[Ton80]

You can always glue up wider boards. It's easier to find smaller widths in better shape and then look for grains that will look good as a glue up. If your supply of good wide boards is limited that might be a better alternative and might even be a little cheaper. It would also lessen the tendency of the wood to cup.. just remember to flip the growth rings on your glue up to maximize that benefit.

For small problems like shown in the original image I would use a wood putty that accepts stain pre-application.. ZAR wood putty can be colored ahead of time so it's a better match later when you apply the stain to the whole project. Get the natural tone.. there may be others and the container should say whether or not you can pre-color the putty.. You could also cut out the defect using an inlay making template with a router but I would probably only use that method for larger defects on a board that is otherwise very desirable.

[Capt Bruce]

And then sometimes if you wait long enough a project will come along that can use that otherwise scarred board that was just too blemished. See the ugly hole in the center of this 14" wide oak board that proved to be in just the right spot behind a photo being mounted in a pocket cut.

67518 67517

Patience does pay off. Good luck in your quest for better lumber.

[kcc2012]

I don't mind using the scarred boards or boards with knots, if I do my measuring right I can usually cut the boards to place the knots or scars in the area I want them to be but sometimes I cant. I don't have much experience working with wood outside of the Carvewright and I get a little intimidated when I have to figure out wood working issues. I can discuss LE related topics with confidence but wood working not so much.

[Shacky]

I just fixed a couple knots on a piece of walnut. I used some Elmers wood filler from a tube and sanded it lightly. Then it's the tricky part. Using wood stain, sometimes more than one and artist brushes, you need to stain it, daub it, brush it and play with it, until it looks natural. Sometimes I use some steel wool or a stiff brush in a circular motion to get it right. After it dries and I'm satisfied, I make sure that it has a good coat of varnish on it.

In the past, I have had to do a repair on an oak floor. I used oak colored filler and then used a pencil to add markings and used a ruler to add a joint. You would have to look real close to notice.

[Shacky]

This is a corner table I completed last week. You can see a large knot to the left which had a sizable crater in the center of it and the smaller knot on the right which had a smaller pit in it. This is the finished result and I don't think anyone even on close inspection can detect the touch up. I show this not to brag about my work, there are people on this forum infinitely more talented than me at woodworking, but just to show that defects may be able to be fixed and the resulting piece of wood can look quite nice.

[kcc2012]

That's a nice looking table I need to make something like this for my upstairs but it also needs to be a book shelf.

[cnsranch]

I subscribe to the thought that blemishes give the project character :)

[Bigtyme]

Very nice work on the table. I really like the look of the wood....

[SteveNelson46]

I just fixed a couple knots on a piece of walnut. I used some Elmers wood filler from a tube and sanded it lightly. Then it's the tricky part. Using wood stain, sometimes more than one and artist brushes, you need to stain it, daub it, brush it and play with it, until it looks natural. Sometimes I use some steel wool or a stiff brush in a circular motion to get it right. After it dries and I'm satisfied, I make sure that it has a good coat of varnish on it.

In the past, I have had to do a repair on an oak floor. I used oak colored filler and then used a pencil to add markings and used a ruler to add a joint. You would have to look real close to notice.

I usually use 5 minute Epoxy mixed with an epoxy color powder. With Mesquite, the normal color is black but, there are dozens of epoxy colors to mix and match. Very durable and non shrinking too. Be careful though, when they say 5 minute they really mean 5 minutes. You can sand it in 10 minutes. There are other Epoxies with longer working times that work equally well.