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Filling holes

Weekend_Woodworker

Weekend_Woodworker

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Hi,

I am in the process of trying to make a lamp table for the lounge out of some oak. It has one or two “features” in it as I did not have enough wood to avoid them as shown in the photo below. Can anyone advise me n the best way to deal with them? I don’t any off cuts to be able cut these bits out and replace them. I was wondering about epoxy, but not quite sure where to start on that front.
F7D720A5-3992-4AB6-8041-E2C90B32620C.jpeg

8DC0E74A-2CE6-4D56-BD2C-91745CC6DD98.jpeg

Many thanks

Mark
 
Weekend_Woodworker":28mgnjep said:
I don’t any off cuts to be able cut these bits out and replace them.
Click to expand...
I always keep all offcuts, no matter how small, until the project is complete just in case of something like this. If I really had none though I might cut a piece from the inside of that apron where nobody would notice.
 
I use pound shop epoxy and instant coffee to fill knots in pippy oak, the more coffee the darker it is.

Pete
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I am afraid that despite having kept the off cuts, I don’t have one big enough for that as I only have a few very narrow bits from squaring up the ends.

The Brummers looks good. I need to find a local shop that has it as the postage seems to make it about £10 for a small tin. I think the fallback plan is then just to use some epoxy glue. I have some araldite (sp?) but I see they do a crystal variant, which I didn’t know if that would be better.

Many thanks,

Mark
 
You could cover it up with something. Say, a carved or turned roundel. Put one on all four sides and it not a bug, it's a feature! :)

Kirk
 
It would be extremely difficult to cut out and patch that without it looking a bit of a bodge due to the nature of the grain around the knot, so if it were me I would fill it, it is what it is, as they say. Ian
 
I would go for s dark, or clear (it will look dark when applied) epoxy. It's a knot, and will look natural left looking as a dark knot. Putting in a light filler to match the surrounding wood will always look like filler.
 
My first move would be to buy prime quality oak with fewer “features” or design out the problem by careful cutting or putting them on concealed faces. Failing that it’s perhaps worth trying drilling away the knot and putting in a matching plug.
A Forster bit gives a nice sharp edged hole and the plug can ideally taken from the reverse side of the same piece of material as mentioned by a previous contributor.
Drilling a hole in a piece of ply will provide a guide and keep the bit on course. It’s possible to use more than one plug in a row if required although I think it would mean allowing the glue to set on the first plug before drilling again.
I’ve had a good laugh at the idea of spending £300 to become a “pro” knot badger.
My photo is of 12mm and 16mm plugs but other sizes are available.9AB1BE71-3A6C-43C6-9BA2-CBB5BC82D312.jpeg
 
Weekend_Woodworker":2ummmu8i said:
Thanks for the suggestions. I am afraid that despite having kept the off cuts, I don’t have one big enough for that as I only have a few very narrow bits from squaring up the ends.

The Brummers looks good. I need to find a local shop that has it as the postage seems to make it about £10 for a small tin. I think the fallback plan is then just to use some epoxy glue. I have some araldite (sp?) but I see they do a crystal variant, which I didn’t know if that would be better.

Many thanks,

Mark
Click to expand...
I tried arlidite but it went off as I was studying the coffee in.

Pete
 
My two euros; leave it alone as it's a bit of 'pippy' oak so treat it as a feature rather than a defect. You can buy whole boards of that sort of stuff at Yandles that's full of knots and gnarly bits which makes life 'interesting' :eusa-whistle: when you plane it - Rob
 
Woodbloke":25kyimu4 said:
My two euros; leave it alone as it's a bit of 'pippy' oak so treat it as a feature rather than a defect. You can buy whole boards of that sort of stuff at Yandles that's full of knots and gnarly bits which makes life 'interesting' :eusa-whistle: when you plane it - Rob
Click to expand...
I would only partly agree Rob.

If it's a 'character' piece and has several defects the yes, leave it. However, if the rest is 'virgin' then I'd fill (epoxy and coffee) for a smoother look.
 
Woodbloke":3qzf86e8 said:
My two euros; leave it alone as it's a bit of 'pippy' oak so treat it as a feature rather than a defect. .....
Click to expand...

Absolutely this. I wouldn't touch it, in any circumstance, in any furniture. I would avoid an open knot like this on the edge of a piece of wood, but wouldn't give your "blemish" (it isn't) a second thought. I would also have cleaned off the planer marks before assembly.

One of the great skills of furniture making, and one of the slowest parts of the project for me, is selecting which piece of wood goes where. Part of this process is having the correct amount of material to start with, and if a perfectly ordinary little knot like this is a problem for you, you are going to have to buy even more wood next time.

Knots can be an absolutely beautiful part of the finished piece. This is where Doug posts a photo of the stunning little box he made a few years ago, with a big open knot being the main feature not just of the lid, but of the entire box.
 
Mike G":3amg7z4x said:
One of the great skills of furniture making, and one of the slowest parts of the project for me, is selecting which piece of wood goes where. Part of this process is having the correct amount of material to start with, and if a perfectly ordinary little knot like this is a problem for you, you are going to have to buy even more wood next time.
Click to expand...
Agreed Mike and this is one of the aspects of Krenov's work that appeal to me; he spent and inordinate amount of time and effort selecting and preparing exactly the right piece(s) of material for his projects, paying particular attention to the grain orientation. The downside of this approach is of course that you can get through an enormous amount of timber to find exactly the right bit :D; it's usually worth the effort though - Rob
 
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