Finishing A Cherry Crib - Filling Cracks

[Steve Kohn]

I plan on spending a good part of tomorrow doing the final sanding on a cherry crib for my first grandson. During the construction process one of the boards has developed a crack in it that I would like to fill.

I have considered a glue/sawdust mix but don't know if that will work since the crack is very narrow. I also have some other gaps that I am considering filling also. I plan on applying 3-4 coats of Target's EM-6000 as my finish.

So 2 questions, what can I use as filler and what kind of finishing schedule is recommended?

[Joe Chritz]

Cherry will continue to change color after it is finished. Almost any filler won't change nearly as much if at all.

So chances are if it is in a prominent spot it will be noticeable at some point, even if it isn't when first finished.

I have had luck with the sawdust/glue method on small gaps (like on a door joint or dovetail) but not much on a wide open space.

You could accentuate it instead by doing an inlay or something that looks intentional.

Joe

[Henry Ambrose]

If its a really small crack I'd consider a CA glue (superglue). Dribble it in and sand it off. Alternately, do the same with a good 2 part epoxy. Unless you're already down to finished dimensions and can't remove more material by sanding this will work well.