Help with Walnut

[Bud hill]

I have some walnut that I was going to use for a box I am building. When I ran it through the planer today I found a lot of voids. I am guessing this may have happened in the drying. Is there a way to fix this? Is this wood stable enough to use? I've seen where people have used black colored epoxy . Not sure if that would make the finished project look good. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

[Bill Wyko]

I would mix dye that matches as close as possible with epoxy. I've done that on other projects and had trouble finding my repairs later.

[Kevin Bourque]

It's a very common problem with walnut especially in pieces that grew close to the ground or near broken branches.

Colored epoxies and other fillers are commonly used with acceptable results.

[John T Barker]

I've wrked that problem in number of woods and was never really thrilled with adding colors or sawdust to epoxy. I was looking for a very good match and to me it is very visible. My dark pigments always seem to go black. If you are satisfied with black then use it but remember that walnut isn't black. I had always wanted to be better at mixing pigments into lacquer, which it seems one can control better, and painting the epoxy fill area to blend better with the surrounding wood.

[Chris Fournier]

The grain in the locale of the voids in your photo is very convoluted, travelling in many directions with different shrinkage rates. As the forces fight each other during drying, a "tear" occurs. Once dry, if kept close to a constant moisture content the wood will be sound. On walnut, a black filler will be tough to see unless you filled the void. Use the wood and fill it as you see fit. Earth oxides will give you a spectrum of colours, you don't need to stick with black. Lee Valley sells earth oxides. You could also use artists oil paints in epoxy.

[Peter Aeschliman]

Here's a contrarian view: leave the voids open. It depends on the look you're going for, but it could be really cool.

Another idea I stole from a really cool place called Urban Hardwoods (in Seattle, SF, and LA- http://www.urbanhardwoods.com/) , where they do a lot of huge slab tables, many in walnut. Where you get these voids, clean the "fuzz" out of the hole with an X-acto knife and use clear epoxy to fill the holes. It looks really amazing and just begs you to touch the piece, only to realize the void isn't actually open.

I guess it really depends on what aesthetic you're going for, but it could be really unique.

PS- remember, if you fill these voids, you either need to be really careful not to get any filler or epoxy anywhere else, or you'll need to fill the grain on the entire piece. Otherwise you'll get smooth texture around the voids and open pores elsewhere.

[Danny Hamsley]

I think that black epoxy would look nice and give some contrast.

[Bud hill]

Thanks everybody I think I will play with the epoxy and coloring. Should I put the epoxy in after the wood has been prepared and right before finishing or right at the beginning? I am worried about my tools and hard epoxy.

[Prashun Patel]

You should put the epoxy in before you start sanding or planing.
After the epoxy dries (you might need a couple coats to get it proud of level), then use a chisel to pare it close to flush, then a card scraper or a block plane or sandpaper to get it flat.

[Chris Padilla]

I'd fix any defects now and then go about your plan to use the wood.

If you go the colored epoxy route, there are many ways to approach it. Be sure to experiment first with mixing the epoxy and letting it dry until you find something you like.

It may seem counter-intuitive, but mixing maple flour (fine sawdust) produces a chocolate-color. Mixing walnut flour is nearly black. Mixing pine flour is a bit more dark tan/beige.

Try mixing sawdust and epoxy and put it in a hole in some scrap and then sand it/finish it and see how you like it. You might be even able to "fold in" two different colored epoxies to better match. Experiment experiment!!

BTW, that walnut is gorgeous...my favorite wood to work with.

[glenn bradley]

I agree with Bill, dyed epoxy is my fix of choice for such things. Repairs are indeed hard to find after the piece is completed.

[Brent Ring]

I am will Bill and Glenn, I like dyed or colored epoxy.

[Danny Hamsley]

You can get black epoxy from Stewart McDonald. They sell guitar making supplies.