View Full Version : Help! gaps in finger joints
John Daugherty
05-22-2005, 5:30 PM
Hello, everyone
I am building a medicine cabinet. I decided to us box joints for the case. I have been cutting the pins slightly long and sanding them flush. I am having a problem with my joints not fitting tightly on every pin. How would you fill these gaps?
Jim Becker
05-22-2005, 6:59 PM
I'd fill the larger gaps with slivers of end-grain from the same species. The narrowest gaps will fill nicely when you finish, and if not, you can use a wax pencil that matches your final color just before your last coat of clear.
John Daugherty
05-22-2005, 8:00 PM
Thanks Jim
Keel McDonald
05-23-2005, 8:22 AM
You can also use glue and sawdust to fill the gaps. I have had pretty good success doing this myself. Good luck!
Jim Becker
05-23-2005, 8:27 AM
You can also use glue and sawdust to fill the gaps. I have had pretty good success doing this myself. Good luck!
True, but there are finishing implications due to the properties of the glue, particularly if you are using a penetrating finish or something to impart color.
Ken Fitzgerald
05-23-2005, 9:23 AM
I'm with Jim about using "slivers" to fill the gaps. I tried the glue/saw dust method on an oak buffet. Glue doesn't take stain as well and sticks out like a sore thumb!
Keel McDonald
05-23-2005, 2:43 PM
True, but there are finishing implications due to the properties of the glue, particularly if you are using a penetrating finish or something to impart color.
Jim,
The only time I ever used it was on an oak bed and the stain was very dark. It was very hard to see where the glue was. I agree that the slivers are probably a better alternative.
John Daugherty
05-23-2005, 2:45 PM
Thanks guys,
The wood I am using is basswood. I will be staining the wood with a cherry stain. The gaps are aprox. 1/64 of an inch. They are really small.
Russ Filtz
05-23-2005, 2:57 PM
Good taste in clamps. I have four of them and actually like them better than (gasp!) my K-bodies.
Donnie Raines
05-23-2005, 2:58 PM
I have always used the glue and sandpaper trick(same as the glue and sawdust trick)
I place a dab of yellow glue on the "issue" and then use the random orbit sander to create a slurry of glue and sawdust. I have never ever had an issue with the glue negatively effecting the woods ability to take color. Mostly becuase the sander removes 99.9% of the glue and burnihses the end grain..
Though what Jim and Ken said would(could) be true if you were simply mixing the glue by hand.
John Lucas
05-23-2005, 3:11 PM
I don't have the best eyes, but your joint seems ok...what may be wrong is the clamping. It seems to me that the pins (end sections showing) are all just a slight bit up. It also seems that your clamp is directly over the joint. Move the clamp away just a bit and see if you can't close the joint.
John Daugherty
05-23-2005, 10:05 PM
Russ,
I got a couple at the recent woodcraft sale. I really like them a lot.
Jim and Ken,
I cut some slivers and filled the gaps that where large enough to fill this way. It worked great, you can't tell there ever was a gap!
Donnie,
I will try to fill the smaller gaps with the glue/sander trick.
Thanks for all your help.
John,
The clamp is at the end of the top pins (back side). I went back and looked at the picture, it does look like the clap is over the pins.
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