Oh Boy....Now I did it!!!!!!

[Mark Rios]

I'm assembling my upper cabinets. I am attaching the top, bottom, and shelves of the cabinets to the exposed oak sides with pocket screws. On the refer cabinet, 24" deep, I was using 1" screws for other cabs but after lunch I forgot and I used the wrong length screws for the lower shelf/bottom panel. The panel fits into a 1/4" dado making the oak side effectively only 1/2" thick. Three screws went through. Please help?!?!?

The largest hole is about 3/32", and the next two are abot 1/16" and 1/32". Any tricks that I can do to fill them inconspicously? Or am I screwed (pun intended)?

My only other alternative that I see (in my amateur view) is to take some 5.5 mm, mdf core, oak panel that I have and cover the whole side. Here's the thing about that idea though.....I don't know anything about veneering. The size is only roughly 24" x23". How do I hold/clamp the panel to the side until the glue dries?

Any who can help me here will be my very, very best friend. :D

Thanks very much for any help.

[Jamie Buxton]

Mark --
You can fill the holes with colored putty, or with sanding-dust-and-lacquer. The patches probably will not match, but most people will not notice. You, however, will are likely to see it every time you get near it.

The 1/4" ply approach is done all the time in the kitchen-cabinet biz. The basic cabinets are built of cheap sheet goods, and on-site the installer adds an end panel to cover the few exposed sides. Contact cement works okay in this application.

Jamie

[Mark Rios]

Thanks Jamie, I'll see how a patch works out. If it doens't work then I try your contact cement advice. I hadn't thought about contact cement. No clamping then? Just coat per instructions and apply? I don't have the face frames on yet but I will have to re-edge band the bottom edge.

[Ken Shoemaker]

Mark,
I did something just like that. I took a thin peice of matching wood and sharpened it in a pencile sharpener. Stuck the sharp end in the glued hole and cut if off with a razor saw. I made sure the grain was oriented as best I could. Did pretty good......

Good Luck!!!!

[Mark Rios]

Mark,
I did something just like that. I took a thin peice of matching wood and sharpened it in a pencile sharpener. Stuck the sharp end in the glued hole and cut if off with a razor saw. I made sure the grain was oriented as best I could. Did pretty good......

Good Luck!!!!


Oooooooohhhhhhhhh....now that's an idea. I'll give that one a try for sure. Thanks Ken.