Filling joint spaces

[peter slamp]

What's the best way to fill small cracks ~1/16"->1/8" cracks showing up between joints? Basically, is there a way to account for 'user error' after the fact? Thanks!

[Pete Brown]

What types of joints? 1/8" gap on a dovetail on a box is a big deal. :)

Tell us a little about the piece, and the specific joint.

Pete

[Eugene A. Manzo III]

What I would do is blame it on my tools and show the wife what tool that you should own to avoid this in the future ;) . I have used elmers crack filler with very good results.

[peter slamp]

What types of joints? 1/8" gap on a dovetail on a box is a big deal. :)

Tell us a little about the piece, and the specific joint.

Pete

Pete, there not really joints in the normal sense. It's a plywood bookcase carcasse that I have glued hardwood banding onto. So, it's kinda like a butt joint. I must have cut a few of the hardwood pieces a tad too small so that they are not 'butting' right up to the adjacent (perpendicular) piece. Think vertical board meeting horizontal board. It didn't seem like a big deal when I glued it, but now that everything is dry it rather bothers me. It's kinda hard to be precise when I'm 'watching' my 3 year old run amok in my shop while working. My problem is that once I start something, I'm neurotic about finishing it. Thus, sometimes I do things faster than I should. Doesn't help someone like me when I have such little actual 'shop time'. Alas! :rolleyes:

[Pete Brown]

Pete, there not really joints in the normal sense. It's a plywood bookcase carcasse that I have glued hardwood banding onto. So, it's kinda like a butt joint. I must have cut a few of the hardwood pieces a tad too small so that they are not 'butting' right up to the adjacent (perpendicular) piece. Think vertical board meeting horizontal board. It didn't seem like a big deal when I glued it, but now that everything is dry it rather bothers me. It's kinda hard to be precise when I'm 'watching' my 3 year old run amok in my shop while working. My problem is that once I start something, I'm neurotic about finishing it. Thus, sometimes I do things faster than I should. Doesn't help someone like me when I have such little actual 'shop time'. Alas! :rolleyes:

I know what you mean. I have a one year old, and a kitchen that has about 1/4 the cabinets completed (with lots of mistakes only I notice). Between the projects I manage, the proposals I'm writing, and my son, I get only a couple hours of shop time a week (none if there's a family obligation that weekend). Oh, and my shop is 10x15 and not properly conditioned, so I can't leave anything half-finished in there; I have to haul it back into the house.

Anyway - If the work is stained, I recommend cutting a small sliver of wood (same grain orientation, preferably an offcut from the same board) and plugging the gap with that. If the work is painted, you can use Durham's Water Putty or anything similar to patch prior to priming and painting. IMHO, any putty on stained or natural wood will look horrible.

Pete

[peter slamp]

LOL. The only reason I had any extra time today was that I was so obsessed with putting some more time in on the bookcase, that I decided to leave work early. Gave me a couple of extra hours. That's why ended up rushing the cuts and being a little off. My shop day is Monday, the only day I have off when I don't have to 'babysit', he's at preschool. It literally drives me crazy waiting a whole week to get back to an unfinished project. I've always been like that, obsessed with something til I get the job done. It's the main reason I'm getting the Domino. Hopefully it will speed the build process up for me.

Oh, thanks for the advice. That's what I was thinking I'd do. (Sliver of wood)