repairing knots with epoxy

[Stephen Pereira]

Hi all,

I need to "fix" a few knots and small cracks in some 2 1/4" square legs made from solid birch.

I plan on dyeing with water base dye after a thin washcoat of shellac followed by gel stain.

My question is: do I stain first then fix the knots with epoxy or the reverse?

Any suggestions will be appreciated,

Steve

[Jim Becker]

Anything "not-wood" is going to finish differently than the main component. Therefore, I'm very much a proponent of filling cracks, etc., with slivers of the same material you are building your project from. These tend to "disappear". If you want the knots to still look like knots, then tinted resin isn't a bad way to go, being careful to avoid getting the material into other areas.

[Keel McDonald]

Stephen,

A dutchman works nice as a repair, too.

[Steven Wilson]

Try your complete finishing schedule, including the knot repair, on scrap wood first to see what works for you. You could also consider using hide glue for fixing the knots as hide glue accepts stain. You mention using a shellac wash coat and then stain. Given that, then I would fix the knots with epoxy first, then finish sand (the epoxy will need to be leveled), then apply shellac, and finally apply your stain. Just make sure you try everything on scrap first.

[Stephen Pereira]

Thanks for the replies.

I will try a few different methods on a piece of scrap as advised. I'll let you know how it all comes out.

BTW.. what is a Dutchman?

[Keel McDonald]

Below a pic of a dutchman (not a very good attempt). A dutchman is simply a piece of wood set into a recess that has been routed to conceal a surface imperfection. Though a bowtie shape is common for a dutchman, any shape can be used. Things you want to consider is grain pattern and coloring. Some people like to use them as accents and make them stand out (contrasting wood), others prefer to have them blend in (same wood).


Thanks for the replies.

I will try a few different methods on a piece of scrap as advised. I'll let you know how it all comes out.

BTW.. what is a Dutchman?