fixing a ding that cuts the grain

[Rob Diz]

I saw an article recently that suggested that a ding that cuts the grain could be fixed by taking thin shavings of the same wood, and essentially filling the ding with layers of these shavings, glue up the layers, clamp in place then cut flush with a plane.

Has anyone ever done this successfuly?

I have a curved apron with a ding I would like to fix, but I also don't want to highlight it by leaving a big glue spot that will show up prominently once finish is applied.

Anyone have experience with this technique?

[Jim Becker]

Said article is in the new June 2008 issue of Fine Woodworking. I have been using solid wood, including shavings to fix issues for a few years now. You can't beat it for making invisible or nearly invisible mends. I have not made a fix "exactly" like in the article, but have done some similar work. The key is to take your time and as much of it as necessary to carefully select your filler material. The more you put into this, the greater the success you will have making it "disappear".