Fixing a glue up gap?

[Nick Decker]

...Next time, consider using hide glue or liquid hide glue to glue up your legs...it is irreversible.

Simon

Umm, I think you got that wrong.

[mark mcfarlane]

After sanding on the edge/belt sander, the gap is fairly invisible. I think I'll leave it alone and put it on the inside of one of the legs. 8 legs and only this one with any remaining visible gap.

Or maybe I'll finish the legs before assembly and see what they look like. I'm using loose tenons to attach the legs to the aprons and lower shelf, so I could pre-finish the legs.

One nice thing about aging eyes, If I put this leg 4 feet away (on the floor) I can't see any defect .

IMG_3217.jpg

And one note: This is my first time to work with white oak. I am surprised how dense this stuff is, and how slow to sand. My edge sander will grind through pine but takes a really long time to cut this white oak.

[Simon MacGowen]

Umm, I think you got that wrong.

Haha. You are right. Old brain isn't as sharp with words anymore.

"Reversible" is the correct word.

Simon

[Simon MacGowen]

After sanding on the edge/belt sander, the gap is fairly invisible. .

???

The gap is so visible in your image.

Try this: Wet the area with denatured alcohol or mineral spirits.

Simon

[Simon MacGowen]

I mostly agree. The one exception is when one or both of the elements framing the gap is end grain. I have patched end grain gaps more than once with sawdust plus PVA and you can't tell even after multiple humidity cycles over several years without a knowing what to look for and having a magnifier to look with. Otherwise you need wood, not dust, to fill the gap. Slivers are best for gaps like the OP's, although if it's really less than .01" it'll be a challenge to fit one.

Agreed with your remarks regarding end-grain fix, which is an exception commonly used by people fixing their dovetail woes.

Simon

[Simon MacGowen]

While I wouldnt ever use the method on a bespoke, boutique, or heirloom, piece (which this may well be), we have used that method literally tens of thousands of times on hairline cracks/gaps like the one in the photo.

We are actually on the same track, as the snake-oil salesman remark was made in the context of building fine furniture pieces.

Sawdust and glue as a fix is not wrong per se, but it is NOT suitable in this case if the OP intends to produce a table with legs that is to stand up the test of close examination -- by the trained eye.

On the other hand, if anything is good enough, sawdust would work, of course. I call it a second-rate solution. Or if the leg in question were for a worktable in the shop, no fix was even needed at all (since it was deemed structurally sound). Why bother with sawdust filler, etc.?

Simon

[Jeff Ramsey]

I'm curious if anyone has actually used the glue/sawdust method, or a filler, and dyed/stained mid-dark, and it still looked good.

I guess If one were to use a filler on my gap, then sand so only the filler is left in the thin little slot, it may work just fine. There would just be a little filler to stain, < a thickness of paper, and even if it didn't stain well it might look better than a slot hole.

Yes, and no. I could always see the filler; whether it was off-the-shelf filler that states "takes stain", or saw dust and glue. I evolved to using thin shims that are carefully sized. They seem to look the best and are hard to see if cut correctly. But I think your legs can be salvaged; don't give up on them.

[Nick Decker]

No way any glue, mixed with sawdust or not, will take stain the same way as the wood around it. Myself, I avoid stains whenever possible.

[Nick Shattuck]

To those that are suggesting filling in with thin strips, do you glue those in place? Or just use friction? If his gap is shallow and really thin, how do you get your strips into the gap? I ask because I have the same gap in a recent glue up and have been following this thread. I can't imagine fitting tiny strips into my gap but admittedly haven't tried it yet.

[mreza Salav]

I once made a cut on the wrong side of a big piece (post for a door-jamb) and realized it half-way through the cut. The first pic shows the screw-up.
The second piece shows the fix-up by inserting/gluing a piece of the same species the same thickness as the cut. Almost entirely invisible.

e59.jpge65.jpg

[Jeff Ramsey]

To those that are suggesting filling in with thin strips, do you glue those in place? Or just use friction? If his gap is shallow and really thin, how do you get your strips into the gap? I ask because I have the same gap in a recent glue up and have been following this thread. I can't imagine fitting tiny strips into my gap but admittedly haven't tried it yet.

I cut them as thin as I can, and need, on a bandsaw. Then a card scraper with the shim held on a rubber mat. That lets me taper it, if needed. Then sandpaper. It takes a little fitting to get them right, but a tad loose since they'll expand with glue. Then a light wiping of aliphatic resin or hide glue (if the pot's hot).

[Jim Becker]

To those that are suggesting filling in with thin strips, do you glue those in place? Or just use friction? If his gap is shallow and really thin, how do you get your strips into the gap? I ask because I have the same gap in a recent glue up and have been following this thread. I can't imagine fitting tiny strips into my gap but admittedly haven't tried it yet.

Nick, it's a bit of work to shave things down so they fit. Sometimes I glue; sometimes I don't and prefer don't when I can for the very reasons that have been mentioned around finishing, especially in very porous woods. Fill sand and finish is preferable to me than glue in fill, sand and finish when I can get away with it. The finish will do a pretty good job of securing things if they are snug enough.

[Simon MacGowen]

To those that are suggesting filling in with thin strips, do you glue those in place?

Always. Wood movement or undue stress could expose an unglued fix and a risk I try to avoid.

Either thin CA glue (the thinner the better) or liquid hide glue. Glue must gointo the gap, not on the thin strip which can expand upon contact with moisture. That is a mistake commonly made and seen. As an insurance, I tape the surface to avoid glue spill. The area is then treated with a card scraper so lightly AFTER the glue is cured (30 mins with CA and overnight with hide glue). (A plane kiss works too, as long as you set it right.) The fix is as good as it can get in 99% of time or more.

Simon