Filling gaps and pin holes in white oak

[mark mcfarlane]

I'm building a Murphy bed and adjacent cabinets from QS white oak. The headboard (shown below) is 3/4 QS WO plywood with 1/4" solid stock applied to look like a raised panel construction. I have a few gaps at a couple joints, and pin holes from the pin nailer used to apply the 1/4" trim.

My planned finish schedule is just a few coats of oil and varnish (Arm-R-Seal).

Any good, simple ideas for filling the gaps and pin holes? I once watched a cabinet finish guy fill nail holes after the finish was applied. He had a couple colors and rubbed in whatever matched the grain at each nail hole.

FWIW, These pin nails leave very small holes.

IMG_3904.jpg . Oak Gap.jpg

[Ron Citerone]

I am a newbie in the world of epoxy, but perhaps some 5 minute epoxy allowed to dry a day or two followed by ROS and then finish. I have really been trying to avoid the gaps by dry clamping to see whats going on, and then some super sharp chisel work and clamp adjustment/placement. I know it's too late for my second point, but for future thoughts..

[mark mcfarlane]

I am a newbie in the world of epoxy, but perhaps some 5 minute epoxy allowed to dry a day or two followed by ROS and then finish. I have really been trying to avoid the gaps by dry clamping to see whats going on, and then some super sharp chisel work and clamp adjustment/placement. I know it's too late for my second point, but for future thoughts..

Thanks Ron,

I possibly could have pulled some of the gaps closer with clamps, but I figured clamping 1/4" stock end-to-end on top of a sheet of plywood the exact same dimension would be problematic, so I pushed with my hand as I applied the first pins.

I've dyed epoxy black to fill voids/knots in the middle of a board, but am not sure how clear epoxy would look in these paper-thin gaps. Anyone tried this? I am concerned that the absorption of epoxy (or CA) in the solid wood around the gap would change the finish absorption around the gap, making the problem visibly 'larger'.

Since I am doing a clear-ish oil/varnish finish, I could potentially put on one coat of finish to get the oiled look out of the wood, then epoxy/CA, then sand and add subsequent coats of finish...

I'll probably apply 3 coats or Arm-R-Seal on the headboard.

[Cary Falk]

I always dye my yellow glue to match the finished color. That way any squeeze out fills small gaps like this. I would probably try to dyd=e some glue(yellow or epoxy and force it in with a putty knife. There is also putty. I like all my gaps filled before the finish so everything is smooth and doesn't show when the light shines just right on it .

[keith wootton]

i have nothing on filling the holes and gaps, but the holes can be slightly minimized if you hold the nail gun so its driver is parallel to the grain in the wood. that would make the nail gun perpendicular to to the grain in most cases.

[John TenEyck]

My advise is to fill the holes, gaps, etc. only after you have applied at least one coat of finish. If you try to apply putty, glue, whatever, before that it will get into the grain around the hole and effect how the finish looks, as in obvious and unsightly. Once you have a coat or two of finish on any excess putty, epoxy, whatever, will be easy to wipe off, completely.

Alternatively, an easy way to fill small holes, and cracks is to wet sand the first coat of finish into the wood. The slurry you make fills the holes, etc. as you wet sand. This works really well with oil finishes. With Arm-R-Seal I think you would have to add some mineral spirits to it in order to give yourself enough open time for that to work. Alternatively, you could use Danish oil or tung oil for the first coat and wet sand that in, and then use ARS for the remaining topcoats.

John

[Lee Schierer]

Apply a single drop of water to each pin hole. The wood fibers should swell and may completely hide the hole. The same trick will help with dings or dents.

[Richard Coers]

I use blue tape to mask off the crack before filing. Just smear a filler with your finger or putty knife and you will get a halo around the whole joint. I prefer Famowood original wood filler. Solvent based, not the water based.

[mark mcfarlane]

Apply a single drop of water to each pin hole. The wood fibers should swell and may completely hide the hole. The same trick will help with dings or dents.

Lee, I thought about trying this but was concerned that my harbor freight pins would rust and stain the wood, again making the hole look bigger than it is.

[mark mcfarlane]

My advise is to fill the holes, gaps, etc. only after you have applied at least one coat of finish. ...

Alternatively, an easy way to fill small holes, and cracks is to wet sand the first coat of finish into the wood. ...

John

Thanks John. That's what I was thinking, one coat of finish first.

I'll try the wet sand approach using the first finish coat, and then see if any remaining problems need filling after the base coat. I've done a similar trick with wet sanding CA into small gaps and it worked pretty well.

[mark mcfarlane]

i have nothing on filling the holes and gaps, but the holes can be slightly minimized if you hold the nail gun so its driver is parallel to the grain in the wood. that would make the nail gun perpendicular to to the grain in most cases.

Oops. Thanks Keith. I knew that, and then forgot before I started nailing. Every project a few new techniques 'stick' and a few disappear.

[mark mcfarlane]

Thanks Richard and Cary for the ideas.

I think I have an approach to try tomorrow: Hand sand the first finish coat of oil whilst it is wet, let it dry, scuff sand and see how it looks. I suspect the pin holes will disappear with this approach and most of the small gaps.

[mark mcfarlane]

...

Alternatively, an easy way to fill small holes, and cracks is to wet sand the first coat of finish into the wood. The slurry you make fills the holes, etc. as you wet sand. ....

John

John, considering my joints have grain going in perpendicular directions, do you carefully sand by hand or use a ROS?

I also assume I should use the same final grit used before the oil coat.

[Lee Schierer]

Lee, I thought about trying this but was concerned that my harbor freight pins would rust and stain the wood, again making the hole look bigger than it is.

You might get a little blackening due to the iron and tannic acid in the hole. Try one and see what it does on a piece of scrap.

[John TenEyck]

John, considering my joints have grain going in perpendicular directions, do you carefully sand by hand or use a ROS?

I also assume I should use the same final grit used before the oil coat.

Right angle joints are hard to do by hand, but I wouldn't want to risk sucking finish into my ROS. I vote by hand, carefully, unless you have a way to shield your sander. And, yeah, same grit as you last used.

John