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fixing a crack

2K views 26 replies 14 participants last post by  RichT 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I just stained a project made of cherry with warm cherry stain. I know this is sacrilegeous but this is what the customer wants. While wiping away the excess I noticed the crack you see in the attached pics. I knew the crack was there but I didn't think it would be a big deal. As soon as I wiped away the excess stain it stuck out like a sore thumb. The crack is approximately 1/64" deep X 1/32" wide X 1/4" long. How do I fix it? I was thinking of widening it, cutting matching "cracks" on some or all of the bridges and doing an inlay of some sort. What do y'all think of this idea? I prefer to just fix it. BTW I can live with the little crack next to it.

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#2 ·
My usual go-to for fixing cracks is mixing sawdust with glue; usually fills the crack well and will take stain. Might be difficult for this though as it is in a very conspicuous location and for a customer.
 
#6 · (Edited by Moderator)
Kind of looks like your stock is near the pith or sapwood, I'd try to cut a dado through the crack with a router bit slightly larger and then try to find a piece of scrap with similar color and grain to "patch" the dado. If that is still looking like crap,you can try a contrasting woods and repeat the pattern on each corner…. if it's still looking bad… keep this one for yourself or a family gift and start over…
 
#7 ·
Kind of looks like your stock is near the pith or sapwood, I d try to cut a dado through the crack with a router bit slightly larger and then try to find a piece of scrap with similar color and grain to "patch" the dado. If that is still looking like crap,you can try a contrasting woos and repeat the pattern on each corner…. if it s still looking bad… keep this one for yourself or a family gift and start over…

- ChefHDAN
+1 if you can find a piece to match the grain it should dissapear.
 
#8 · (Edited by Moderator)
I'm seeing what appears to be a tool mark (possibly a saw) and a small crack in the pictures. You description seems to match the small crack (1/4" long) which I would just fill with some medium CA glue and it will hardly be noticeable. The "tool mark" groove is something else.
First fill the "groove" with a mixture of very fine matching sawdust and medium CA glue, over fill and sand down. Pack the sawdust in and soak with the glue….or premix the two and push the mix in, but work fast before the slue sets. If that doesn't work you could go with the idea ChiefHDAN had of cutting it out and gluing in a matching veneer strip of wood. You might go all the way to the outside edge to get rid of that small crack too. Third if still unsatisfied I would run the whole tray through a drum sander and reduce the whole trays height by the depth of the groove. If you don't have a drum sander careful use of a belt sander would work.

If it were mine I would try a couple of things in this order.
 
#9 ·
The cracks in that corner look like wind shake - flaws in the lignin caused by some kind of the trauma to the tree before it was milled into lumber. If it were my piece, something my family would use, I'd ignore it. But since it's for a paying customer, I'd start over. The customer isn't going to like paying for a flawed piece.
 
#13 · (Edited by Moderator)
Now would be a good time to learn some burn-in fill techniques. A flaw that small can be filled so perfectly that even you won't be able to find it when it's done. It's a critical skill that will save your butt time and time again, whether the flaw is in the wood or one you caused.

Mohawk has an extensive collection of youtube videos showing in detail how to use their products. For yours, I'd go with either Hard Fill or Plane Stick.

https://www.youtube.com/user/MohawkFinish/videos
 
#14 ·
I would fix it even if you make a new one for the customer. You could possibly sell or give it to someone else with the small repaired defect. The repair work would be good practice for similar problems.

- LesB
+1, I would fix it for practice. Flaws like that don't go to paying customers. So I would make a new one for the customer. If the repair comes out well, maybe gift it to a friend. Worst case, burn barrel.
 
#15 ·
Now might be a good time to learn some burn-in fill techniques. A flaw that small can be filled so perfectly that even you won t be able to find it when it s done. It s a critical skill that will save your butt time and time again, whether the flaw is in the wood or one you caused.

Mohawk has an extensive collection of youtube videos showing in detail how to use their products. For yours, I d go with either Hard Fill or Plane Stick.

https://www.youtube.com/user/MohawkFinish/videos

- Rich
i just checked a few out,great products for repairing woodwork,thanks rich.
 
#16 ·
Flaws like that don t go to paying customers. So I would make a new one for the customer. If the repair comes out well, maybe gift it to a friend. Worst case, burn barrel.

- bigJohninvegas
It's not flawed if you do a flawless fix. If it were splitting and obviously going to get worse or come completely apart, that's different, but this looks purely cosmetic and the sort of imperfection in the wood that I repair all the time. I can't afford to throw away premium hardwoods just because there's a cosmetic imperfection. Sure, I select the best pieces at the lumber yard, but sometimes you don't find out there is a flaw until you start cutting into it.
 
#17 ·
i just checked a few out,great products for repairing woodwork,thanks rich.

- pottz
Sure thing pottz. It takes practice, and an investment in tools and supplies, but it beats the heck out of the sort of repair hacks I see recommended so often. I've thought about doing some blog posts, but frankly, the information available on youtube is all you need. Also, I bought Charles' Finishing, Simply Put as a sort of way of making a contribution and he touches on some of this stuff too.

They are skills and techniques that belong in any serious woodworker's bag of tricks.
 
#18 · (Edited by Moderator)
does anyone make a stainable filler?

- dbw
In general you won't get good results trying to use a filler and then staining-hoping there will be a match. It almost never happens. The thing to work on is doing touch up on the filled area after staining and one layer of top coat in order to match it to the rest of the piece. It's a foolproof process too, since you can remove the touch up and start over if you don't like the result.

I use everything from brush tip markers to Blendal sticks and powders. It takes practice, but the results are worth it.
 
#20 ·
As Rich suggested the Mohawk line of products would be a good go to. You may not get it perfect first time out, then again you might. Either way he is right it is a good skill to have available when you need it.

- woodbutcherbynight
Thanks Gunny. I'd forgotten that I did a blog post a couple of years ago. It might even apply to the OP's situation. It's fun to read old stuff and see how my techniques have evolved.

https://www.lumberjocks.com/RichTaylor/blog/121721
 
#21 ·
Flaws like that don t go to paying customers. So I would make a new one for the customer. If the repair comes out well, maybe gift it to a friend. Worst case, burn barrel.

- bigJohninvegas

It s not flawed if you do a flawless fix. If it were splitting and obviously going to get worse or come completely apart, that s different, but this looks purely cosmetic and the sort of imperfection in the wood that I repair all the time. I can t afford to throw away premium hardwoods just because there s a cosmetic imperfection. Sure, I select the best pieces at the lumber yard, but sometimes you don t find out there is a flaw until you start cutting into it.

- Rich
i agree no need to throw in the fire,it can be fixed very well.i guess if you you dont have the skills thats what you would do,and thats a shame.it's all about knowledge.
 
#24 · (Edited by Moderator)
Flaws like that don t go to paying customers. So I would make a new one for the customer. If the repair comes out well, maybe gift it to a friend. Worst case, burn barrel.

- bigJohninvegas

i agree no need to throw in the fire,it can be fixed very well.i guess if you you dont have the skills thats what you would do,and thats a shame.it s all about knowledge.

- pottz
Pottz, I encourage trying to fix it. Personally, I don't sell items that I have had to fix like that.
But that's just my preference. Not a right or wrong.
And I almost always attempt to fix flaws. Because you are right on about gaining knowledge.

You could chase the crack open with a vee gouge, and pull a splinter out of the same wood with the same gouge and use that to do a patch that would blend pretty well.

- Hammerthumb
Hammerthumb's idea could work too.
I did that on this oak bar top several years ago.
A friend had found it on a a scrap pile, (On its way to the burn barrel, lol), and asked if I could fix it.
Used a V groove router bit, and cut a V strip on my table saw to fit it.
Blended right in.

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#26 ·
You could chase the crack open with a vee gouge, and pull a splinter out of the same wood with the same gouge and use that to do a patch that would blend pretty well.

- Hammerthumb
I don't have any gouges, much less a vee gouge. I don't have a drum sander either.
 
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