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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
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    Perth
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    Default Cracks in blackbutt - filling suggestions without epoxy

    Hello all,

    I'm (still) in the process of building some solid wood cabinets in blackbutt and some of my wood has some fairly ugly cracks to be dealt with. I don't think I can cut around these cracks, or I would. They run with the grain and may be the result of drying but I'm not sure. Some cracks are fairly superficial and not very deep whereas others are more substantial but the wood seems to be structurally useable. The majority of the big cracks are contained within the board (i.e. do not run to the end) and shouldn't interfere with joinery.

    Any suggestions for filling these? I'm thinking shellac mixed with blackbutt dust. I'm not keen on epoxy because it's expensive, I'm not very good at mixing it, and I don't like the look. The glow in the dark or coloured options would be inappropriate for this application.

    From an aesthetic perspective, any thoughts on butterflies to hold these together? In the attached pic, you're looking at a small door frame.

    WP_20160721_14_21_51_Pro.jpg

    Thanks!

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Sth Gippsland Vic
    Posts
    4,355

    Default

    Only a butterfly patch if you like the look of them I reckon .
    I use them under some joints to give good strength and flip the piece to show people .
    I saw a book once , mid 1970S instruction on furniture restoration . In it, the clown who was showing his methods was putting butterfly patches in the cracked tops of some Georgian piece,
    Bugger I posted by accident!!!

    Any way from that point they were known in the work shop as xxxxxxx patches
    Even when we needed them, we still called them that . And still do . Workshop humor lol .

    If you want to hide the crack as much as possible you could make what I was taught to call a feather. A slice of wood taken from an off cut, the grain matching the grain direction next to the crack, taper it so you can fit it down from the top and the more you tap it in the tighter it gets . Glue that in and shave or scrape it back after it's dry.

    Rob

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
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    back in Alberta for a while
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    68
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    12,006

    Default

    I think your best option is to replace the cracked styles -- expensive I know, but if you do use butterfly keys you will need to make it look as though they are part of the overall design which will likely be very tricky.
    regards from Alberta, Canada

    ian

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Perth
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    Default

    Thanks Rob--I've been wondering about your feather idea too and might give it whirl. I would ideally replace the wood in question but I'm trying to match grain and colour as much as possible with the original bunch of wood I bought this project--which came from two trees. Fair points about the butterfly keys--not my preferred look either.

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