Thread: newbie needs advice

HI

You can get little plastic screw covers from the hardware shop that come in a variety of colours, and you can also get wooden plugs shaped like mushrooms.
With the wooden ones you just counter sink the screw and glue them in.
With the plastic ones you just drill through them and snap on the lid.

Allan

You haven't said where the screws are going. Are they on the outside of the article or on the inside?

Hi Cole

Welcome to the BB.

The best way to hide screw holes is not to use screws! (Actually, kidding aside, this is true. Try dowels or biscuits. They don't show. But I'm assuming that as a beginner you might find this a little daunting).

The second best way is to use wooden plugs. The easiest solution in this regard is to plane to insert a dowel behind the screw, glue it in, and cut it flush with the surface. Plane or sand it smooth.

Unfortunately dowels will leave end grain visible, which will stand out against the surface. You can accept this or, as the next solution (as you move up the ladder) is to make a feature of the plugs by choosing a contrasting timber for the dowel. The latter is often done deliberately when pinning mortce-and-tenon joints, for example, and in this case the ends of the dowels are squared off at the surface.

The next option (again more difficult for a novice - but definitely not beyond your expertise) is to cut your own plugs out of the same timber so that you can match up the timber and grain. For this you need a plug cutter (looks like a hollow drill bit) and this goes into a hand drill (or, preferably, into a pedestal drill for stability).

Good luck and let us see your creation.

Regards from Perth

Derek