Rare Occasions

[Saint Simon]

Advice please. On the rare occasion that there is a hairline gap between the cheek of your tenon and it's mortise, a small difference between your dovetail's tail and pin, what do you use/do to fill it?
Simon

 

[Racers]

Hi,

Sawdust and glue or slivers of the same wood.

Pete

 

[deserter]

Personally I try to opt for timber, quite frequently a slither of veneer works best.

 

[Gerard Scanlan]

Swearing

 

[houtslager]

walk away, roll a ciggie and then cuss

hth

Karl

 

[Teckel]

Isopon!

 

[baldpate]

Isopon!

There seem to be dozens of Isopon products - which particular one do you use?

 

[SteveB43]

Nothing of course, it's a design feature ! (hammer)

Have a good woody weekend all!!

 

[condeesteso]

sliver of the same stock. and swearing too. But the former actually nails it, the latter just feels better.

 

[Teckel]

Isopon!

There seem to be dozens of Isopon products - which particular one do you use?

Smooth 7, P38 or p40

 

[condeesteso]

Odd no-one has mentioned the wax crayon? They come in a range of wood colours, and you use a palette knife warmed on an old iron to melt the wax, then fill in the gap. Problems I have with it are [1] the wax is never just the right colour; [2] it is a single colour, wood isn't; [3] not as easy to get it into a tiny gap as it sounds... maybe that is technique.
But a lot of good restorers use it often, so worth a mention.
Oh yes, and [4] I can see it. But then I know where to look :lol:

 

[marcros]

Odd no-one has mentioned the wax crayon? They come in a range of wood colours, and you use a palette knife warmed on an old iron to melt the wax, then fill in the gap. Problems I have with it are [1] the wax is never just the right colour; [2] it is a single colour, wood isn't; [3] not as easy to get it into a tiny gap as it sounds... maybe that is technique.
But a lot of good restorers use it often, so worth a mention.
Oh yes, and [4] I can see it. But then I know where to look :lol:

http://www.rutlands.co.uk/cgi-bin/psPro ... i?promo=78

 

[promhandicam]

gripfill

 

[mtr1]

I have in the past(and probably in the future) with dovetails on drawers, made the front and back a bit smaller in the length(where applicable) and planished the ends as metal workers do.

Only once or twice :shock:

 

[David C]

Do you mean "Bishoping".

David

 

[Doug B]

Planishing in metalwork is just dressing the metal to fill gaps usually by hammering.

Whilst Bishoping If not involving horses, is said to involve ya granny, a bible & a part of her anatomy that would probably get me banned if i mentioned it . [-( [-X :-&


Admission.

I`d heard of planishing, I googled Bishoping :lol: :lol:

 

[David C]

As I understood it , in woodworking, bishoping was the practice of bashing the protruding ends of the pins, to spread the fibres and fill gaps !

Was not aware of the more esoteric version.

David

 

[promhandicam]

IMHO Peening (or Peining if you prefer) would be a more appropriate term if using a metal working analogy.

 

[woodbloke]

Odd no-one has mentioned the wax crayon? They come in a range of wood colours, and you use a palette knife warmed on an old iron to melt the wax, then fill in the gap. Problems I have with it are [1] the wax is never just the right colour; [2] it is a single colour, wood isn't; [3] not as easy to get it into a tiny gap as it sounds... maybe that is technique.
But a lot of good restorers use it often, so worth a mention.
Oh yes, and [4] I can see it. But then I know where to look :lol:

I've used the wax crayons before now. I generally force the stuff in cold using an old marking knife, but Douglas makes some useful points. I've also gone for the 'sliver' technique which is much more fiddly but almost invisible if the wood is cut and inserted correctly. Better though, not to have to fill in the first place or if you do, arrange those joints that have a slight defect to be in such a position on the job that it'll be difficult to see them - Rob

 

[promhandicam]

The last F&C - Issue 194 - had an article on this entitled Dovetail Disasters which might be worth a look for the 'rare occasion' that you need to hide a mistake.