Help with knotty problem

[TahoeTwoBears]

Hi all,

So I've got a 32" round knotty alder cafe table top and I need to "fill" the knots prior to finishing, hopefully with something that will preserve the look of the knots, but leave the surface flat and cleanable. Plus, by thinking ahead, one of the knots wound up on the edge which I haven't yet finished (still wondering what size of roundover bit to use). I'm hoping that whatever I can use to fill the knots will stabilize the edge knot enough so that the whole thing doesn't blow out when I rout the edge.

Any suggestions???

Thanks in advance for all the help.

Mike

 

[nickao]

Well the blow out portion of your problem is going to require an adhesive base, possibly epoxy based or one of those new moldable exterior fillers. They shape and route like wood. If it were not for that edge knot I think a good grain filler or flooring wood filler would be good enough.

Nickao

 

[TahoeTwoBears]

Thanks,

Can you recommend any specific products?

Mike

 

[nickao]

I'll have to look in the shop and see the actual name brands I have. I have so many different fillers. Some guys will here on the FOG will post too I am sure.

I use one that is a putty tube and the center is white the outer the color you need(the two epoxy elements). You just cut some off and mix it up with your thumb and forefinger and the two parts turn into a really strong epoxy glue type filler that sands well. I can not think of the name off hand. That may work and it comes in many colors.

Nickao

 

[nickao]

Quikwood - I have had good luck with it and really easy to use.

Quikwood

I have also used this

T-88

I am not so sure how the T-88 routes or sands, but it is structural and really tough.

I have both in the shop and use them myself.

nickao

 

[tvgordon]

I've filled knots with clear epoxy.  I try to fill them just a little above the surface and then sand smooth.  It holds the knot in place and creates a smooth finish.

I just use the epoxy from the big box stores or, if you need a larger amount, from Woodcraft.  You can tint it if needed.

Tom.

 

[monte]

One possible old world solution is to collect a bunch of the alder sawdust and mix it with a two part epoxy

until you get a toothpasty consistancy.  The type where you mix two equal parts. One part resin one part

hardner. You mix the sawdust to the resin first, then mix in the hardner. You want to stay with 2 part

epoxy's , not to be confused with a polyester based resin.  There's a local outfit in Santa Monica that I

could give you the name of. (I actually use their two part epoxy adhesive for wood filling mixed with the

sawdust of the wood I'm using) The sawdust consistancy that you use is that one gets from cleaning out

your bandsaw after resawing, for example. (Cure time is the key here.....read the back carefully)

Monte

 

[poto]

You might consider making the knots and splits in the knots part of the decoration of the table: I had a nice piece of something-or-other with a knot in it that I was going to cut out. Instead I put the knot on the face of a rectangular vase, and filled the cracks in the knot with a bright red epoxy. (I used some acrylic paint to color the eopxy.) The contrast was striking, making the knot a work of art rather than a blemish. It works great for splits and cracks in the wood, too. The contrasting epoxy (red, white - any color you choose) can make a real design statement.

 

[Michael Kellough]

You might consider making the knots and splits in the knots part of the decoration of the table.

I saw a picture of an unusual cabinet (long ago in FWW?).

The cabinet maker cut all the knots out of his softwood stock and when he had a large enough supply of them glued them up into boards and built a polka-dotted cabinet. It was pretty funny, in a good way.

 

[poto]

I remember a FWW cabinet that the guy who made it called an "oyster" cabinet. I think he made oyster shells from cross-cuts of small logs to get the concentric grain pattern. Kind of strange looking. I wonder how stable it would be with humidity changes...

 

[Michael Kellough]

I remember a FWW cabinet that the guy who made it called an "oyster" cabinet. I think he made oyster shells from cross-cuts of small logs to get the concentric grain pattern. Kind of strange looking. I wonder how stable it would be with humidity changes...

I remember that too. A different cabinet.

 

[Eli]

Clear epoxy casting resin is pretty hard, sands well, and is crystal clear, allowing you to fill the knots with 'air'. We've used it over here on Anthony's (Ideal Tools) floor. Wouldn't know what brand names you'd have over there. It's the stuff you'd use to put a flower or small keepsake in a block of plastic. Big knots require more than one pour sometimes.