On Nov 29, 8:07*am, busbus wrote:
Well, actually a series of gouges. *The top of my wife's mother's
buffet cabinet was gouged during a move many years ago. *Parts are
very deep. *I have hesitated trying to fix this over the years because
it is out of my league. *I have asked in the past if I could refinish
the entire dining room set as it is showing signs of wear and tear
over the years and she finally caved in over Thanksgiving and actually
asked if I would give it a shot.

The set is from about 1940 and is mahogany. *This will be the first
big refinishing project I have ever done. *I am partially excited
about it because the varnish is cracking and wearing off, mainly on
the tops and the backs of the chairs.

The biggest thing I have to deal with is that gouge. *It is about six-
inches long and about 1/2" or so wide. *How do I tackle that? *Do I
fill it up with filler and then top it off with a shellac stick or
something? *The good thing about this problem is that it is near the
back of the cabinet top and not on the front but, still, it is on the
top. *I am a little scared to fill it only with putty as I have not
had much success with it as I can't seem to "hide" it even in small
areas, let alone a large one like this.

Also, anything else I should be on the look out for as I attempt to
refinish this? *Any gotchas that I need to look out for?

Thanks!

This thing is slick for making a dutchman:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/23m3e7x