"Gramp's shop" wrote in message
...

John ...

Thanks for the reply. It is a rather modest natural defect. I think it
adds a bit of interest to the piece, but my customer -- my son -- believes
it is an imperfection that needs correction. I'm going to try to educate
him on the vagaries of wood and the inherent beauty therein. This is hard
rock maple, not laminate for heaven's sake!

Larry,

I know the type... ;~)

If he is insistent, and the boards haven't been cut to final size, maybe
simply rip the board (glued up panel) through the defect and glue it up...
If it has been cut to final size you could make rips to remove the defect
plus a bit more and add another board. Doing either may be more straight
forward than "invisibly fixing" the defect knowing your son is going to be
looking for it!

John



On Friday, March 1, 2013 8:30:14 AM UTC-6, John Grossbohlin wrote:
"Gramp's shop" wrote in message

...



One of the maple boards on the buffet projects has a small imperfection.

It's a thin -- maybe 1/16th of an inch by 2 inch jagged scar that's
about

1/16th of an inch deep. I recall reading that some folks fill such

imperfections with CA glue. What's the process? What impact does this

have on finishing (assuming use of a wipe on oil-based finish)? Any
other

suggestions?



Is this a "natural defect" or man made damage? If a natural defect such
as

a bark inclusion or split perhaps celebrating the defect by filling with a

very dark brown, even black, tinted epoxy would be the way to go. It would

end up looking like a smooth bark inclusion under the finish. Many of the

high end turners and flat boarders I know use this technique to "fix"

splits, loose knots, etc. and it looks quite natural.



If a man made defect, such as a ragged dent or scratch, I'd try steaming
it

several times to see if the damage raises and then reassess the situation.

It may revive enough that another round of sanding the entire surface

removes the defect. I wouldn't spot sand as it could leave a depression...



John