We have just finished building a beautiful open staircase using
straight-grain, clear 3x12 fir planks. We held the staircase together
with lag bolts countersunk in 3/4" holes. I am having a hard time
finding any wood filler that comes even remotely close to the color of
fir. Any ideas on where to find such a product?

"tom" wrote in message
We have just finished building a beautiful open staircase using
straight-grain, clear 3x12 fir planks. We held the staircase together
with lag bolts countersunk in 3/4" holes. I am having a hard time
finding any wood filler that comes even remotely close to the color of
fir. Any ideas on where to find such a product?

Have you tried a mixing up a little white carpenter's glue and some sawdust
from the fir planks?

"tom" wrote in message
We have just finished building a beautiful open staircase using
straight-grain, clear 3x12 fir planks. We held the staircase together
with lag bolts countersunk in 3/4" holes. I am having a hard time
finding any wood filler that comes even remotely close to the color of
fir. Any ideas on where to find such a product?

Another idea that comes to mind is buying a 3/4" plug cutter and using plugs
from the fir you have in stock. You'd be guaranteed a colour match. It may
be a better option than my previous suggestion because of the size of the
holes that need filling.

Might try Fam-O-Wood filler

"tom" wrote in message
ups.com...
We have just finished building a beautiful open staircase using
straight-grain, clear 3x12 fir planks. We held the staircase together
with lag bolts countersunk in 3/4" holes. I am having a hard time
finding any wood filler that comes even remotely close to the color of
fir. Any ideas on where to find such a product?

No - but it sounds like a good idea! thx

even a better idea!

"Upscale" wrote in message
...

"tom" wrote in message
We have just finished building a beautiful open staircase using
straight-grain, clear 3x12 fir planks. We held the staircase together
with lag bolts countersunk in 3/4" holes. I am having a hard time
finding any wood filler that comes even remotely close to the color of
fir. Any ideas on where to find such a product?

Another idea that comes to mind is buying a 3/4" plug cutter and using
plugs
from the fir you have in stock. You'd be guaranteed a colour match. It may
be a better option than my previous suggestion because of the size of the
holes that need filling.



Problematic. Plugs cut from fir tend to have torn and crushed grain, even
when the best of plug-cutters are used. Looks unattractive, just like the
dead fish eye look you get from dust and glue. I'd go with end-grained
contrasting color plugs. Regardless the color, they will be obvious, so
make a decorative virtue out of that necessity.

I'm not sure I would use lag _screws_ over regular screws, either. Finer
threads would hold better. Bolts, as in nuts and washers would be great if
you have access to the nuts, because you could quiet a squeaky stair easily.

Problematic. Plugs cut from fir tend to have torn and crushed grain, even
when the best of plug-cutters are used. Looks unattractive, just like the
dead fish eye look you get from dust and glue. I'd go with end-grained
contrasting color plugs. Regardless the color, they will be obvious, so
make a decorative virtue out of that necessity.

I have no experience cutting plugs in fir, but I woud definitely buy the
plug cutter, try it in fir and fall back to a contrasting wood if necessary.
Get the tapered plug cutter, if you can find one in that size. They produce
a plug that fits like a cork.

There is no way that a 3/4" diameter circle of any type of wood filler will
not look like sh*t. Also, wood filler tends to be brittle and will not
respond well to the seasonal wood movement around it. The hole is simple too
big for wood filler as a good choice.

If I had to use a filler, I would be more inclined to use an epoxy with
pigment in a contrasting but compatible color.

With any aproach, make sure you use a brad point or a forstner bit to drill
that counterbore. Regardless of the patch mechanism a sloppy hole will look
pretty bad.

Cheers

Steve

"George" George@least wrote in message
contrasting color plugs. Regardless the color, they will be obvious, so
make a decorative virtue out of that necessity.

That's not a bad idea either. 3/4" doweling is certainly available and there
wouldn't be any crushed or torn grain associate with doweling.

tom wrote:
We have just finished building a beautiful open staircase using
straight-grain, clear 3x12 fir planks. We held the staircase together
with lag bolts countersunk in 3/4" holes. I am having a hard time
finding any wood filler that comes even remotely close to the color of
fir. Any ideas on where to find such a product?

If there is at least 1/8 or so above the lag heads, make and use face
grain fir plugs. Infinitely better than any "filler".

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

Wed, Mar 1, 2006, 2:48am (EST-3) (tom) doth toss out:
even a better idea!

I thought you'd like that. You're welcome.




JOAT
I'd like to give you a going away present.
Just do your part.

"tom" wrote in message
ups.com...
We have just finished building a beautiful open staircase using
straight-grain, clear 3x12 fir planks. We held the staircase together
with lag bolts countersunk in 3/4" holes. I am having a hard time
finding any wood filler that comes even remotely close to the color of
fir. Any ideas on where to find such a product?


If you are trying to cover lag bolt counter sink holes anything you do is
going to be quite obvious.
Alternatively you can simply let the bolts and washers show but paint them
black to dress them up a bit. You might like the look.

"Upscale" wrote:


"tom" wrote in message
We have just finished building a beautiful open staircase using
straight-grain, clear 3x12 fir planks. We held the staircase together
with lag bolts countersunk in 3/4" holes. I am having a hard time
finding any wood filler that comes even remotely close to the color of
fir. Any ideas on where to find such a product?

Another idea that comes to mind is buying a 3/4" plug cutter and using plugs
from the fir you have in stock. You'd be guaranteed a colour match. It may
be a better option than my previous suggestion because of the size of the
holes that need filling.

Tom, I'd strongly second this idea. My only experience is with plugs
is with cherry, and they made the hole nearly disappear. George may
have a valid concern--I've got no experience with these with fir.

Some things to think about:
1) align the grain
2) use similar wood (sapwood plug in sapwood hole, heartwood in
heartwood)
less obvious:
3) have the grain sloping the same direction for planing. Nice to take
the plug down with a block plane, but you want the end of that process
to be taking whisper-thin shavings from the plug until you get a
whisper off the surrounding wood. But it's nasty if your plane digs in
because of opposite direction in the surrounding wood.
4) Use same side of the tree, i.e, if outside of the tree is toward
you on the surrounding piece, make the outside or the tree toward you
on the plug. I've never worried about this before, but with a 3/4"
plug, it seems that it might be worth doing to make sure movement is
aligned as much as possible.

George mentioned making the plugs design features, which could work
very nicely. But that is an aesthetic decision for you to make.
Buttons with a small lip to cover any roughness of the hole cut are a
possibility as are flush or slightly protruding rounded dowels. But
given your initially expressed goal, I think the way to go is to buy a
quality plug cutter and try some plugs on scrap to see if you can get
around the issues George mentioned.
--
Alex -- Replace "nospam" with "mail" to reply by email. Checked infrequently.

On Wed, 1 Mar 2006 07:43:01 -0500, "Upscale" wrote:


"George" George@least wrote in message
contrasting color plugs. Regardless the color, they will be obvious, so
make a decorative virtue out of that necessity.

That's not a bad idea either. 3/4" doweling is certainly available and there
wouldn't be any crushed or torn grain associate with doweling.

and dowels can be bought in most hardwoods... cherry or maple might be an
interesting plug in fir.. maybe even walnut if a lot of contrast is wanted..

The only "problem" is that plugs are usually cut from cross grain and dowels
would be end grain...

Maybe a bunch of 3/4" shaker pegs? *g*
Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm