With apologies to the Beatles, there's no rain getting in, but there is
definitely some "mind wandering" involved.

In short, I made a mistake last night that has left a maybe 1/8" hole in
the side edge of a maple face frame. Two actually. I measured once, at
night, at the end of a day filled with family obligations, so an error
was to be expected, I guess.

Anyway, how do I fill it? The face frame is as yet unfinished, and won't
be stained. Is it as simple as a light-colored wood putty? Or is there a
cleverer approach? If sawdust from the same stock is required, I have a
more than adequate supply.

On 3/4/2013 1:03 PM, Greg Guarino wrote:
With apologies to the Beatles, there's no rain getting in, but there is
definitely some "mind wandering" involved.

In short, I made a mistake last night that has left a maybe 1/8" hole in
the side edge of a maple face frame. Two actually. I measured once, at
night, at the end of a day filled with family obligations, so an error
was to be expected, I guess.

Anyway, how do I fill it? The face frame is as yet unfinished, and won't
be stained. Is it as simple as a light-colored wood putty? Or is there a
cleverer approach? If sawdust from the same stock is required, I have a
more than adequate supply.

You can try to use a "Dutchman", for only an 1/8" hole I would use a
Maple wood filler, mixed with some of that fine sawdust.

I like either "Famowood", or "MinWax", both can be purchased for maple,
and either one will work ... just buy as small an amount as you can
purchase.

--
eWoodShop: www.eWoodShop.com
Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
https://plus.google.com/114902129577517371552/posts
http://www.custommade.com/by/ewoodshop/
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

"Greg Guarino" wrote in message ...

With apologies to the Beatles, there's no rain getting in, but there is
definitely some "mind wandering" involved.

In short, I made a mistake last night that has left a maybe 1/8" hole in
the side edge of a maple face frame. Two actually. I measured once, at
night, at the end of a day filled with family obligations, so an error was
to be expected, I guess.

Anyway, how do I fill it? The face frame is as yet unfinished, and won't be
stained. Is it as simple as a light-colored wood putty? Or is there a
cleverer approach? If sawdust from the same stock is required, I have a
more than adequate supply.

I think this is an "it depends" question. If the holes are on the edge of
the face frame where they end up inside a door/drawer opening, tinted wood
filler is probably fine. If the holes are on an outside edge where they are
kind of "in your face" (like next to a well lighted sink at eyeball level or
something similar) I'd try an inlet patch made of the same material that
matches the grain and color as close as possible as it would be less
noticeable than round "spots." Failing that, if the option exists, I'd make
another part or plane the edge off and apply a relatively thin veneer piece
to the entire edge. If you keep the new piece thin it will not be noticeable
if the edges of the frame are eased.

A few years back I had a similar disaster when the depth stop lock handle on
my hollow chisel mortiser cracked, unnoticed, while the machine was in use.
The result being that the depth stop was slipping with each plunge until I
finally blew a hole through the side of a style where there was supposed to
be a blind mortise. It figured that it was in the most noticeable location
on the whole project! Efforts to grain and color match a patch/veneer to the
quarter sawn white oak failed. I ultimately made a new style which was no
small feat as the color, grain, and ray fleck all had to match the
original...

BTW, it turns out that those stop lock handles are the most commonly
replaced part on the mortiser... which makes me wonder how many others
ruined parts!

John

On 3/4/2013 2:03 PM, Greg Guarino wrote:
With apologies to the Beatles, there's no rain getting in, but there is
definitely some "mind wandering" involved.

In short, I made a mistake last night that has left a maybe 1/8" hole in
the side edge of a maple face frame. Two actually. I measured once, at
night, at the end of a day filled with family obligations, so an error
was to be expected, I guess.

Anyway, how do I fill it? The face frame is as yet unfinished, and won't
be stained. Is it as simple as a light-colored wood putty? Or is there a
cleverer approach? If sawdust from the same stock is required, I have a
more than adequate supply.

I saw the other suggestions.
Mine would be to enlarge the hole to 1/4 or 3/8
Then make a plug to fit the hole. I have a set of tapered plug cutters
Choose your plug wood from a relatively close grain pattern, and
install, flush cut and plane. If you do it right it will barely be
noticeable , or not at all.

--
Jeff

On 3/4/13 6:50 PM, woodchucker wrote:
On 3/4/2013 2:03 PM, Greg Guarino wrote:
With apologies to the Beatles, there's no rain getting in, but there is
definitely some "mind wandering" involved.

In short, I made a mistake last night that has left a maybe 1/8" hole in
the side edge of a maple face frame. Two actually. I measured once, at
night, at the end of a day filled with family obligations, so an error
was to be expected, I guess.

Anyway, how do I fill it? The face frame is as yet unfinished, and won't
be stained. Is it as simple as a light-colored wood putty? Or is there a
cleverer approach? If sawdust from the same stock is required, I have a
more than adequate supply.

I saw the other suggestions.
Mine would be to enlarge the hole to 1/4 or 3/8
Then make a plug to fit the hole. I have a set of tapered plug cutters
Choose your plug wood from a relatively close grain pattern, and
install, flush cut and plane. If you do it right it will barely be
noticeable , or not at all.


Another option along the lines of a plug, is to not enlarge the hole but
look for a knot in some scrap to cut out and sand to fit the hole.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

On Monday, March 4, 2013 6:50:54 PM UTC-6, woodchucker wrote:
On 3/4/2013 2:03 PM, Greg Guarino wrote:

With apologies to the Beatles, there's no rain getting in, but there is

definitely some "mind wandering" involved.



In short, I made a mistake last night that has left a maybe 1/8" hole in

the side edge of a maple face frame. Two actually. I measured once, at

night, at the end of a day filled with family obligations, so an error

was to be expected, I guess.



Anyway, how do I fill it? The face frame is as yet unfinished, and won't

be stained. Is it as simple as a light-colored wood putty? Or is there a

cleverer approach? If sawdust from the same stock is required, I have a

more than adequate supply.



I saw the other suggestions.

Mine would be to enlarge the hole to 1/4 or 3/8

Then make a plug to fit the hole. I have a set of tapered plug cutters

Choose your plug wood from a relatively close grain pattern, and

install, flush cut and plane. If you do it right it will barely be

noticeable , or not at all.



--


I'm with woodchucker.

I made a similar goof a few weeks ago on a cabinet door and repaired it with a plug. When I say "plug" I do not mean dowel. As woodchucker said, get a tapered plugcutter and enlarge your hole to accept a plug from the smallest plugcutter you can get. Cut the plug from a piece of stock that closely matches your frame. When you insert the glued plug into the hole take your time to align the grain in the plug with the host grain. Use a plug or dowel saw to trim the plug flush and sand. If you haven't used a plug cutter before you might want to practice, but with a little practice and luck you can get a repair that is nearly invisible.

RonB
Jeff

On Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:03:30 -0500, Greg Guarino
wrote:

With apologies to the Beatles, there's no rain getting in, but there is
definitely some "mind wandering" involved.

In short, I made a mistake last night that has left a maybe 1/8" hole in
the side edge of a maple face frame. Two actually. I measured once, at
night, at the end of a day filled with family obligations, so an error
was to be expected, I guess.

Anyway, how do I fill it? The face frame is as yet unfinished, and won't
be stained. Is it as simple as a light-colored wood putty? Or is there a
cleverer approach? If sawdust from the same stock is required, I have a
more than adequate supply.

Leave it and tell people who ask about "That's where Amy missed me
with the .22 last year." That little hole should be good for a lot of
mileage, Greg. gd&r

--
If more sane people were armed,
crazy people would get off fewer shots.
Support the 2nd Amendment

On Mon, 04 Mar 2013 20:05:58 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:03:30 -0500, Greg Guarino
wrote:

With apologies to the Beatles, there's no rain getting in, but there is
definitely some "mind wandering" involved.

In short, I made a mistake last night that has left a maybe 1/8" hole in
the side edge of a maple face frame. Two actually. I measured once, at
night, at the end of a day filled with family obligations, so an error
was to be expected, I guess.

Anyway, how do I fill it? The face frame is as yet unfinished, and won't
be stained. Is it as simple as a light-colored wood putty? Or is there a
cleverer approach? If sawdust from the same stock is required, I have a
more than adequate supply.

Leave it and tell people who ask about "That's where Amy missed me
with the .22 last year." That little hole should be good for a lot of
mileage, Greg. gd&r
An 1/8" hole should be a lot easier to hide than a 1/4 inch or larger
plug. It's in the side edge, not the main face. I'd form a 1/8 inch
"plug" - forget about getting face grain to match- andmake it as snug
a fit as possible so there is no visible glue line. Tap it in almost
flush, and trim/sand to match. Maple is a close enough grained wood
the small fix will virtually dissapear.

Wood flour in a clear glue would likely work just about as well -
sinse it is not being stained.

On 3/4/2013 8:18 PM, RonB wrote:
I made a similar goof a few weeks ago on a cabinet door and repaired it with a plug. When I say "plug" I do not mean dowel. As woodchucker said, get a tapered plugcutter and enlarge your hole to accept a plug from the smallest plugcutter you can get. Cut the plug from a piece of stock that closely matches your frame. When you insert the glued plug into the hole take your time to align the grain in the plug with the host grain. Use a plug or dowel saw to trim the plug flush and sand. If you haven't used a plug cutter before you might want to practice, but with a little practice and luck you can get a repair that is nearly invisible.

Basically, that is a "Dutchman".

With problems of this type: Simple first, always ...

IME, the best thing to do is FIRST make the simple to effect fix ... one
that causes the least further damage to the area, so that if it is not
satisfactory, you have not made matters worse by your first attempt.

In this case, the judicious use of a wood filler due to the small size
(1/8") of the hole, would be something to try FIRST.

If that turns out to not be satisfactory, and by not having done any
further damage with the first attempt, there is plenty of opportunity to
step up to a plug type "Dutchman".

--
eWoodShop: www.eWoodShop.com
Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
https://plus.google.com/114902129577517371552/posts
http://www.custommade.com/by/ewoodshop/
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

On 3/5/2013 8:53 AM, Swingman wrote:
IME, the best thing to do is FIRST make the simple to effect fix ... one
that causes the least further damage to the area, so that if it is not
satisfactory, you have not made matters worse by your first attempt.

From reading the earlier responses, this is what I decided to do. I
have a feeling that the filler will be acceptable, but if not I could
try making a plug of some sort.

Thanks to all.

Greg Guarino wrote:
On 3/5/2013 8:53 AM, Swingman wrote:
IME, the best thing to do is FIRST make the simple to effect fix ... one
that causes the least further damage to the area, so that if it is not
satisfactory, you have not made matters worse by your first attempt.

From reading the earlier responses, this is what I decided to do. I
have a feeling that the filler will be acceptable, but if not I could
try making a plug of some sort.

Thanks to all.


I know you've already made up your mind, but "the plug"...
Just think how flat it would be!

Bill

On 3/5/13 9:10 AM, Greg Guarino wrote:
On 3/5/2013 8:53 AM, Swingman wrote:
IME, the best thing to do is FIRST make the simple to effect fix ... one
that causes the least further damage to the area, so that if it is not
satisfactory, you have not made matters worse by your first attempt.

From reading the earlier responses, this is what I decided to do. I
have a feeling that the filler will be acceptable, but if not I could
try making a plug of some sort.

Thanks to all.


Be sure to let us know when you've reached a successful solution,
so we can keep arguing about it and telling you how you did it wrong. :-D


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

On 3/5/13 10:08 AM, Bill wrote:
Greg Guarino wrote:
On 3/5/2013 8:53 AM, Swingman wrote:
IME, the best thing to do is FIRST make the simple to effect fix ... one
that causes the least further damage to the area, so that if it is not
satisfactory, you have not made matters worse by your first attempt.

From reading the earlier responses, this is what I decided to do. I
have a feeling that the filler will be acceptable, but if not I could
try making a plug of some sort.

Thanks to all.


I know you've already made up your mind, but "the plug"...
Just think how flat it would be!

Bill


I made some cabinet doors out mdf. On one door I had a brain-fart and
drilled the concealed hinged pockets on the wrong side.

I cut and glued plugs out of the same termite vomit and left them about
1/16 shy with a good 1/8th gap around the circumference. The rest was
filled with all purpose wood putty, filled proud of the surface, dried,
sanded flat, flush with surface, primed and painted.

I would dare anyone to find those holes, now, by inspecting by feeling
or close eyesight in any light.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

On 3/5/2013 11:48 AM, -MIKE- wrote:
On 3/5/13 9:10 AM, Greg Guarino wrote:
On 3/5/2013 8:53 AM, Swingman wrote:
IME, the best thing to do is FIRST make the simple to effect fix ... one
that causes the least further damage to the area, so that if it is not
satisfactory, you have not made matters worse by your first attempt.

From reading the earlier responses, this is what I decided to do. I
have a feeling that the filler will be acceptable, but if not I could
try making a plug of some sort.

Thanks to all.


Be sure to let us know when you've reached a successful solution,
so we can keep arguing about it and telling you how you did it wrong. :-D


There's lots of "did it wrong" to choose from in my forays into
woodworking, so anytime there's a shortage of things to argue about,
feel free to ask. That doesn't seem to happen very often though.

On Wednesday, March 6, 2013 8:44:55 AM UTC-6, Greg Guarino wrote:
On 3/5/2013 11:48 AM, -MIKE- wrote:

On 3/5/13 9:10 AM, Greg Guarino wrote:

On 3/5/2013 8:53 AM, Swingman wrote:

IME, the best thing to do is FIRST make the simple to effect fix ... one

that causes the least further damage to the area, so that if it is not

satisfactory, you have not made matters worse by your first attempt.



From reading the earlier responses, this is what I decided to do. I

have a feeling that the filler will be acceptable, but if not I could

try making a plug of some sort.



Thanks to all.





Be sure to let us know when you've reached a successful solution,

so we can keep arguing about it and telling you how you did it wrong. :-D





There's lots of "did it wrong" to choose from in my forays into

woodworking, so anytime there's a shortage of things to argue about,

feel free to ask. That doesn't seem to happen very often though.



And perhaps to sum up this string:

It is a saying we, as woodworkers have probably heard before but it took on new meaning a 3-4 years ago as we were finishing our house. We let a local cabinet maker do our kitchen and bath cabinets (Yeah, I know - I was supposed to build them myself). This guy is a true professional who was trained in the Pitt State (KS) wood technology program many years ago. He did custom work for a few years than opened a mass-production cabinetry factory building office furniture for several of the office chains. But after quite a bit of success with that we went back to custom work and they are very good at it.

Lawrence, being the ultimate pro, caught my attention when I heard one of his guys let out a little burst of profanity. He looked at the error, smiled at me and said it. "You know Bill the true sign of a wood craftsman is how well he can hide his f***up's.

RonB

On 3/7/2013 10:23 PM, RonB wrote:
On Wednesday, March 6, 2013 8:44:55 AM UTC-6, Greg Guarino wrote:
On 3/5/2013 11:48 AM, -MIKE- wrote:

On 3/5/13 9:10 AM, Greg Guarino wrote:

On 3/5/2013 8:53 AM, Swingman wrote:

IME, the best thing to do is FIRST make the simple to effect fix ... one

that causes the least further damage to the area, so that if it is not

satisfactory, you have not made matters worse by your first attempt.



From reading the earlier responses, this is what I decided to do. I

have a feeling that the filler will be acceptable, but if not I could

try making a plug of some sort.



Thanks to all.





Be sure to let us know when you've reached a successful solution,

so we can keep arguing about it and telling you how you did it wrong. :-D





There's lots of "did it wrong" to choose from in my forays into

woodworking, so anytime there's a shortage of things to argue about,

feel free to ask. That doesn't seem to happen very often though.



And perhaps to sum up this string:

It is a saying we, as woodworkers have probably heard before but it took on new meaning a 3-4 years ago as we were finishing our house. We let a local cabinet maker do our kitchen and bath cabinets (Yeah, I know - I was supposed to build them myself). This guy is a true professional who was trained in the Pitt State (KS) wood technology program many years ago. He did custom work for a few years than opened a mass-production cabinetry factory building office furniture for several of the office chains. But after quite a bit of success with that we went back to custom work and they are very good at it.

Lawrence, being the ultimate pro, caught my attention when I heard one of his guys let out a little burst of profanity. He looked at the error, smiled at me and said it. "You know Bill the true sign of a wood craftsman is how well he can hide his f***up's.

RonB

That is so true. I had been taught to build models by a master builder.
That was always the statement. He would always try new ideas and push
the envelope. And he would always say, everyone makes mistakes, its how
well you hide them.... I have always been comforted by the fact that
most screw ups can be fixed. Just don't cut a piece __too__ short.. the
board stretcher that comes out on April fools... is just that... for fools.

- -
Jeff

On Thu, 7 Mar 2013 19:23:11 -0800 (PST), RonB
Lawrence, being the ultimate pro, caught my attention when I heard one of his guys let out a little burst of profanity. He looked at the error, smiled at me and said it. "You know Bill the true sign of a wood craftsman is how well he can hide his f***up's.

Absolutely true. And the corollary to that is if you can't hide your
screw ups, how well can you incorporate them into a design feature?
I'm not the greatest at hiding mistakes, but I'm pretty good at
turning them into artistic design.