I’ve got some porch posts to finish, they’re western red cedar, and finish will be alkyd primer and then acrylic paint.
I used a forstner bit, 1-1/4 diameter, to counterbore in about 1/2-inch to sink some bolt heads for connections. I want to fill these bolt recesses before finishing.
What would you use? Is it best to do the alkyd primer first, into the counterbores, before doing the fill?
Gene Davis, Davis Housewrights, Inc., Lake Placid, NY
Replies
no expert here, but, first thought that comes to my mind for a hole that large would be to glue a wooden dowel in there
I would fill first so the filler can bond with the pores of the wood.
Using a wood plug is a good idea, unless the bolt heads are so close to the surface that the plug would be too thin. I would use bondo. Some people say it's not appropriate because of temperature flucuations, but it works on cors which see the same temps, plus the effect of sheet metal siting in the sun and possibly black paint absorbing heat, and it takes the vibrtatrion of driving. One problem will be that the bondo may end up smoother than the adjacent wood.
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
Ditto Shoeman. Bondo is great, but for a hole that size it will telegraph through the paint and probably crack eventually as the WRC expands and contracts with moisture cycles. Ideally you would find a plug cutter to make plugs of the same material, with the grain running in the same direction, as the material you took out.
Assuming this is a face-grain hole, and not an end-grain hole, a dowel will have the grain running the wrong way and will eventually work its way loose on a hole of this size.
If you can't find a plug cutter that size, you might try patching it with a dutchman. Make a template out of plywood for a square dutchman and use a router to make the recess, then glue in the dutchman with exterior glue like Gorilla or PL Premium (my favorite).
BTW, today I have to go find some 3/4" plug cutters to do exactly the same thing.
Mike
View Image
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=42292&cat=1,180,42288
Think you'll find what you (and imawanabe) are looking for there? The catalog info lists both ¾" and 1¼" cutters.
Dinosaur
A day may come when the courage of men fails,when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship...
But it is not this day.
Oooh, those look nice. I couldn't find anything at Rockler or Home Depot, the two places most convenient for me, so I ended up getting some white oak dowels. I know the grain movement won't be good, but these holes are getting covered up by slats anyway so I'm not too worried. The set looks perfect for Gene, though.
Mike
Oh, yeah. Lee Valley can make ya drool....
They ship all over the US, too, and will even bill you in US$$ so you won't get Canfu$ed, LOL....
Their delivery time to me way up here in the mountains is usually 2 days. They are amazing. As good as L.L. Bean....
Dinosaur
A day may come when the courage of men fails,when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship...
But it is not this day.
My experience with WRC and bondo is that it will NOT stick to the bare wood. It will seem to at first, but in 6 months you will be cleaning it off and repainting it. Strongly suggest you prime first if you go w/ bondo. You can do a nice job in 2-3 coats, not one. Mike is correct, though... it will eventually show a hairline crack around part of the hole. Not a bad solution for an inconspicuous location.
You can make some decent round plugs on a drill press using a hole saw with the lead drill taken out. My hole saws (are they Lenox?) allow that... just a set screw for the lead drill but the saw is still connected to the mandrel. If you can find the right hole saw ID for your forstner hole, make some plugs, taper them with a sanding block, hammer them in.
DAP 33 window glazing.
my painter turned me onto this stuff years ago ... doesn't shrink ... flexes in all weather ... stickes to most anything ... and ... is paintable.
which begs the question ... Y U asking about painting!
Find a good painter.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Rather than a plug or the hole saw idea i would consider purchasing a wing cutter for the drill press. The advantage from this is its adjustability for any future applications that may require different diameters.
I agree with all who have said fillers and caulks will not last or look professional. We use large face plugs on stair parts all the time. Don't use a dowel, the movement will be different. I'd buy a plug cutter and make some face grain plugs from some of your scraps. You'll be able to remove the plug easily if any repair or tightening is needed later.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
http://abatron.com/ - Wood Epox
I use this stuff. Very expensive and a bit tricky to work with but the end result is great. It tends to stick to your hands, gloves and knife more than to itself so get it done in one coat!
E
I've used Bondo for everything from fixing rotten corners of 150 year old window sills to fixing the windows to repairing sections of molding inside as well as outside. I even made a Bondo cast of a carved detail in a door to replace the one in the another door. Only problem I saw was 15 years later when the doors needed to be painted the Bondo part looked new.
I've had good luck so far with epoxy. Sometimes I use a technique learned from a boatbuilder and mix epoxy with sawdust for filler. I've had bad luck with Bondo. The patches I made in some old redwood siding about four years ago have all pulled away from the wood. I'm going to use wood plugs from now on.
Tom