Filling Voids, Cracks And Checks When Woodturning On A Budget
Anthony Christopher from our Facebook Woodturning Group.
“Looking for a reasonable option for epoxy to fill voids in wood before tuning. Not wanting to spend a lot.”
Gene Lord said, ” mix some saw dust & CA in the cheap & works for me void”
Chris Lunde says, “Coffee and epoxy”
Cheap Source For CA and
Epoxy For Woodturning
You can get some cheap epoxy at harbor freight, I found the best cheap approach for epoxy is the 5 minute epoxy….lets you start working it right away…. https://amzn.to/2BLvrHR then again, as someone mentioned, mix some CA with shavings, sawdust or coffee grounds and it doesn’t get much cheaper ….. however, if you have bigger checks and cracks you are going to want to go the 5 minute epoxy route ….just my opinion 🙂
Here’s the deal…for CA. There are times when you want to use the thin CA ….so it penetrates deep into the check or crack and then push some sawdust, shavings or coffee grounds into it. Also, you will find yourself in a position that the crack or check is so big that the thin CA just disappears into the wood, then you will want to use a medium thick or a thick Ca to place into your damaged area and mix some coffee grounds or sawdust/shavings into.
Thin CA https://amzn.to/2MNea7c
Medium CA https://amzn.to/2MNzB8d
Thick CA https://amzn.to/2Jn1K3S
Collect CA and Epoxy So You Are Prepared to
Tackle Any Flaw As It Arises While You Are Woodturning
If you plan on doing much turning you should try to get yourself set up with a supply of the 3 CA’s and some cheap 5 minute epoxy. You do not want to use the 5 minute epoxy for finishing. I use a food safe brand for the last couple of years, works good but you only need it if you are using for a finish ….called Max Clear…..pretty easy to work with but as with most epoxy finishes you need to be set up to rotate your cup or bowl, use a hot air gun to kill the bubbles and you get an awesome glossy finish if that’s what you are after https://amzn.to/2BNHEM4
Then, there are times when you probably should use epoxy but you can get away with medium thick to thick CA ….first apply the thin CA, then apply the thicker CA and quickly rub some sawdust or coffee grounds into the check or crack.
Grinding Coffee Grounds For Filling Woodturning Cracks
I stole one of our old coffee grinders from the kitchen and brought it into the shop, first I dry the old coffee grounds, then I grind them in the small grinder so it is nice and fine. I have also used walnut shells from some sandblasting products that I purchased from harbor freight.
You can actually take your coffee grounds, mix a small amount of shavings and grind that up and force into the CA or epoxy for a nice look.
Cracks and Checks Become The Focal Point For A Unique Woodturning
When turning wood, you will sooner or later run into checks, cracks and deformed pieces of wood. Knowing how to use CA and Epoxy for quick fixes will save a project and more often than not …..add a beauty and uniqueness to the woodturning that you would never have guessed could or would have happened!