Fixing split in benchtop
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- This topic has 4 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 5 years, 3 months ago by Larry Geib.
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Hi,
My benchtop has been resting against the wall while I make the other workbench components, and after a sudden drop in humidity it has split at the middle glue joint on one edge. The split is 1mm wide, 2 cm deep and 12 cm long.
I tried clamping it to see if it would close but it doesn’t move at all.
Should I just fill it with woodfiller or epoxy and move on, or is it a better solution to cut out a slot and patch it with another piece of wood?
I appreciate any hints or help anyone can offer.
Hi AT, You certainly could use wood filler. But that may not be strong enough. I would use thickened epoxy, but I am a boatbuilder, biased toward epoxy. Another solution would be wood glue thickened with wood powder. All easier than cutting a slot and fitting a strip of wood. Perhaps not as neat looking as the wood strip.
20 January 2019 at 2:52 am #554623I agree. Fill it with thickened epoxy and build on. It’s just a workbench and I bet you won’t notice the fix when you’re happily cutting dovetails, tenons and mortises on it! Someday, when you develop the skills, inlay some fancy wood in that spot.
Jim
- This reply was modified 5 years, 3 months ago by Jim Thornton.
21 January 2019 at 11:10 pm #554638Thicken the epoxy a little with wood flour or my favorite, carbon black. Overfill it a little and sand back flush for a mat finish.
Then put a couple butterfly keys in the top and plane them flush also to stabilize the crack. Taper the key a little for a tight fit.
All the online tutorials I see show using a power router to let in the key, but it goes just as quick with a chisel and hand router ( or just chisels).
The end result will look like you planned it all.
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