What do you use for filling nail holes?

Re: What do you use for filling nail holes?

My favorite is TimberMate.

https://ardec.ca/en/p/452/timbermate-woodfiller#&gid=1&pid=1

For fine furniture, burn in sticks

2nd the TimberMate

Re: For fine furniture, burn in sticks

I didn't think people used nails for fine furniture. I sure don't. Well not since the first two pieces of furniture I made my wife in 1976.

Re: What do you use for filling nail holes?

Ralph L: I have not heard of or seen anyone doing that in years. The old timers I knew called it "Blind Nailing." Somewhere I have a small almost miniature plane specifically designed to cut and lift the wood strip. Believe it was an old Lee Valley product?? Thanks for making me remember!

It is the normal way to install molding in Period Furniture

You said fine furniture, not period furniture

Ii's hard to reply to a moving target. You didn't say period furniture, just fine furniture. I made a living making fine furniture for 8 years and didn't use a single nail.

Thanks...

I have heard of Timbermate, I will give it a try.  Is it reversible, that is if it dries out can you wet it and continue to use it?

Bill I have some burn in sticks, I will try them when appropriate.  Used them when I repaired antiques.  been watching some of the guys making slab tables use a hot glue gun with colored glue sticks and a block of aluminum as a heat sink.  Interesting.

And I have used the idea of lifting a tab, nailing, and glue the tab down trick.

And glue and saw dust.

Thanks for the ideas.

A caution about burn in sticks

Burn in sticks are the standard way to replace small volumes of wood in furniture restoration.  They have the same utility in building fine furniture as they do in repair.  They can be blended and grain added later to exactly match a volume of wood that needs to be added, be it a chip, wood defect or "nail" hole.  (in the context of fine furniture the "nail" could be a brad or pin from a pin nailer or whatever fastener is needed for the situation)

However when used on new wood there is a problem.  The exact match on the new wood may not be as the new wood and its finish ages.  When installing molding, for example, I try to anticipate the color the wood will become. I help my case by installing brads or pins in locations where color or grain variations in the wood blend with the filled hole. 

As an aside, it is a treat to watch a professional add a missing volume of wood.  I got to watch the lady that did repair for one of the fine furniture companies demo burn in sticks at the IWF show in Atlanta.  She invited me to extract a divot from a finished piece of red oak.  Ooooh, that looked bad.  She laid a piece of glass over the spot, then mixed burn in sticks on the glass above to get a perfect match of color.  This mix was flowed into the hole, patted to squeeze any bubbles out, then leveled.  A graining pen extended the grain lines across the fill.  A spritz of new lacquer and the damage disappeared, even when viewed at close range.  I'm not that good but I can almost make "nail holes" vanish in my fine furniture.  If the hole is too perfectly round, nicking this unnatural shape with a chisel to roughen the shape will make the fill look like a normal variation in the wood.  Cherry is easy to fix because holes can be made into "natural" gum pockets. 

Re: reversible

 Is it reversible, that is if it dries out can you wet it and continue to use it?

Yes, you can always add a little water to the container and mix if the contents dry out.

Re: A caution about burn in sticks

Amazing what I pickup here and realize I have gotten this far without knowing to mix the color on a piece of glass right on top of the work.  Thanks for that...

I recently built a table out of two big slabs of white oak.  Not a river table but it had a full length serpentine joint right down the middle. Nearly invisible.  To make it possible to disassemble the table I used threaded inserts in the underside so I could bolt and unbolt the legs.  Drilled the holes for the inserts with a stop collar on the bit.  The collar slipped and I drilled through the top.  I repaired the hole in the top side by carving it out to make it look like some of the other damage in the top and not the nice round hole.  Worked well.  (Now I no longer use the worthless bastard stop collars.  I cut a piece of plastic pipe and slip it over the drill bit and drill away.  Much more reliable.  But then I don't get to practice my decorative hole patching abilities or use as many of my four letter words.)

Re: A caution about burn in sticks

Plastic sleeve for drilling depth.  Great idea!  Thanks

Interesting Idea

How many "sleeves" do you have?  Do they fit the drills tightly or get fixed to the drill chuck some way?

C'mon, Barry, details please.

Re: Interesting Idea, I must ahve dozed off...

Sorry for the slow response.  I have about four sleeves and a spare piece of half inch plastic pipe to cut more from.  I use two of them with my Kreg bit which has a stop collar that has proven reliable.  When I use that bit without the jig I use the sleeves to determine the depth.  One is cut to just the right length to barely counterbore the head of the screw and the other is shorter to allow for plugging the hole with a 3/8" plug that I make out of matching wood.  If I am not using the Kreg bit I cut one of the sleeves to use with whatever bit I am using.  I just slip it over the bit and let it bear against the chuck.  By holding it in my left paw I can keep it from spinning and marking the surface.  Allows me to guide the drill bit with precision to the spot for the hole.

I really did have the bit plunge through the surface of a nice oak table and had several other stop collars slide up the bit, making the hole deeper and deeper.  Part of the problem is you have to remove the chips to let the collar come to bear or the hole may not be deep enough.  The little tape flag on the bit will do that but is also subject to creeping up the bit.  OTOH, the little pipe sleeve will clear the chips if you let it spin and is not bothered much if you don't.  And the worse thing that happens is you fail to fully tighten the chuck, the bit retracts, and the hole is too shallow which is not a disaster. (You'd think I was selling these)

Also, I really do like the Kreg screws and other similar washer head screws.  Because the underside of the head is flat, they come to bear firmly on the bottom of the counterbore or surface and are very difficult to over drive.  I find the combination of the Kreg bit and the washer head screws to be excellent.  Square drive is much better than Phillips.  Lowes carries other similar screws.