AlexPeel Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 So I have glued up the slabs and after removing the clamps I realized I have a slight problem with the front slab. On one end there is a gap between two of the boards that I can see light through that runs about 6-8 inches. I will be cutting off some of this but I dont think that will be more then 5 inches. So on the final size I expect that this area will still be included. Looks like there was some snipe causing a high spot right at the end of one of the boards keeping them slightly apart. That and probably not enough clamping pressure. Is this something that I need to address? I figure pouring additional PVA glue into this gap will not do much, as PVA is not gap filling and wont bond to itself when dry. I have epoxy and am figuring I could fill the crack with this. Any other suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Static_23 Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 I would go with the epoxy idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwatkins Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 Without major surgerory there's not much you can do about it now. If I were in your shoes I'd place the gap at the opposing end from the vise, cut off as much as you can and fill the rest with epoxy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexPeel Posted February 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 I realized that I can probably saw down the joint about half an inch and the kerf of the saw should remove the high spot which was keeping the boards apart. This way I could reclamp while using the epoxy. It might get rid of the gap all together without merely filling it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morton Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 I would first not worry about it at all unless it's causing you trouble. Then I would fill with epoxy. Just blue tape around the end and underneath and pour in the epoxy. May take a couple of times to get it all the way filled. Epoxy is easily leveled with a hand plane or scraper on the surface - no big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMarcel Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 Might be a fun excuse to put a bowtie across the gap then fill it. If you're just going to fill it with epoxy, you'll want to thicken it either with epoxy fillers or sawdust; when it's near the top, push in a long wedge; likely will completely hide the gap. Not a bad chance to practice a fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexPeel Posted February 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 Well the gap is only about 1/32" of an inch. I think if it gets filled by straight epoxy it will not really be noticeable at all. I have seen the crack and repair videos that Mark has posted using epoxy and I was thinking of doing exactly that. Should be easy enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexPeel Posted February 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 Speaking of the epoxy viscosity. Anyone know if the West Systems epoxy is thinner with the fast or the slow hardener? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewoodwhisperer Posted February 23, 2012 Report Share Posted February 23, 2012 I have found the slow hardener to be less viscous. But these are not brand new cans either. Over time, the regular hardener becomes a caramel color and gets a little thicker. The slow hardener seems to stay clear and hasn't thickened up much at all. When they are fresh, either hardener would be adequately "pourable" for filling applications. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexPeel Posted February 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2012 Well after looking at the temperature ratings between the slow (206) and fast (205) I had to go with the fast. Just slightly to cold for the slow. I was able to saw along the seam and remove the hump that was keeping the wood apart. I then made a little container out of tape to dam in the epoxy. Poured the epoxy, and waited for an hour then I clamped it up. Reason I waited so long to clamp is to let the epoxy fully penetrate the crack, as it was very thin already. I then removed the excess epoxy, which was much thicker at this point, and the tape. The crack seems to have closed nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morton Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 Sweet! And some practice + learning in the process Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFPtrader Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 I ran into the same problem on the first slab I built. Didn't notice the gap on the dry fit, but then noticed it after pulling the clamps off after glue up. Fortunately I'm building a shorter version of the bench and I had enough board length to get around the problem. The lesson learned here for the second slab was to hand plane off any irregularity caused by snipe. The second slab was perfect. Nice job on your fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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