Wood filler

[Dave]

I am making a picture frame that has three kerf grooves about 1/8" into the frames. The plan calls for an inlay of a contrasting wood. I don't have the right tools to make the inlays of wood and don't want to spend the money on the wood for such a small project. My thoughts originally was just to leave the kerf cut there as an accent detail, but after looking at it and much thought I was thinking of using a dark walnut woodfiller in the kerf cut grooves. Any thoughts on this? Will this stand the test of time and last a lifetime? What else do I need to consider with this idea? Any suggestions at all would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks Dave

If anybody wants I could post a Pic of the project so you could get a better idea of my problem ( concern )

[Nova]

How about using inlace?

[Andy]

Sure, I have some thoughts, though I have to say they're not based on experience with the exact situation you describe, just conjecture. I'd guess the wood filler would not last as long as real wood - I can imagine it cracking, drying out, etc., and not looking very good. Why are you concerned about the cost of wood to fill it in? Assuming 1/8" x 1/8" strips, a piece of walnut that was 1" square x the length of your frame should theoretically be more than enough wood, even with losses to kerf width. Even if you got a 1x2" piece to have a bunch of leftover, and it was 24" long, you're talking 0.33 bd ft, which is less than $2 worth of decent walnut. Ask a local hardwood dealer if they have a scrap bin. Maybe someone here would even be willing to send you a little stick of walnut. Just rip it down (carefully, with pushsticks, on a bandsaw if possible) a little wide, sand to fit, glue it in, and use a little walnut dust with the glue if there are tiny gaps. I'd try a few practice kerfs on scrap (and still have wood left over). Just my 2 cents, Andy

[Leuf]

Rockler also sells 1/8" thick lumber, and I'm sure you can find enough other stuff to buy to make the shipping less significant ;) But yeah, there's nothing wrong with having a bit of nice wood leftover for the next time.

-Leuf

[Tim]

It won't look like wood, but will work. Make a prototype before you do the picture frame and see if you can live with it.

[Lew Hodgett]

Colored epoxy.

Lew

[Prometheus]

Hi Dave-

This might be easier than you think. I'm assuming you have a table saw that you used to cut kerfs in question, right? If the answer is yes, then all you have to do is set your fence to 1/8" for a full kerf blade, or 3/16" for a narrow kerf, and rip your contrasting wood. You can rip it again in the other direction to get it closer to the depth of your kerf if you like, but it's very easy to sand or chisel off in any case, because the kerf is thin.

Run a bead of glue down the kerfs in the frame, and press the strips you ripped in. Sand, plane, scrape or chisel them down until they're at the height you want them at, and then cut the miters from the finished stock. If you've already got the miters cut, no problem- cut the strips close to where they need to be, then sand them flush with the mitered corner.

I've done this a number of times, and it's much simpler than it may seem if you haven't tried it. Should even be possible with a circular saw with a rip fence if you're careful.

I would avoid the wood filler, myself. It likes to pop out. If you want to fill it with a chemical compound instead of wood, I'd try tinting some clear epoxy to the color I wanted and use that. Can even mix in some metal or stone chips for visual interest if you like.

[Stephen M]

Ditto.... wood filler will look like ....well, woodfiller. Epoxy will give you an accent line that just a solid color of whatever pigment or filler you add. Coffee, ground to a powder, added to epoxy will give you a nice dark brown.

[fredfighter]

If you use a good material it should be fine.

You can mix 3 lb shellac with wood flour to make a srned good wood filler. Or you can do the same with epoxy and I've read that you can use tempura paint pigments in epoxy. Or, if grey is appropriate, use JB-weld, a metal-filled epoxy commonly found in hardware stores.

Black walnut fades to an amber color as it ages, and it also can take on a chatoyance that the fillers will lack.

[greg]

How about taking a piece or two of wood you already have, stain it to a contrasting color, and then use that. Should work fine, and no filler probs.

[J. Clarke]

Woodcraft usually has thin lumber in stock.

Midwest Hobbies has a whole line of thin lumber (they sell it under the "Microwood" brand IIRC) that is carried by many hobby shops and craft supply stores.

[JimR]

This also sounds like a candidate for painting. For a moulding I painted the overall molding with a semi-gloss, that added a gold paint over the decorative grooves. I used a small brush to make sure the grooves were filled, then used a rag to wipe off all of the gold glaze except that trapped in the grooves. The gold color grooves really sets off the deep red wood of the frame -- and you could go the opposite direction, with a light-colored wood and dark red (or other dark color) glaze in the grooves. Regards --