what is the best way to 'fill the gaps' ?

[Simon]

as i finish the planking on my first-build Whitehall tender I can see rather a lot of daylight between the planks ! What is the best way to fill these gaps....should I be collecting up the saw dust to make some sort of paste ?  I want to varnish the hull but I know this will just enhance each and every defect (no shortage of those I'm afraid !).

 

any ideas welcome

thanks

Simon

[Shazmira]

If this is the only planking layer then a stainable wood filler. Elmers and Minwax make them.

[Geoff Matson]

I too am into the sawdust and white glue mix

[lamarvalley]

Sawdust and glue is a nice filler if the gaps are minor otherwise they will show too much as they accept the stain/varnish/finish differently than the solid planks. If the gaps are severe, maybe start cutting fillers from the same planking material and fitting them into the larger gaps.... I think a varied planking can look pretty good and maybe better than one that has a LOT of non-wood filler or glue laden sawdust.

Now, if you paint then smooth is the goal then and a good filler may not show as such. Never used the Elmer's with wood fibers... some swear by it.

[S.Coleman]

I'd have to say PVA and sawdust works every time. Try experimenting with a scrap piece with colored fillers if your not too sure.

[Simon]

wow...didnt expect so much input ! many thanks to all and I am going to experiment with the pvc glue+ sawdust combination and  separately see what I can find locally for wood stains and fillers. Unfortunately living in Brazil we don´t have much - if anything- in the way of hobby shops but I can check out what furniture makers use (by the way, am not complaining about living in Rio - hobbies here are very much the outdoor kind, and generally involve a beach !).

 

cheers

Simon

[bogeygolpher]

One final thought.

 

Regardless of what you use to fill the areas, make sure you mask the surrounding area unless you intend to paint the surface.  It really doeas not matter what you use for filler it needs to be confined to only the spot being filled.  The filler material will get into the pores of the surrounding wood and you will have tremendous difficulty applying a uniform stain.  Sanding will not help because the material will be in imbedded into the grain.  If it cannot be prevented, I have found that using a gel stain will produce the best results.  Gels do not absorb like liquids and using them is almost like painting on a finish.

[shawn32671]

Apologies for my ignorance but what is PVA?, I see several postings elsewhere here about it but not on what it is.

[SkerryAmp]

To get technical, PVA is Polyvinyl Acetate.   That is what PVA stands for.  As for what it is -  it's a fancy name for White Glue or any of in the white glue family because those glues use a PVA base, the differences betweent them come with the other stuff that may be in the glue..

 

Elmers, Carpenters Glue, Tack Glue etc etc.

Edited November 16, 2013 by SkerryAmp

[cdogg]

Sawdust is the way to go.  Wood filler can work great but sometimes it changes color and sticks out really bad after staining or putting sealer on.

[shawn32671]

Thank you Adam.

[Q A's Revenge]

Not helpful for this build I know but it illustrates what experienced builders on here have been saying about the importance of edge gluing and getting tight joints. ;-)

[SpencerC]

I have the best method. Tried and true works every time. Take some medium CA (gap filling) and with a glue tip extender put a healthy amount of glue into the gap, then sand over it until a ton of sawdust cover the gap and glue, wait for the glue to dry then blow on the hull to remove the excess dust. The gap will be filled with a seamless "wood filler". If there is a slight bump just sand it down. It works so well for me everytime that it is the only method I trust.

 

Now, of the gap is too large take one of your planks and turn if sideways and insert it into the gap. Then use an xacto blade to trim the excess. Sand it down and you're good to go.

[mtaylor]

If you're worried about the finish having problems with the PVA and sawdust, use some of your finish and sawdust.  I'm using a matte varnish and it works well.  I've not tested this with other finishes.

[SpencerC]

The traditional PVA (white glue)  and sawdust mix I found is better because it gives you some time before drying - CA sets tooooo quickly for my aging reflexes.

Gotta be quick!

[HIPEXEC]

I just did my first experiment with making and using my own wood filler. I had been collecting the dark sawdust from the Sapele wood I used on my hull. I took a small amount of it and made a thick mud using a few drops of water, then mixed in some white glue until it looked like the commercial wood fillers I had used in the past. I applied this paste to various nail holes and small cracks in a few palces on the hull and and let it dry overnight. What a nice surprise when it set up nice and hard and was very sandable and blended in just fine. Thanks for the tips I got on this great website.

[Mike Y]

Is there any trick how to collect the dust to mis it with the glue? I had quite a lot of dust from my planking, it was resting on a belt sander, but it was absolutely not enough for mixing it with glue. Trying to come up with some dust collecting tool..

[jud]

Mike Y, sounds like you have a dust collector on that belt sander, if so, that's where the dust will be.

jud

[Mike Y]

It's a small belt sander, it has a pipe to collect the vacuum cleaner, but if I do it, all the dust will go into it

 

I feel like it's really something simple, but can't find a way to collect enough dust with it. Maybe with some manual tool? 

[shawn32671]

I'd be scared to death to use a power belt sander working on a wood ship, I'm scared enough using my small vibration type electric palm sander on stubborn areas but like Spyglass said, even if you just manual sand a bunch of scrap planking and sweep all the dust in a little pile, you should have plenty to use for making some gap filler.

Edited December 27, 2013 by shawn

[JesseLee]

I have saved up a small plastic container of sawdust. Anytime you do any sanding at all by hand whatever amount of dust is left on the table brush it into the container. Do this every time & it will pile up!