From the page: The pallet hides amazing furniture
Idea 9
Hole filling
Woodworkers have always used the sawdust from their own cuts as repair filler — mixed with glue, it becomes a paste that fills, dries firm and takes sanding. It works because the two materials are "relatives": the sawdust fuses with the surrounding wood instead of looking like a patch glued on top.
What you need
- Fine sawdust from the pallet itself or from any sanding/cutting
- White glue (PVA) or wood glue
- Spatula, old knife or plastic card
- Medium and fine sandpaper
- A small container for mixing
How to make it
-
1
Gather fine sawdust and mix it with glue little by little until it becomes a creamy, dense paste, similar to peanut butter — if it's too runny, it shrinks as it dries.
-
2
Clean the holes, cracks and nail marks in the wood, removing loose dust, so the paste adheres directly to the firm surface.
-
3
Press the paste into the holes with the spatula, compacting well from the start — air inside the fill leaves a void once dry.
-
4
Smooth the surface slightly above the level of the wood, because the paste shrinks a little as it dries.
-
5
Wait for it to dry completely (a few hours, more for a deep hole) and sand until flush with the surrounding surface.
-
6
Wipe away the dust with a damp cloth and the piece is ready for ebonizing, paint or varnish.
Finishing touches
If you plan to ebonize afterwards, do the filling first and apply the tea and iron solution over the paste too — it darkens along with the wood and the repair becomes almost invisible. Save the dry sawdust from each project in a jar; it always serves as the wood's "band-aid".
This is one of the ideas from the full page — see all the possibilities.
This page feeds the collective knowledge 🌱 — every discovery makes the next answer better.