# Filling cracks in turned wood bowls



## Lone Goose

Many of my turned bowls have hairline and sometimes much larger cracks that I'd like to fill with some clear product. I'd prefer to fill the crack(s) before applying my poly finish. Other successful products and techniques are welcome.
Thanks:


----------



## firehawkmph

LG,
I use CA glue for the smaller cracks from hairlines to about a 1/16" separation. If it's a wider gap than that, I'll use 5 minute, two-part epoxy. The excess CA glue will sand off easily enough, the epoxy I turn off the excess. It cuts fine and sands once set up.
Mike Hawkins


----------



## Woodychips

CA glue and fine wood dust packed into the cracks works well. Keep in mind that the repair always turns darker than the rest of the wood so you will need to use a much lighter wood dust than the original wood. Also, do a light sanding in the glue area right after applying the CA. Don't wait for the glue to dry. This hides the repair a bit too.


----------



## Bill Boehme

For hairline cracks, I use super thin CA. If there is visible separation, I use Starbond brown medium thickness CA -- it's not really brown, it's a pale amber that works well in most wood species because it looks more like a natural resin canal rather than something fake that I used to fill a crack. If there is a natural void or bark inclusion that needs some repair work, I will sometimes mix coffee grounds with CA or epoxy. It does a nice job of imitating decayed inclusions. I will usually pack some dry grounds on top of the glue to achieve the final effect.

Sometimes out of necessity I use the fast set epoxy, but if I have a choice, I prefer the 60 minute epoxy because it will have less trapped air by the time that it has set.

I turn a lot of mesquite which frequently has ring shake with large gaps. If it is in a location that will cause problems, I will separate the two pieces and use epoxy putty to do some "reconstructive surgery" to replace the missing wood. It's a tedious process mimicking the adjacent wood grain, but it can be convincing.

I tried mixing sanding dust with glue about a dozen years ago because that is what many other turners suggested. When I saw the results, I decided that it was most definitely not to my liking.


----------



## 44260

Lone Goose, this is a way of filling large cracks. It is not using a clear filler and looks like it can take some time but looks like it may work. I myself have not tried this but, I just came across on You Tube last night, but since you got the attention of other turners I thought I would post it. This is a 3 part video series, I watched the first video and the begining of the second one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_u-hxj3yZo


----------



## Lone Goose

Woodychips said:


> CA glue and fine wood dust packed into the cracks works well. Keep in mind that the repair always turns darker than the rest of the wood so you will need to use a much lighter wood dust than the original wood. Also, do a light sanding in the glue area right after applying the CA. Don't wait for the glue to dry. This hides the repair a bit too.


Thanks for your reply. The cracks I have a need to fill thus far are much smaller and do not need the major type surgery shown on the You Tube.
I will use the info if I do need major fillings in the future.
Thank You.


----------

