HELP, oak project pack boards are split and have knots falling out.

[kgill]

Hello, oh wise and knowledgeable ones.

My lovely wife got me an "Oak Project Pack" of timber for my birthday a while ago, yeah I know she's very kind and most people wouldn't touch a project pack with a barge pole. I have managed to make a few bits out of the good bits in the pack, so can't complain...however I'm now left with 3 boards which I need some help with - please see pictures below.

The question is do I just cut off and discard the questionable sections (which feels like a sacrilegious waste of good wood) OR do I try and fix, stabilise, repair etc etc and perhaps even make a feature out of the... I'm hesitant to call them faults, let's say issues.
I'd like to make a dovetail box a la Rob Cosman with the hidden hinge lid.
My understanding is that my options include;
Glue and saw dust - never been a fan as its never really worked well for me.
Resin - I do have some but always feels like such a faff with the prep and taping everything up to stop leakage. Plus I've never managed to sand it to a high polish.
Just simple super glue in the small knots - has worked for me in the past but these ones are a bit big.
Any and all help, advice and guidance would be much appreciated!
Thanks
K

 

[Bingy man]

Presumably you have off cuts from what you have already used - if so use these off cuts to repair the large knots using suitable plug cutters drill out the knots and replace with the pieces drilled from the off cuts. As for the splits my choice would be wood filler ( the type you mix with water) but instead of water use a water based stain ( colron refined ) it dries quickly and is easy to sand. Try it on a scrap piece to get the amount of filler/ stain. I find the 2 part fillers can get into the pores of the wood and are difficult to remove.

 

[recipio]

You can glue the split. PVA is fine and work it into the split with a slip of veneer and clamp closed. It will give a near invisible finish. The pips are part of the oak and best left alone. The larger knots are best replaced with wooden plugs. You will probably need a 16 mm cutter or larger. It's vital to match the swirl of the oak as closely as possible and preferably from the same board . For the tiny cracks I always think its a mistake to try and hide them. Filler tends to stand out once the finish goes on. I like to use a hot melt black lacquer stick as it tends to run into the cracks by a kind of osmosis. It's easier on the eye than a mismatched filler. Best of luck !

 

[niall Y]

Hmm........... this is what some sellers would call "character oak"

Another way of dealing with the knots is to fill any holes or indents with a two-part filler .I tend to go for matching the darkest bits. And for this purpose I have a selection of these fillers in pine ,mahogany and ebony which i intermix to get the right match.,

Splits at the end of boards can sometimes be glued and clamped to pull them together, If they are close enough to an edge you can use a screw to accomplish this. The head can then be disguised with a plug A round one is easiest, though a diamond profile is often less visible. If you do bury a screw in the wood, it's best to mark it in someway just in case you cut into it at later stage.

 

[johnnyb]

the first skill(and difficult)when making stuff is material selection. if I was you I wouldn't use a lot of that wood. maybe the pippy bits. do you think Rob cosman would use wood that had big patched bits? a box is something where every bit will be examined.

 

[Hornbeam]

Before doing any repair work, look at your project cutting sizes and see how these can best be accommodated leaving out the worse defects
If you do have to include defects I would not cut out and plug the knots as they will stand out like a sore thumb. Better to stabilise with a CA glue and then use a filler which could be epoxy/wood and sawdust/commercial filler
For the small splits I would use a thin CA glue and while it is still wet. sand the area locally. This forces sawdust into the split and bonds in very well
While you may question the quality of the wood in general highly figured burrs etc often need these sort of repairs so use your wood as a learning process
Ian

 

[Steve_Scott]

You can glue the split. PVA is fine and work it into the split with a slip of veneer and clamp closed. It will give a near invisible finish. The pips are part of the oak and best left alone. The larger knots are best replaced with wooden plugs. You will probably need a 16 mm cutter or larger. It's vital to match the swirl of the oak as closely as possible and preferably from the same board . For the tiny cracks I always think its a mistake to try and hide them. Filler tends to stand out once the finish goes on. I like to use a hot melt black lacquer stick as it tends to run into the cracks by a kind of osmosis. It's easier on the eye than a mismatched filler. Best of luck !

Agree on filler…. A black contrast is somehow far less obvious (or perhaps offensive) than a slightly off colour match. I’ve never been a fan of the pva and sawdust fix but I’m hardly an expert woodworker so might just be incompetent!

 

[kgill]

THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!