About the Fabrication of Wood Filler
- To make wood filler putty, you have to use sawdust and a liquid carrier, usually wood glue. If you consistently use natural-color wood for your projects, you may have a hard time finding a wood filler that matches your work. This is when fabricating your own wood filler works best. Use some of the sawdust from the catch bin on your table saw to make the wood filler you need. This will assure you that the final color of the wood filler will match your work piece. In addition, if you stain your projects, use a stainable wood glue for your liquid carrier, the final stain you apply to the wood will blend in with the filler, making it nearly impossible to see.
- Dump a handful of sawdust on a mixing tray. Make sure to pick out any shavings or splinters from the sawdust. Next, dump wood glue on top of the sawdust and mix it thoroughly with a paint stick until the two have completely blended together. You'll only want to add enough glue to the sawdust to give it a thick consistency that is relatively easy to spread. It should be just slightly thicker than the consistency of peanut butter.
- Homemade wood filler can be sanded just like you would sand the rest of your project, with one exception. If you try to hand-sand it, you may end up with a slight bulge in the center of the filled spot. For this reason, it's best to always use a sanding block when you are sanding down dried wood filler. This will ensure your surrounding wood and the wood filler are sanded down evenly.
- Homemade wood filler does not need any special protection unless it is used on outdoor furniture. If the wood is going to be exposed to moisture, it could cause the wood glue used to suspend the saw dust to soften. To protect outdoor furniture which uses wood glue, use a polyurethane sealant on the wood after the wood filler has been allowed to dry and has been sanded. This will prevent moisture from entering the wood filler and damaging the furniture.
