# Patching 1/8" gap with wood filler?



## boobird (Aug 18, 2018)

My first attempt at making a shaker cabinet door…

Took a 1/2" plywood panel and rabbeted 3/8" so that it will slide in a groove. But it's not a perfect fit.

There is a 1/8" gap between the plywood and the stile piece.

Can i patch this long 1/8" gap with some type of filler? What would be the most durable material to use? Please also consider the ease of use, # of coats required, sandability, hardness etc

Readypatch?
Wood filler? 
Bondo? 
Elmer's wood filler
Durham's

From.bobvila.com









My cabinet door as seen from the back









I will be priming and painting white.


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## rickinbeachcrest (May 5, 2014)

IMHO, Wood putty or any of its ilk, have no business in fine woodworking.

I would take a 45 deg router bit and run it along all 4 edges and make it look like you did this on purpose.


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

i've used bondo for various needs

solid filler
good glue too

tape the back if the fix is all the way thru
put some from the back after the main has hardened
if needed
sand and repeat till it is nice and smooth

more hardener
is kicks faster

thats how the auto body shops do it
maybe some cream after for any slight imperfections
to final smooth
paint


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

Fill with a thin strip of the same wood. The gap will disappear.


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## TravisH (Feb 6, 2013)

Durham's likely your best option if going fill route with a "paste" type product.

I have used it to patch a board outdoors that our dog decided was a good thing to chew on years ago. No issues to this date and it has been exposed to -16 to 100 degree temperatures, rain, and sun for about 10 years now. The surface was much rougher to begin with however. It also was covered with a good exterior paint.

I would likely however not fill as see it hard that you won't get small hairline cracks in time on a door that will telegraph the old design. Not for sure about tools you have available but a router and sled set up and you could just make a square recessed shaker door look rather easy.


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## ArtMann (Mar 1, 2016)

You may have problems with hard material cracking, separating and even coming out due to differential expansion between plywood and solid wood. I know it sounds wrong but I would use painters caulk because it is flexible and will move with the material throughout the year. You have that freedon since you are painting.


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## boobird (Aug 18, 2018)

Thanks for the replies.

This is the first time i've ever used a table saw, router, etc.

When I was using the router table + tongue/groove bit, I had trouble keeping it flush against the fence.

When using a router table, is it safe to use the fence AND a miter gauge? I found that the miter gauge kept the rail piece perpendicular to the bit (when creating the tongue). without the miter gauge pushing along the rail, the piece kind of dipped into the bit and took a chunk out.


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## boobird (Aug 18, 2018)

I obviously didn't measure the center plywood panel correctly! I didn't visualize that the back panel would sit directly flush with the back rail/stiles.


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## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

Bondo.

Or live with a defect on the back of a door…............... 



> When I was using the router table + tongue/groove bit, I had trouble keeping it flush against the fence.
> 
> When using a router table, is it safe to use the fence AND a miter gauge? I found that the miter gauge kept the rail piece perpendicular to the bit (when creating the tongue). without the miter gauge pushing along the rail, the piece kind of dipped into the bit and took a chunk out.


Couple things: 1. Use a push block rather than a miter gauge on the rail ends. I screw one of those cheap plastic ones a piece of wood that serves also as a backer to prevent tear out. Be sure the piece of wood is a perfect 90° so it holds the rail ends square to bit.

2. Feather boards help guide the more precisely through the bit.

3. An insert in your fence that is cut out to match the router bit. This keeps the gaps to a minimum to the wood engages the guide bearing right away.

- boobird
[/QUOTE]


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

If you are talking about a gap on the back of the door where the panel goes slides into the groves of the styles and rails.

Since it looks like your using plywood panels you won't any appreciable movement. I would secure the panel with a couple of short pin nails from the back side, then Id run a bead of flexible paintable caulk around the door.


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

> When using a router table, is it safe to use the fence AND a miter gauge? I found that the miter gauge kept the rail piece perpendicular to the bit (when creating the tongue). without the miter gauge pushing along the rail, the piece kind of dipped into the bit and took a chunk out.
> 
> - boobird


Buy or build a coping sled. I have a small one I use for coping rail ends on cabinet doors and a really large one I use for residential door rails, where the kick rail is 9"-plus.

Here's the large one. It rides in the miter slots of the table saw (the router is in an extension wing):


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> IMHO, Wood putty or any of its ilk, have no business in fine woodworking.
> 
> I would take a 45 deg router bit and run it along all 4 edges and make it look like you did this on purpose.
> 
> - rickinbeachcrest


No harm, no foul in using fillers in/on painted projects. The professions do it all the time.


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## boobird (Aug 18, 2018)

Is it actually possible to have perfectly smooth painters caulk? It seems too viscous and impossible to sand down? Unless you're not talking about alex caulk..?


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> Is it actually possible to have perfectly smooth painters caulk? It seems too viscous and impossible to sand down? Unless you re not talking about alex caulk..?
> 
> - boobird












https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=caulking+cabinets+before+painting+


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Just use the same thing painters do with caulk…..a wet finger. Nothing complicated.


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## boobird (Aug 18, 2018)

My concern with caulk would be requiring some kind of backer rod, since the gap is rather large.

And also, it may not be perfectly flat because its not sandable?


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> My concern with caulk would be requiring some kind of backer rod, since the gap is rather large.
> 
> And also, it may not be perfectly flat because its not sandable?
> 
> - boobird


why not just make a new door then.


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

> why not just make a new door then.
> 
> - AlaskaGuy


You took the words right out of my mouth. In the time spent on this thread, he could have built several. Sometimes you just have to chalk it up to lessons learned and move on.


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## CharlesNeil (Oct 21, 2007)

if you use some body filler .. aka bondo on a painted surface 
it will solved the issue 
the key is to let the filler slightly blend over the fill
meaning it should feather into the surrounding areas 
the key is the same as in doing body work, to make the surface "proud" gently 
meaning you should have at least a 2" wide fill on that fill .
Hope this makes sense .


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## Bill_Steele (Aug 29, 2013)

I prefer the ReadyPatch for painted stuff.


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Rip a strip of matching wood, that matches the rail/stile….and glue that into the gap.


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