Regarding wood filler and staining oak.....?

Question

I am building an entertainment center out of oak, and certain spots need wood filler. I know fairly well the sand, clean, stain, sand, polyurethane procedure, but where in this is the best time to use wood filler, and any tips on techniques or brands?

Answer 1

Avoid wood filler if at all possible, in my experience there is no such thing as a stain-able filler. If you are trying to fill a gap in a joint, set a table saw at 2 degrees and cut a wafer thin taper of oak to fill the gap. If the gap is too small for this, then a spot of wood glue and sanding should suffice. If you have a dent in the surface a spot of water and an electric iron should lift it out. If you are trying to fill nail holes, after staining the piece fill the holes with a color matched putty. If you have something like a hole or a tear in the surface the final resort is wood-filler. Visit the local Library and find a book on wood graining, which will explain how to "paint" over the defect.

Answer 2

Stainable Wood Filler

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Regarding wood filler and staining oak.....?
I am building an entertainment center out of oak, and certain spots need wood filler. I know fairly well the sand, clean, stain, sand, polyurethane procedure, but where in this is the best time to use wood filler, and any tips on techniques or brands?

Answer 4

definitely avoid wood filler at all costs. There are things you can do....if the indent is small a drop or two of water can help the fibers expand back out. Often this is all that is necessary.
Now comes the hard part...filling gaps and the like. Hopefully you double checked all your pieces before assembly and they should be minimal. But it you just can't avoid filler...look for one you can tint before you apply it...that helps.
Most wood fillers say they are stainable but the color and 'texture' will be off...so aim for one as close to the finished stain color as possible.
Sanding is an art, yes it's a pain, but when done correctly can eliminate the majority of problems. Take your time with it....it cannot be rushed. Your finish will be 100 times more beautiful if you do.
Always start with the coarsest Sandpaper to remove the worst blemishes first, then proceed towards the finer grits separately. Sanding your sheet even before cutting is nice because a large flat surface is easier to work on than all the nook and crannies and edges you will have to contend with later.

This is an important step: the "process of sanding a workpiece where a woodworker uses progressively finer pieces of sandpaper to get a smooth finish. By going through the grits each progressive piece of sandpaper removes the scratches from the previous piece. Skipping grits to save time is not necessarily a good idea. You will often end up sanding longer just to remove the scratches left by the previous grit. This is more important with harder woods like maple than it is with softer woods like pine."
"In most cases you can stop sanding at 150 or 180-grit. If you plan to use a water-based stain it’s best to sand up to a 200-grit sandpaper. This is because water based stains can tend to pickup and magnify a scratch. It can also be a waste of time to sand with very fine sandpaper. Sanding maple with 400-grit sandpaper, for example, will tend to seal off the grain and prevent finishes from penetrating."

Also, be sure to remove all traces of glue or that will repel stain as well.

Answer 5

You use wood filler only when you need to fill a bad spot. Always use a stainable wood filler or glue. Then let it dry, sand lightly, and use your stain.

Answer 6

from my own experience you want to use the wood filler as little as possible it sticks out like a sore thumb it may say that it is stain able but it never stains like the wood does

as far as when to use it after you have sanded the top layer off and then put it in the places that need it but do not wipe it off with a putty knife but leave a little there so that you can sand it off so that you don't pull the putty out of the hole

Answer 7

If you are planning to start on your woodworking project, this isn't something you should use, it's something that you would be insane not to. Go here https://tr.im/z65ME
Truth is, I've been a carpenter for almost 36 years, and I haven't found anything like this for less than 10's of thousands of dollars.