blog 9


The next step was to start to finish the top of the stool. Because of the huge crack down the center I needed a way to make sure the crack doesn’t spread and to keep it contained. You can do this in three different ways. You can use epoxy, a butterfly, or a Dutchman. Epoxy is just filling the crack with a mixture of plastic fillings and wood dust to give it color. You mix the chemicals together and then add the wood dust and mix it into a peanut butter type thickness and then spread it into all of the cracks on the piece. You lay it in thick so make sure it goes all the way in. On my stool I used epoxy and a butterfly. A butterfly is a wooden insert that you put in a middle of a crack to keep it from spreading. You first have to cut out a butterfly. There are many models you use that have different sizes. You trace them onto a piece of wood and then cut out the major shape with the belt saw. Then you sand it down so it is similar to the model. Next you use the router to cut the hole into the stool and then get around the edge. Next you use the chisel for the final details. Then you put glue in the hole and butterfly and hammer it in. The butterfly sticks out a decent amount so then you have to sand it even to the wood. After this you are ready for the next sanding to get it down so it is not as rough. You sand it down to 80 on both sides at first to get the major blemishes out. By this point the epoxy has dried and you can sand it down to even with the stool and the crack is all filled and good to go.

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