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I am working on a walnut table top. It is 1 3/4" thick &@" long and 49" wide. It is made of 3 pieces 12", 25",12". On the bottom of the top there is a large void in the center section which is the 25" piece. It is 1 3/16" deep at its deepest point. It is 44 inches long and 8 inches wide at its widest point. I was considering filling it with West Epoxy system but was concerned that it might lead to splitting of the top as the wood expands and contracts. Does anyone think this is a bad idea and are there any suggestions as what i could do to fill it in. I need it level as the table skirt of the pedestal base runs right over it.
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Thanks for your help
Mulligan
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Route out a rectangular pocket and glue in a piece of walnut.
John
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When filling large voids in mesquite with epoxy (not West, if that matters) we'd sometimes see cracks in the epoxy fill down the road, but not any cracking in the surrounding wood caused by the epoxy itself. It might be easier to do as John suggests, but the epoxy shouldn't be a concern if you choose to go with that.
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you may not need to fill it in with anything since it is on the bottom. I would recommend making some large butterflies that span the gap (probably 5-6 spaced along the length) letting the "waist" of the butterfly float in the middle while the ends are buried in either side of the gap. This should prevent any further cracking of the joint.
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For a void on the bottom, I wouldn't even worry about filling it.
If I were to fill it, I'd do what was suggested above: rout the void out square and inlay a piece of matching wood to fill in the void.
Steve S.
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The damage looks to be waterlogged and unstable.
As you wrote, it's also only 9/16" thick at the worst location.
I would mill it and fill it.
I'm thinking router sled to waste the punky wood and glue in stable walnut.
However, it's your table.
Gary
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