HI -

I'm hoping for some help refinishing a dear table that my father had made for me.  It's pine and was crafted using some very old planks which had spent 50+ years in an old barn. That being said, this wood is ridden with worm holes that give it a lot of character.  When the table was originally finished, most of these holes were not filled, which has resulted in moisture getting in them, and I now need to re-finish it.  Having seen a number of YouTube videos and looking around on the web, I think the right product for filling the holes is a Starbond CA glue.  I'm thinking of using a product called Citrustrip to remove the original finish, but my quandary is that I'm concerned that the stripper will get stuck in all the worm holes and create a bigger problem.  I'm curious if any of you have experience with using these two products together, because I would prefer to fill all the holes prior to applying the stripper.  This is the first time I've attempted any furniture re-finishing and am very concerned that I'll do any irreversible damage to this heirloom.  

 

Hopefully some of you might have experience in this scenario and might offer any pointers or recommendations to this novice.

 

Thanks for any and all considerations.

 

Respectfully, 

 

Dave Young

Welcome to the forum. To start unless these worm holes are pinholes (powderpost beetles) then CA is not the best filler. It can be done using wood glue and sawdust to match wood. Make a paste with glue and sawdust. Or you can buy a wood filler these come in colors or you can add whatever stain you plan to use .

 

I have not used any of the new strippers so cannot help on that.

Welcome David, just curious what the table looks like, and how many and how big the holes are, could you post up a picture?

Welcome Aboard, David.  I’m with John.  I’m a visual guy so a picture would be helpful. Since the table is a softer wood you will have to be really careful not to raise the grain too much when you wash the stripper away.  

Ya, I'm thinking David wants to preserve the look of the worm holes, but fill them in at the same time, so using a wood filler to conceal may not be what he's after. I'm thinking of filling with a two part epoxy, dark or amber.

If the table is to be used more "decoratively" rather than daily functions, I'd leave the wormholes as is. I personally love the natural beauty. It takes a little more time but the holes can be cleaned out with a shop vac, brushes, small picks, etc. As mentioned, pictures will help and an idea of the previous finish, too.

 

Maybe our resident finishing expert @kmealy will be along to provide so more ideas.

 

Welcome to the Patriot!

Welcome to The Patriot Woodworker David. Glad you found us. As already mentioned, pictures would be very helpful.

Wormholes are part of the character of the piece. Forget the stripper and just sand it down. Leave the scars in it and the dents. Use a little bit of stripper on those spots and a toothbrush. The new finish will fill the holes. Lacquer would be good, so would shellac but dont put anything hot or wet on it. A product like waterlox or tung oil would be better.

6 minutes ago, DRAGON1 said:

Wormholes are part of the character of the piece. Forget the stripper and just sand it down. Leave the scars in it and the dents. Use a little bit of stripper on those spots and a toothbrush. The new finish will fill the holes. Lacquer would be good, so would shellac but dont put anything hot or wet on it. A product like waterlox or tung oil would be better.

Where you been!!!

1 hour ago, lew said:

Where you been!!!

Dragons are always in the shadows unless i come out and lay waste to a kingdom!!!!!! Lol

2 hours ago, DRAGON1 said:

Dragons are always in the shadows unless i come out and lay waste to a kingdom!!!!!! Lol

IDK much about dragons, but I did see a pink elephant once though. That story is for another time and from an era of my life best forgotten.

Great to have you back Mike!

Edited May 15, 20233 yr by Grandpadave52