What to us to patch a hole in a wood cabinet that can withstand redrilling?
February 4, 2012 9:44 AM Subscribe
I drilled a hole in a wood cabinet for a door knob but it's lower than it should be. I must plug it, then redrill a new hole over the top half of the old hole. What should I use to fill the hole that can withstand redrilling over this top half without opening up the bottom half?
How big a hole are we talking? Picture please.
posted by bonobothegreat at 9:54 AM on February 4, 2012
posted by bonobothegreat at 9:54 AM on February 4, 2012
Picking up a forstner bit may be helpful here.
posted by humboldt32 at 9:58 AM on February 4, 2012
posted by humboldt32 at 9:58 AM on February 4, 2012
Is the center of the new hole in the wood or in the old hole? If it's in the wood, use a Forstner bit, which is designed to drill overlapping holes without wandering.
If the new center is in the old hole, then presumably the trim will cover the old hole, so you don't need a really good looking patch. Whittle a plug that will fit snugly, glue it in and let the glue dry for at least a day before laying out and drilling the new hole. The Forstner would probably be a good idea in either case.
posted by Bruce H. at 9:59 AM on February 4, 2012
If the new center is in the old hole, then presumably the trim will cover the old hole, so you don't need a really good looking patch. Whittle a plug that will fit snugly, glue it in and let the glue dry for at least a day before laying out and drilling the new hole. The Forstner would probably be a good idea in either case.
posted by Bruce H. at 9:59 AM on February 4, 2012
For trimming the dowel, you may wish to consider a flush-cut saw. Sanding a dowel end will not work very well as the sanding abrasive is unlikely to remove dowel material at the same rate as the surround cabinet material (end grain sands at a different rate).
posted by bz at 10:06 AM on February 4, 2012
posted by bz at 10:06 AM on February 4, 2012
I just went through this -- you can buy wood putty (I bought Minwax Stainable Wood Filler) that "holds screws and nails" -- you have to be careful about doing it in stages if you're filling a really deep hole, but then you can treat it like wood again.
The guy at Lowe's also suggested just sticking a bunch of toothpicks in the hole and then sand them down to be flush, and a couple of other people chimed in to say that worked really well for them in a similar situation.
posted by obliquicity at 10:08 AM on February 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
The guy at Lowe's also suggested just sticking a bunch of toothpicks in the hole and then sand them down to be flush, and a couple of other people chimed in to say that worked really well for them in a similar situation.
posted by obliquicity at 10:08 AM on February 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
I've moved doorhandles by patching the old hole with a thick piece of veneer. Find a matching piece of wood and cut diamond shaped patches to cover the inside and outside of the holes. Scribe around the patch, over the holes. If you use a chisel to cut a shallow depressions for the patches. Glue and clamp with wax paper under wood scraps and allow a few hours to dry. If you don't have a Forstner bit, make a jig by drilling into some scrap wood and clamp that onto the door. Clamp a scrap to the backside as well, to prevent tear-out.
posted by bonobothegreat at 10:09 AM on February 4, 2012
posted by bonobothegreat at 10:09 AM on February 4, 2012
Response by poster: the hole is quite small, just large enough for a screw to hold a small kitchen cabinet door knob. a dowel or plug would work but i am hoping i can get away with toothpicks and/or wood glue, as i have both, but am unsure if one can drill through wood glue or toothpicks cleanly.
posted by mizrachi at 10:14 AM on February 4, 2012
posted by mizrachi at 10:14 AM on February 4, 2012
If you make a jig and clamp it to the door, you should be ok.
posted by bonobothegreat at 10:23 AM on February 4, 2012
posted by bonobothegreat at 10:23 AM on February 4, 2012
Mixing sawdust in with wood glue will give it a bit of texture that makes it easier to re-drill. Let it fully set for a day before re-drilling.
posted by meinvt at 10:46 AM on February 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by meinvt at 10:46 AM on February 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
I've used toothpicks and wood glue in this situation and it's held fine. As meinvt says, allow plenty of drying time before drilling the new hole.
posted by exogenous at 10:50 AM on February 4, 2012
posted by exogenous at 10:50 AM on February 4, 2012
As long as it's going to be covered by the handle, I'd do this with toothpicks and wood glue. I've done the same repair more times than I'd like to admit in a public forum, but it works great every time.
posted by range at 11:00 AM on February 4, 2012
posted by range at 11:00 AM on February 4, 2012
Bamboo chopsticks and BBQ skewers are great for this. They should be thick enough to fit snugly. If you don't want to saw them flush later, cut them slightly shorter than the hole's depth, coat them with white glue, and tap them flush with a hammer.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 12:05 PM on February 4, 2012
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 12:05 PM on February 4, 2012
I found this on a handyman's blog. Toothpicks and chopsticks are made of soft wood and don't hold screws. Instead, fill the hole with Bondo 2-part auto body filler, which is tougher.
posted by KRS at 6:13 AM on February 5, 2012
posted by KRS at 6:13 AM on February 5, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
That said, how big of a hole are you talking about here? If it's large enough and not going to be buried behind a knob plate or some such, you'd be better off if someone with a lathe could turn a plug for you that was exactly the right size (and out of exactly the right wood, if that matters).
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 9:53 AM on February 4, 2012