Epoxy Selection

[Robert166]

What type of epoxy should I use to fill a large crack in a maple crotch? I am attempting to stop the cracking, it is starting at the crotch and heading down. I have zero experience doing this. Thoughts?

 

[FredP]

start with some bow ties to keep the split from growing, then epoxy or any wood filler you want to fill the gaps. 5 minute epoxy would be my choice. slower drying stuff will take more applications to get it filled due to it soaking in.

 

[DKA]

A thicker casting epoxy is made specifically for larger voids. Stonecoat, West Systems, all the major epoxy makers offer this now.

 

[Phil S]

Take a look at the Crystal Clear Casting Epoxy offered by Raka.com

 

[Cuthriell]

Jamestown Products sells a thickened epoxy called Totalboat Thixo. I use the fast cure which in warm weather is about an hour working time. It is in a caulking tube. I do not use the mixing tip; just push out what I think is needed. It is thick and does not slump so it can be used upside down. The only down side is cost.

 

[Robert166]

Update on the top, here is a pic, shop lights really reflect in this epoxy.

 

[Lowespro2]

Looks good. Which epoxy system did you end up using?

 

[Robert166]

I had some left over epoxy I was using to replace a boat transom, figured what the heck. I tried it on a small piece of wood and it dried crystal clear. So I used that. I plan on putting a piece of glass on it so not to scratch the finish. The epoxy was not specifically designed for the application, but did it anyway.

 

[Lhloy]

I had some left over epoxy I was using to replace a boat transom, figured what the heck. I tried it on a small piece of wood and it dried crystal clear. So I used that. I plan on putting a piece of glass on it so not to scratch the finish. The epoxy was not specifically designed for the application, but did it anyway.

Let us know after a while, how it is working out --- the magic question being, "knowing what you know now, would you do it again?" thanks

 

[wsrhue]

I had some left over epoxy I was using to replace a boat transom, figured what the heck. I tried it on a small piece of wood and it dried crystal clear. So I used that. I plan on putting a piece of glass on it so not to scratch the finish. The epoxy was not specifically designed for the application, but did it anyway.

Did you epoxy the bottom side too? In my experience, putting a glass top (without spacers for adequate airflow) on a solid wood table is a sure-fire way to cause the table to taco. I would imagine applying a thick layer of epoxy to one side of a table would have a similar consequence. I wonder if anyone has had problems with Epoxy finished tables and countertops warping?

 

[jlwest]

My concern is that the wood might want to expand and shrink with humidity changes.

 

[Rjgooden]

In my experience if you don't seal the sides and bottom of your table it will In fact do as wsrhue predicts. I unfortunately found this out the hard way. Good luck

 

[Jeff]

I can't find anything about sealing both sides of a table with epoxy. Nothing at "Bar Top Epoxy". Would shellac or some other finish be okay for the bottom instead of epoxy?

 

[jlwest]

Doesn't have to be epoxy but it should be sealed. I'm not sure what will happen if the wood moves and the epoxy doesn't. A couple of coats of urethane might work.

 

[Denis Buxton]

Hey ! I used the sander to refinish a maple table , since epoxy resin is not resistant to heat, I remember from my own experience when the table had to be ground again for improper grinding with this resin, there are sometimes problems with cracking, but this is not critical.I found the sander easy to use and effective from Bob Smith Tools .The dust collection is just okay. It will collect a good deal of dust, however there will still be dust everywhere. It helped buffer against the vibrations. I found that when I used the sander for a long time, my hands get really tingly.But most of the time this didn't happen. It only happened when I used it for a long time on the highest setting.The sander was very easy for me to use. Basically you have an on-off switch, a little dial which increases the strength of your sanding, and a removable bag that you twist off that collects the sawdust. I did not experience any burning or burnt odors myself.I found that if you want to eat away at some wood in a concentrated area, you can slightly tip the sander on its side and it will dig into the wood pretty well. Not sure if this could be bad for your sander, but I did that and it worked for me when I wanted to remove the burnt area of the wood that went down fairly deep. I suggest instead to get a wider range of grits. I bought 125 mm 8 holes paper P-58 gold sandpaper Velcro. Overall, the sander worked really well. It nicely finished my table and I was really pleased with the results.

 

[jlwest]

Most epoxy table tops are sealed top, sides, and bottom to control moisture going in or out of the wood. A bush on coating of epoxy is fine. Then proceed with the rest of the pours.

 

[danmart77]

Jamestown Products sells a thickened epoxy called Totalboat Thixo. I use the fast cure which in warm weather is about an hour working time. It is in a caulking tube. I do not use the mixing tip; just push out what I think is needed. It is thick and does not slump so it can be used upside down. The only down side is cost.

This is the right choice for epoxy that will not run and you can use it without adding wood flour or silica.

 

[danmart77]

Take a look at the Crystal Clear Casting Epoxy offered by Raka.com

Raka is the most reasonable supplier of epoxy products. Do a search and see the price difference between West Systems and Raka. I have used both and see no difference in reults

laminated ribs made with Raka. If you thicken it up you don't have to do multiple fills