I don't know about most woodworkers, but when I am building small projects that have a top, bottom, and sides, like a small counter top spice cabnet, I like to fine sand the parts before assembly and glue up.
I was doing the final assembly when the whole cabnet slipped from my hands and fell over onto a table next to my workbench and then toppled onto the floor.
Much to my dismay, there were several dents and dings in the top and side edges of the cabnet due to the fall. It was not possible to sand out the dents without changing the dimensions and ruining the look of the cabnet. Naturally I was very upset with myself for screwing up the piece.
After brooding over it for some time and trying to think of how I could fix it, I remembered reading some where that dents and dings are really just wood that has been compressed by a blow and can be restored by swelling the wood back to it's original shape.
To do this you merely put a small amount of water on the dent (I used an acid brush to apply the water) and wait. Sure enough the dents and dings came out in about 15 minutes. This probably works best in porus soft woods like pine that I was working with.
So maybe you already knew this, but I'll bet there are some that did not. I just wanted to say that it saved the day for me and I hope others can benefit from this tip.
Good luck and good woodworking! Mtnman
I was doing the final assembly when the whole cabnet slipped from my hands and fell over onto a table next to my workbench and then toppled onto the floor.
Much to my dismay, there were several dents and dings in the top and side edges of the cabnet due to the fall. It was not possible to sand out the dents without changing the dimensions and ruining the look of the cabnet. Naturally I was very upset with myself for screwing up the piece.
After brooding over it for some time and trying to think of how I could fix it, I remembered reading some where that dents and dings are really just wood that has been compressed by a blow and can be restored by swelling the wood back to it's original shape.
To do this you merely put a small amount of water on the dent (I used an acid brush to apply the water) and wait. Sure enough the dents and dings came out in about 15 minutes. This probably works best in porus soft woods like pine that I was working with.
So maybe you already knew this, but I'll bet there are some that did not. I just wanted to say that it saved the day for me and I hope others can benefit from this tip.
Good luck and good woodworking! Mtnman