Charles,
For repairs on small pieces of wood the ideal choice, as I see it, is to buy some Git Rot and pour it on.
Think of this as a very thinned-down epoxy—so thin that, like alcohol it soaks deeply into the wood fibers.
Capillary action sucks it in. No pressure, no vacuum needed—so no equipment other than some plastic or wax paper to keep your bench clean.
Like an epoxy it hardens stronger than wood.
It is clear, but like any clear finish it may darken the color of your wood.
Here is one company that sells it, and has a good description of the product. I’ve seen it, or similar products, at the local big box stores, too. You can shop for price.
This is a popular product among wood boat owners. There are several similar products.
We used this on a rotting window sill 7 or 8 years ago, rather than rip out the window and replace that piece. It hardened the existing wood. We filled gaps with epoxy putty and repainted. Kinda fast ( took a day to cure) and simple.
I have heard of people making their own products similar to this by diluting epoxy resin and hardener with Acetone. I believe Xylol (Xylene) is a better solvent for epoxies. Both are available at hardware stores. If you have any epoxy available you could try this on some scrap. Don’t breathe the fumes.
Paul Jacobson
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