Repairs Required, drill bits needed.

  I returned from a day with the Grandchildren with a small bag of wooden toys needing repair. The helicopter's prop assembly got broken, probably not a crash landing since Kieran is pretty careful with his toys. The boats needed dry dock time; you know the standard peeling paint and loose fittings all busy working boats require.  Secretly I am hoping that he will learn that maintenance and taking care is an important part of ownership.

   I have no doubt that the repairs could have been done by his parents but the division of labour has worked out that wood is my responsibility and baking falls mostly to Oma. (These are two areas in which we revel.)

  I was able to fix all the problems in a very short time,

  

  The only woodworking task was the helicopter where I had to make a small piece and drill a couple of fine holes. Everything else is paint.

Gray Tools 29-pr bit set

     I have a full set of drill bits similar to this that I have used for years, and my Father for a few years before me, and I think the set came from my Grandfathers shop even before that.  No, I don't expect that any of the original drill bits exist but the holder for the bits does, and I keep it filled all the time.  

   Having bits of various sizes in important for doing repair work.  When you begin a job from scratch you can match drill bits and fasteners, when you are making a repair to something you often have to accommodate existing fasteners, (which are sometimes metric or just odd).  I've found having all of the imperial sizes available means I have all my bases covered, there is always an imperial size close enough for wood working purposes.

diamond grit needle files

  Another tool that comes in handy when doing repairs is a needle file.  Files like this can be used to make a fine adjustment to wood, patching compound, or to clear away hardened glue.  I repair wood products for 10,000 Villages and regularly use needle files to clear away glue and wood filler before I can make the necessary repair to save a piece from being nothing but fire wood. 

     If you look closely you can see a crack in this panel that I just finished repairing. The panel was cracked through and wide enough that you could see through.  I had to first stuff the crack with jute twine and glue to close the gap enough that I could begin to fill with gab with wood filler.

  I made a paste of Weldbond, water paint and saw dust and used it as a filler paste to complete the repair.  The repair is in no way invisible but.. it will make the cabinet saleable at a discount where before is wasn't saleable at all.  Without being able to take the door panel apart I don't know how I could have made an invisible repair.  Given the degree of damage the fastest and best option would have been to make a new door, but I don't have access to the species of wood used originally and a match would have been impossible.

   cheers, ianw