zagg1 wants feedback.

Hi
I’m very new to anything to do with woodwork
Someone made me up a Headboard out of Tasmanian Oak. Colours in the wood are great , light, pinky straw colour & darker tones. I’ve spent nearly a week to putty & sand & it’s had one coat of varnish.
There are also some small vertical dark runs of colour & some look like gum & are darkest colour.
What I’d like your feedback on is Do I need to sand or putty over them? I sorta like them & think it’s part of natural timber.
Ahhh tried to add pics but didn’t manage that. lol
zagg1

Really need a picture

What are you coating it in?

Don’t putty over the gum veins. It’s a natural feature and if you try and hide it you may as well paint it with a solid colour.

You can fill voids in gum lines where the gum has fallen out (or is crumbly and about to fall out) either with coloured epoxy or using flake shellac. Wrap half a cup of flake shellac tightly in a cotton rag, tie it up and then wrap it in GladWrap. Pop it into a pan of boiling water for about 5 minutes; this melts the shellac into a big… poo. Unwrap it all while it’s still hot and a bit pliable before letting it cool. To use it heat the end with a small gas torch (like what they use on them cookery shows) and let the shellac drip into the void where it can be sanded flush.
This trick was shown to me years ago by Willie Nelson over in WA; it is practically indistinguishable from natural gum in appearance.

Zagg1 says thank you.
For your generous feedback
I’m pretty happy with end product & it’s been learning curve.
I coated with Cabot’s Satin Varnish & glad I didn’t try to stain it. Tasmanian Oak is really the star here & added tint/colour might have taken away from that.
I’ve applied & then lightly sanded back twice & another 2 topcoats. It’s got some sheen & I might do one more.
I’d really like to share pic with you & if I work out how, I will post it.
Cheers

Attachment 508323Attachment 508324Hi think I’ve met my challenge.
finished bedhead.
but I have another?
2nd pic are the wall anchors using these grey screws.
asked at bunnings if there was an alternate colour like gold or copper?
or type of cap to go over screw head.
If I could get that I wouldn’t putty over to hide them, gold/copper would be
nice feature.
thanks again

How about using French Cleats screwed to the wall for the bedhead to hang from? That way there will be no screw holes at all to hide. 12mm thick hardwood would be fine especially if you can screw them through the wall studs.

You could easily just paint the screw heads once installed.

Wow thanks. The French Cleat would be best option to get in onto the wall

however it’s finished now. Timber actually bowed quite a bit & it’s now laying flat, covered with blanket, with some weight on it to try & straighten it out.

I’ll try & varnish the back of it in the hope that it stays straight.
it was put together pretty quickly with Brad nails & glue. Porta timber contours so they fit in together.
with 3 x timber horizontal pieces nailed across the back of it.

they look like the treated pine screws bunnings sell.

while not gold or black, bunnings do have black screws that may look nicer.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chief Tiff

Wrap half a cup of flake shellac tightly in a cotton rag, tie it up and then wrap it in GladWrap. Pop it into a pan of boiling water for about 5 minutes; this melts the shellac into a big… poo. Unwrap it all while it’s still hot and a bit pliable before letting it cool. To use it heat the end with a small gas torch (like what they use on them cookery shows) and let the shellac drip into the void where it can be sanded flush.

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Thanks for this Chief, it's the first time I've heard of it and sounds like a great technique to file away for when I next have a gum line I'd like to preserve but where the gym has hardened and is flaking out.

Your suggestion of using French Cleat seemed like the perfect solution. However I’ve moved in to new apartment & they don’t want me attach heavy timber
bedhead onto walls Walls are a type of paneling.
I’ve got new adjustable bed & it has its own brackets for attaching bedhead.
usually they are manufactured bedheads.
Mine is handmade panel, so I’ll have to attach legs to stabilize it & give it extra height, but still needs some type of fixture, prob another type of bracket to connect to bed.
Would you know what that kind of bracket is called please?
there seems to be quite few different types.
Anyone out there who’s made their own bedhead would have faced this.
what’s the best type of bracket that goes onto handmade bedheads ?

all suggestions welcomed.

- - - Updated - - -

Your suggestion of using French Cleat seemed like the perfect solution. However I’ve moved in to new apartment & they don’t want me attach heavy timber
bedhead onto walls Walls are a type of paneling.
I’ve got new adjustable bed & it has its own brackets for attaching bedhead.
usually they are manufactured bedheads.
Mine is handmade panel, so I’ll have to attach legs to stabilize it & give it extra height, but still needs some type of fixture, prob another type of bracket to connect to bed.
Would you know what that kind of bracket is called please?
there seems to be quite few different types.
Anyone out there who’s made their own bedhead would have faced this.
what’s the best type of bracket that goes onto handmade bedheads ?

all suggestions welcomed.