Newbie stuck with a red gum slab

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Originally Posted by Harry72

You can use polyU as filler(its not ideal but it works), but it must be layered on thinly otherwise as it dries it will crack. If you keep tipping polyU into the cracks and letting it drain out and set it will eventually fill after many applications.

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I'd taken him to mean he wanted the knots and borer holes in the side filled flush with the surface. They look to be fairly large 'oles and would take a trillion coats to fill. Otherwise, as you said, they'd crack.

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Originally Posted by Harry72

Epoxy/casting resin would have been the best but it will drain through just like the ployU.

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Yup. But you can plug the bottoms of cracks/gaps with duct tape/plasticine/whatever and totally fill the holes/cracks completely in one poor if you use a fluid enough epoxy.

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Oh and araldite is epoxy resin, hint dont use the 5min stuff for this application!

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It's fairer to say that Araldite is "an" epoxy resin. They're not all created equal, after all. (I won't have the 5 or 15min stuff in my shed. :no:)

In my experience Araldite tends to be too thick to flow through deep cracks, and on warm days can still start to gel very quickly, even with reduced amounts of dryer. Great for gluing things together, but not so good as a filler. Gimme good, runny stuff every time. :;

"Yup. But you can plug the bottoms of cracks/gaps with duct tape/plasticine/whatever and totally fill the holes/cracks completely in one poor if you use a fluid enough epoxy."

I realise that Skewy, but any thicker than 5~6mm and you can risk cracking and face some shrinkage.
Your spot on with the Araldite, its not designed to be a good filler its designed as a glue.

Hi gang,

Thanks for all the info. I guess we'll have to leave the poly borders and hope once it's finished that thay'll not be so noticable.

We are worried about using epoxy as it always seems to finish shiny, not to mention sounds difficult to sand back down. Is there a putty product that would work in all our cracks and holes? Near black or dark brown is the colour we'd want.

Do we use builder's bog as suggested? Is this like Plastibond? I ask as I certainly have used Plastibond over the years, although never coloured it.

Feast Watson Flat Proof is probably the final coat we'll apply, have used this on another bit of furniture being a bench chair. Not sure if it is heavy duty enough for a bar top though,

Thanks again, Dave & Di.

Thinking "Plastibond Builder" with black oxide might be our answer. As suggested though I need to try an offcut, sadly will only have a tiny bit.

Each end of the slab needs to be cut square, do I just mark it up and cut away? I have a 8 1/4" 1450 watt circular saw The slab is 2" thick. Will this be okay?

Thanks, Dave.