Description
I know I’m not the first person to discover this, but I’m sure plenty of people haven’t given it much thought: add toothpicks to your glue arsenal.
Besides using them to add glue to tiny spaces, I’ve found all kinds of uses for them around my shop.
They make adding glue to thin glue-ups incredibly easy. They’re great for getting glue into little spaces, gluing insets like this ruler and T-track, and they’re perfect for getting dye into hard-to-reach places.
But my favorite? They’re perfect for mixing small batches of epoxy and applying it exactly where I want it. When I’m done, I leave the toothpick in the leftover pool. Once it cures, I can use it to check that the epoxy has actually hardened before peeling everything clean.
But don’t stop at toothpicks. Grab some bamboo skewers too. Think of these as oversized toothpicks. They give you more reach when adding glue, but they’re also large enough to become part of the project.
They can be cut into small alignment pins, used like tiny dowels, or glued into an existing hole and trimmed flush.
I’ve even seen them used to repair a screw hole. Add some wood glue, fit the skewer into the damaged hole, and trim it flush. Once the glue cures, drill a new pilot hole and add the screw.
[Use a plug if the damage is severe enough]
Finally, you can make your own toothpicks to be used as repairs on the surface. You can cut or shave thin, tapered picks from the same species of wood you’re working with. If you have an open crack or small problem, add glue and slide the sliver in.Once dry, trim flush and sand.
In a previous Bitesize, we drilled a hole for our upsidedown glue bottle. Drill another one next to it and fill it with toothpicks, bamboo skewers, and a few homemade wooden picks.
Tiny sticks of wood. Surprisingly useful tools.
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