Off Topic Filling holes in a workbench

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Cushing H.

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Strange question - with the new mini mill going onto the side of my workbench, it takes more room than the previous drill press used. So ... to make more "general workspace" to the left of the mill, I will need to re-locate leftward my bench vise, which is bolted to the table.

When you guys have moved something that resulted in exposed holes in your workbench .... what do you do???? Maybe fill the holes with an oak dowel, epoxy in place, then sand flush????
 
Cushing H. said:
Strange question - with the new mini mill going onto the side of my workbench, it takes more room than the previous drill press used. So ... to make more "general workspace" to the left of the mill, I will need to re-locate leftward my bench vise, which is bolted to the table.

When you guys have moved something that resulted in exposed holes in your workbench .... what do you do???? Maybe fill the holes with an oak dowel, epoxy in place, then sand flush????
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That's what I would do. Unless you can use it as a stop. I've done that on a couple holes in my bench
 
I vote masaic pins as well.
Or just leave them. In a few years they'll come in handy and you've forgotten why they were there
 
I always fill it with epoxy when this comes up. after a glue up, there's usually a little bit of epoxy left over in the cup and it finds use filling holes and cracks. Hell, my old deck was pretty much held together by years and years of glue up overruns.

Helpful tip: slow set epoxy will try to run out through a through hole. an easy way to stop this is to use a piece of packing tape after you fill the hole with glue, cover it up with packing tape. Sometimes if air can't get in the top, the epoxy can't drip out the bottom. And even if it does drip out some on the bottom, there will be enough epoxy stuck to the tape that once you peel the tape off the hole is still capped
 
put in a dowel that is snug. Fill any gaps with sawdust or baking soda.

Saturate with the watery super glue stuff.

It will wick down the dowel and solidify the dust and be rock hard.

Sand flush.
 
I have tried melamine, MDFB, hardboard, plywood, and 2X12 timbers. The 2X12's are far better a work surface than the others. If you want a seamless surface , put a 3/4" piece of plywood over the timbers.
A hole can be plugged with a dowel, or left as-is and fitted with a bench dog.

My new bench tops are 14 gauge stainless steel over 2X12 timbers.
 
I'm now thinking make a Zirconium dowel with a Timascus collar. Use that glue they use when they laminate carbon fiber to Titanium for helicopter blades. Tig weld it solid in a glove box too.
 
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