Jarrah problem...desparately need HELP....

[rod1949]

My God a lady with many talents... mechanical repairs... I'm very impressed... what else are we going to be supprised by. Goodonya Girl

See ya
Rod

[kekemo]

YES>>>>> DONE>>>> FINETO>>>

GOOD me thinks... lol...
Why thankyou kind Sir Rob.. for your complement... cant stop... on my way up now to son's business... yep.. supply lunches for 15-20 work crew...every friday...
Son's new business... & he's the one that pay's for the parts, the glue, the repairs... all the little extra's mum needs....have great kids.. love them.. they're my biggest fan's also my biggest customers... hehehehe.... all grown & flown but still my best friends...

Cheers
Next project ... side rails for bunks... 2 sets...
start sunday I hope...

[strangerep]

[...] as its outside didn't want it cracking anymore...

Kekemo, I've arrived late to this party but I just want to clarify something...

In your original post it sounded like your steps are for exterior use?
Is that right? If so, what filler and finish did you end up using?

(Background: I had a similar experience 18 months ago, working with select-grade kiln-dried ironbark and blackbutt which originally looked better than your pics of how your timber looked when you started. I had no end of trouble with useless fillers, finishes, etc, not to mention considerably enhanced cracking after 18 months outside with Spa-n-Deck coating. I'm currently trying to apply some of Master Splinter's suggestions from another thread about filling with tinted fibreglass resin.)

Cheers.

[Billy302]

But after completing my first Jarrah project ... guess I won't be so daunted on next attempts .....one would hope so .. with the tonage of Jarrah wood I have out side.... left over from Ed' days... or else my kids will have BIG BBQ when I'm gone....hehehe

Once again THANK-YOU.. for all your comments...
Hope you like pictures of finished boards....
Cheers Kekemo... alias "ShedLady"

Working with Jarrah can be frustrating and the problem with fillers is they are all one colour. I have Jarrah floors in my home and the colours range from red to brown and to white and some brown with white flecks through the timber. unlike pine and some European timbers jarrah can vary in colour quite a bit. The results are worth the pain of working with it though. You need very sharp tools to work jarrah and constantly sharpen them too. Well done it looks good.

[kekemo]

Kekemo, I've arrived late to this party but I just want to clarify something...

In your original post it sounded like your steps are for exterior use?
Is that right? If so, what filler and finish did you end up using?

(Background: I had a similar experience 18 months ago, working with select-grade kiln-dried ironbark and blackbutt which originally looked better than your pics of how your timber looked when you started. I had no end of trouble with useless fillers, finishes, etc, not to mention considerably enhanced cracking after 18 months outside with Spa-n-Deck coating. I'm currently trying to apply some of Master Splinter's suggestions from another thread about filling with tinted fibreglass resin.)

Cheers.

Hi... can understand your problem quite well....
Steps were for outside use....so originally I purchase the only exterior filler available from Bunning.... major error... dried bright pink, not just new jarrah pink.. it was HOT pink when it dried... so had to decide which path was easier to follow...glad I only did a 18 inch trial... was horrendous to fix yucky hot-pink filler tried scraping filler out with old darning needle...
...then went over with WALNUT interior filler... totally a far superior match to jarrah colour.... then more sanding back..needed removing all the filler... as you would know the Jarrah is shocking to use filler on.. goes in every crack or creeking you can see.. then more you can't see...
... so after thumbs & fingers nearly dropped off from pushing filler in... then there were several hours more of sanding back... oh I also sanded before so it lessened the chance of splitters when applying filler.....

The rep for Cabot.. was great & to be fair he hadn't used that particular product or come across jarrah creeking for himself & was only recommending from experiences retold... so, its been a "learn as you go effort..." Pleased to say.. think it was a fantastic learning experience...& out-come speaks for itself....
NOTE also after sanding back.. they were coated with a satin, varnish solely to stop and air coming in from under side of step... an lifting the non-slip steps...

... anyway they turn out good... I was pleased so was client...

Keep well & safe woodworking... Cheers Kerry...KEKEMO.. alias Shed-Lady...

*** forgot to add reason I went with interior filler... not much option left... an as they were going to be outside steps they would need re-coating ever 12 months anyway..... so with a tripple application of Lacquer I was quite satisfy I hadn't lessened the integrit of the wood..... & the protection would last long enough... ***
....when commissioned work gives us such delemma's the stress fracture isn't always seen in the wood... it's in our decisions or workmanship... so yes... guarranteed my steps on condition the client is responsible for a new application of laquer after 12 months....



Thanks for enquiry.. cheers










As outside steps are recommended to be re-coated every 12 months... I believe the double/triple coating of "varnish" was going to be suffice ... the actually filling the creeking was painstaking & quite horrendous job....filling with the filler wasn't easy, took many hours... ... then san