Filling wood worktop knot

[DanGB]

Hello,
Just installing a solid oak worktop, and where it joins on to another (butt join) there is a small bit missing where there must of been a knot.
As recommended by the worktop people, its being joined with mitre seal, but would people recommend filling this bit with something solid?

Thanks.
Dan

 

[Chud]

Can you not plane/cut/rout a sliver off the end of the worktop to get rid of it? The whole purpose of solid wood worktops glued up from smaller pieces is to eliminate knots etc.

 

[lostinthelight]

As has been suggested recut/ turn around , but theres no way I'd be doing any filling even if it meant cutting a new length.
litl

 

[DanGB]

Thanks guys. Think I might be stuffed here. Cant cut it shorter as its cut to the right length already, and cant turn it round this is the 'good' side.

@lostinthelight why would you not want to do filling, aesthetic reasons, or others?

 

[lostinthelight]

°°

@lostinthelight why would you not want to do filling, aesthetic reasons, or others?

The filling would be 90° to the grain so would keep drawing the eye to it . You may have to look at it for years to come, it depends if you can live with ? Not sure how filler and oiled finish? would work out.
Does the rear edge have the same finish as the front to turn it 180?
lith

 

[Chud]

Only fill I can think of is dark stained epoxy, anything lighter than the knot colour is going to look bad. Personally I would have rejected that length of worktop as not what had been paid for: You expect knots in solid contiguous slabs, not in slabs glued up from smaller pieces and especially not voids!

 

[big-all]

is it not possible to cut the 5mm or whatever damage off and move the other bit off the wall to compensate and cover the gap at the back with an upstand or the tiles

 

[Chud]

The only other thing I can think of doing is making the join in the worktops a feature by either:

1)Routing out a rabbet (channel) along the join and infilling it with a piece of hardwood, either similar or a contrasting wood - the grain would run in the same direction as the 'un-knotted' worktop

2)Get rid of the knot by putting in some bow-tie splines (aka Bow Tie keys, Butterfly key or dutchmans) - one on it's own (replacing the knotted bit) would look weird but if you put a few in evenly spaced it would look better.

In both cases you'd want to leave the inserted wood slightly proud and then plane it down to the level of the surrounding wood.

Neither of these are really easy tasks and if you go down this route then I'd definitely practice on some scrap first! Either that or get a proper carpenter/joiner in.

 

[big-all]

another thought are you putting a round over or chamfer on the exposed edges??
if so assuming the damage is at the top only turn the top round an most off the damage will be removed with a bit off luck

 

[lostinthelight]

another thought are you putting a round over or chamfer on the exposed edges??
if so assuming the damage is at the top only turn the top round an most off the damage will be removed with a bit off luck

That was my thought in asking if the rear edge was same as front to turn it 180 but to work the two end cuts would need to be parallel.
A longer range photo would be good to see if the end is against a wall or to then end of units.
If the WT end is against the former, a joint recut looks as if it would only move the WT over a small distance from the wall which would leave a gap small enough to caulk.
If the WT ends at the later, a wood end strip could be glued on to make up the amount taken off to complete the joint?
litl

 

[chappers]

That was my thought in asking if the rear edge was same as front to turn it 180 but to work the two end cuts would need to be parallel.
A longer range photo would be good to see if the end is against a wall or to then end of units.
If the WT end is against the former, a joint recut looks as if it would only move the WT over a small distance from the wall which would leave a gap small enough to caulk.
If the WT ends at the later, a wood end strip could be glued on to make up the amount taken off to complete the joint?
litl

indeed or just pull the non damaged worktop running at 90 degrees to that one away from the wall and cover the gap then created with tiling we are only talking a few mm after all.
Indeed a wide shot of the whole of the two worktops in situ would help