Carpenters: Cement Filler for Wood?

In My Humble Opinion
1

What do you carpenters do to salvage a worn-out hole where I need to mount a (replaced) metal post/glider on a bi-fold door? The hole has grown in diameter ruining prime “real estate” on the top edge of the door to maintain the same geometry regarding the turning radius of the door.

Ideally, if I only could cement (like quickcrete!) the metal post in place using the same hole, that would be ideal. Is there any such filler material for wood that would harden with the strength I need? The only solution I can WAG is to drill even larger hole and wood glue a dowel in place to fill the hole? And then, tap into that to mount the metal post? The down side is I don’t have much thickness to play with. I could easily crack the door in the process.

Maybe I should glue a dowel long enough to stick above the door and ride the top rail of the bi-fold door???

2

You can just mix wood glue and sawdust to make a good filler material. You can use that to mount your post. It will dry very hard, but still workable with wood tools if needed. There are a variety of wood putty’s that will do the job as well. You could also just use epoxy if you want to permanently mount the post. A wood dowel would work, but it might wear rapidly on the rail. Since it’s hidden you could also use fiber re-inforced Bondo. Really anything that dries hard and fills the gap should work for you.

3

Thanks, TriPolar! I’ll look into your suggestions tomorrow! My pantry thanks you, too!

4

JB Weld. (I shoulda bought stock in the company as much as I use for repairs like this.)

5

Got any car Bondo, lying around?

I used it on my porch with great results, recommended by a carpenter friend!

6

There will be pressure on the post, so you’ll need something to hold it securely. Epoxy with a filler would work.

7

Nothing comes close to epoxy. It’s expensive, but worth it.

8

For maximum strength, use epoxy mixed with cotton flock. Mix the epoxy in the correct proportions, then stir in flock until it has the right consistency (basically, until it doesn’t flow).

Depending on the epoxy, this can be quick-setting.

9

A selection of glues. West is a good choice with the #404 fiber. You could build a whole new door with the damn stuff and some glass and foam board. It would be lighter and stronger!

10

Abatron makes what you want.

This stuff is amazing. I used it to rebuild rotted window frames and sills in a National Historic Landmark home in Glencoe, 15 years later it still looks perfect.

11

All of these things will do. If the wood is still solid you could just wrap tape around the post until it force fits into the current hole.

12

I am only a recent convert to JB Weld, but have used it in a number of metal applications. A couple of years ago, my wife crunched the aluminum oil pan on the car. None of the junkyards had one. Took 2 tries to cut out all the all the oil seeps, but doing fine.

I often use wood dowels for such fixes. (The door, not the oil pan.)

13

Yup, Bondo for wood. It is different than Bondo for cars. Trust me, I have used both. The wood stuff rules for wood repairs.

14

Maybe, Bondo for cars is totally gutless. I had better luck with I think it was Swiss Magic.