How to Make DIY Wood Filler Without Sawdust

DIY wood filler without sawdust

Do you need to fill a hole in wood but don’t have any sawdust on hand? Or maybe you’re just looking for an easy, DIY way to make your own wood filler? Regardless of the reason, this blog post is for you! We’ll teach you how to make DIY wood fillers without using sawdust. This is a great option if you want to avoid the mess and hassle of working with sawdust. Plus, it’s a lot cheaper than buying wood filler from the store!

Can I make my wood filler?

Yes, you can make your wood filler. It mixes evenly and forms a clean and smooth putty. Sawdust sometimes gives you an inconsistent and lumpy. Make your wood filler when you need it by mixing sawdust and wood glue on a paper plate until it has the consistency of putty.

How to make wood filler without sawdust

1. Start by gathering all the materials and tools needed. These include corn starch, petroleum jelly, a measuring cup, a spoon for mixing, a mixing bowl, paper towels, a plastic wrapper, a work surface, gloves, and a plastic protector.
2. Pour the right measurement of cornstarch and wood glue in the same ratio into the mixing bowl. Measure and pour the cornstarch first to avoid getting the wood glue stuck in the measuring cup. The cornstarch will serve as a replacement for the sawdust.
3. Once you have your cornstarch and wood glue inside the mixing bowl, use your mixing spoon to mix the wood glue and cornstarch until it begins to look like cookie dough.
4. Scoop out the cornstarch-wood glue mixture and let it sit on the surface of your work table.
5. Start kneading the mix as if baking bread or turning it into a dough. Continue doing this until it stops sticking to your fingers or palm.
6. Add petroleum jelly. That is about two teaspoons of petroleum jelly if you use wood glue and cornstarch in a 1:1 ratio. It eliminates stickiness and makes it smooth.
7. For the smooth texture you desire, work the petroleum jelly into the formed compound using your hands. Keep checking to ensure that the dough-like compound is not crumbly on the inside. It should be able to stretch. Avoid adding excess petroleum jelly, it can delay curing.
8. Wrap it in plastic and put it in a plastic bag and place it in a plastic bag. Ensure that you get all the air in the plastic bag out before sealing the bag. Allow it to sit for 24 hrs..
9. Clean your tools and work area with paper towels after finishing the project to prevent the wood glue from drying out and being very hard to clean once it sets. Once the putty cures, take it out of the plastic bag and warm it for a bit before using it.

How to make wood putty with chalk powder

1. Pass the sawdust through a strainer to remove dirt. 
2. Mix equal parts of sawdust and white glue. Add white chalk powder to counteract the dark colour the filler takes on as it dries.
3. Mix well until you have a homogeneous white paste that is a little lighter in color than the wood.
4. Apply the wood filler with a spatula.
5. Once it is dry, sand the area until it is uniform.

Wood filler hacks

Sawdust

Find a piece of scrap wood of the same type as your furniture. Sand the wood to get the matching sawdust (Sciencedirect.com). Mix the sawdust with wood glue or epoxy and put it into the cracks. Sand the area, and add a stain or varnish to finish the project.

Caulk

When baseboards get cracks and gaps, fill them with caulk. Scrape out the old caulk, tape off the wall, fill in the cracks, and smooth it out.

Chalk

Use a paper towel to get out excess oil. Rub a piece of white chalk on the area. Leave for a few minutes, and then brush off. Repeat the process to lift the oil stain out of the fabric.

Make wood filler with sawdust and glue.

1. Gather the cleaned sawdust into a small pile or in a paper cup. 
2. Add wood glue and stir with a craft stick, adding more glue until the mixture is a thick putty, roughly the texture of cookie dough. 
3. Avoid adding so much glue that the mixture becomes runny.
4. Form the mixture into a workable dough that you can roll between your fingers.
5. Once the proper texture is achieved, move immediately from the filler application to the work material.

Can you use wood glue as filler?

Yes, you can use wood glue as a filler. Make sure the liquid wood glue is not runny. Use one that is more like putty, such as epoxy (Iqsdirectory.com). If your wood glue is not thick enough, mix sawdust with glue and make your filler.

Make your wood filler for floors.

1. DIY wood filler has to match your project’s wood, but it will not be the same since the glue will be a different colour from the wood. Match the colour by following up with wax wood filler sticks.  Wood filler is there to fill small holes and cracks but it is not strong enough to bridge large holes, cracks, and gouges. Most wood glues are lightly brown-tinted, but if you can find white wood glue, it will create a better colour match.
2. Use an electric sander, putty knife, fine-grit sandpaper, tack cloth, scrap wood, craft stick, cardboard, wood glue, and wax wood touch-up markers. 
3. Instructions 
4. Make sawdust by sanding a sample wood that matches the project material. A sander with a collection bag makes it easy to collect the sawdust. Cutting wood on an electric miter saw is a fast way to create sawdust without wasting wood.
5. Gather a pile of sawdust onto a piece of cardboard or scrap wood. Sift through the sawdust and remove any large particles, wood or metal shavings, or other impurities. Run a magnet through the sawdust to pick up any ferrous metal. Wrap the magnet in plastic, then discard the plastic.
6. Mix the wood filler as you gather sawdust and mix it with wood glue. Stir with a craft stick, adding more glue until the mixture is thick putty. Avoid adding so much glue that the mixture becomes runny. Wood glue hardens quickly, so do not take your time.
7. Form the mixture into a workable dough that you can roll between your fingers. If the dough stiffens, it is difficult to apply to the work material. Start with a new batch and increase the wood glue in the mixture to achieve your texture.

Conclusion

DIY wood fillers don’t require sawdust if you have the right ingredients. This guide provides tips on how to make your own wood filler using glue and sawdust, or with caulk and chalk. You can also use an electric sander to create sawdust for your DIY wood filler.