We’ve referred to the evils of steel staples and the rot they produce in wood over time in a previous post here. Well, that staple rot exists in the top of the dashboard too, since the crash pad was stapled to it as well. We can either rebuild the dashboard, or restore it. In this case, cutting out the offending strip, and gluing in a “Dutchman” will fit the bill.
The bandsaw is the perfect tool for cutting out the old rotten strip. Once it is cut out, it’s a pretty straightforward operation to cut a curved piece to go back in where the old was. Just over size it a tiny bit so you can sand it smooth after gluing for a seamless joint.
I mixed a bit of mahogany sawdust in my glue (thickened epoxy) to match the color of the wood.
Then I masked off the face of the dashboard and Dutchman piece to keep as much glue off of these surfaces as possible.
As always, make sure you have plenty of squeeze out when gluing the joint. You should not have any gaps in the glue line.
Once you’ve got the clamps on, wipe away the excess and strip off the masking tape so it doesn’t end up glued to the work. And of course, use plenty of clamps so you get nice, even clamping pressure.
After the glue is set, plane the dutchman off smooth with the face of the existing dash.
Then stain it for a good match. Varnish is the next step–in our case 12 coats to get a “liquid glass” like surface.