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Wood glue and sawdust has also been called cabinet makers putty. This combination of wood glue and sawdust can work wonders for fixing those little bumps and nics that happen while working in our shops. 

So have you used this combination of wood glue and sawdust on any of your projects? If not we are going to break down the process for you inside this article.

Why Does It Work So Good?

This method of making your own wood filler works so well because it blends your species of wood together rather than using normal wood filler. Getting rid of the one color fits all approach.

Think of it as being able to go to big box stores selections of paint swashes and picking a color that matches your wood perfectly.

Making your own filler with simple wood glue and sawdust gives you that ability.

So How Does The Magic Wood Glue Method Work?

Now that we have talked up the method making your wood filler lets begin talking about how to make this magical formula. 

Things You Will Need

1. Sawdust is obviously crucial to the success of the wood glue and sawdust method. To harvest the dust I normally tend to look around the surfaces of my machinery used in the processing of my material. 
2. The next ingredient of making this homemade wood filler is wood glue. Any wood glue of your preference will work just fine. I’ve heard some people use epoxy but myself have never tried it.
3. Now let the mixing begin. I normally start out with a ratio mixture of 50/50 of wood glue and sawdust. Using a scrap piece of wood as a mixing plate works great. 
4. With mixture fully mixed together and can be applied to the workpiece that needs to be fixed. I have found that popsicle sticks tend to work great for this type of thing. When applying the mixture be sure to fully press into the affected area. 
5. Let the glue cure for a full 24hrs and then use a block plane or sand the affected area smoothly down to the same plane. 

Tips For DIY Wood Filler

1. When making your own wood glue and sawdust filler try to use the finest sawdust you can find in your shop. This will help you able to pack it tightly into the defective area and avoid any voids on the surface. 
2. Harvest the finest sawdust from your sander. We just mentioned using the finest sawdust for success. Over our years of using this method, we have found the little dust collection on a random orbital sander is the best location to harvest the sawdust. Where do you get your fine sawdust from in your shop?
3. We mentioned this part in the how-to section of this article above but I think it’s worth mentioning again. Use popsicle sticks for mixing of the wood glue and sawdust mixture and application. They are cheap and can be easily disposed of. Amazon is our go-to place for popsicle sticks which can be found here. 
4. This is the most important tip of them all. If this is the first time using this method be sure to practice on a test piece. Don’t get in a hurry let the test piece fully cure and sand as you plan to on your project. This will ensure success and let you know what kind of results you will achieve when you go “live”. Also, take the time to apply your finish.

Final Thoughts

This method of sawdust and wood glue works terrific as a wood filler. It’s saved my you know what countless times on projects. Take your time and read over the tips we laid out above. However, the most important thing to take away from this article is to use a test piece.

As woodworkers, we should always use to test pieces when doing any new method or trying a new stain. It’s a cheap and easy way to know what type of results you will be getting. 

I hope you enjoyed this article and if you did be sure to share it with a friend and pass the knowledge on you just learned. Also, take the time to read our other article on how long to let wood glue dry.