Teak hole plugs

I

Ilanortho

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Jul 4, 2015
436
Hunter 34 Menominee, MI; Sturgeon Bay WI
Hi;
Am refinishing all my cockpit teak trim and handrails off the boat. Have spent weeks removing old finish, treating rotted areas, bleaching and repairing defects with epoxy putty.

Now going to apply 3 coats of epoxy finish followed by several coats of Epiphanes varnish in my workshop.

When I reattach it to the boat and apply the teak plugs to cover the screw holes how do I trim them down without damaging the surrounding finish and then coat them so they blend witht the surrounding varnished wood?
Thanks. Ilan
 
justsomeguy

justsomeguy

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Feb 20, 2011
8,059
Island Packet 35 Tucson, AZ/San Carlos, MX
I'm thinking you're going to have to inflict a little sanding action on the varnish surrounding the plugs, then finish.
 
B

Benny17441

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May 24, 2004
7,164
CC 30 South Florida
The area around the plugs is usually left unfinished for a final finishing after installation. I'm afraid that just as "someguy" says you will have to sand down and refinish. You could try masking the area with metal flange tape that could resist some sanding but I'm not sure how it would result in the blending of the finishes.
 
C

Capt jgw

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Feb 8, 2014
1,300
Columbia 36 Muskegon
The plugs need varnish too so leave at least the last coat til after they're in.
I cut them off with a very sharp chisel, bevel down, in two passes. First pass a little above the surface. The grain on the plug is probably not parallel to the surface, and one side will be a little higher than the other. Make the second pass from the low side to the high side
wiggling the chisel side to side as you cut. That will prevent tearing wood out below the surface. Or make the second pass with a sanding block. The chisel is faster and doesn't mark the surface as much. Practice on some scrap first.
 
Ukeluthier

Ukeluthier

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Jan 7, 2015
77
Menger 19 Catboat Annapolis, MD
A big, very sharp chisel is indeed the traditional way to pare plugs flush, not a saw. A saw would be very slow and fussy, especially on a curved surface and would leave a rough surface needing sanding. Wooden boat builders use a very large, hefty chisel called a slick that has enough weight to drive through the plug on its own momentum, but most modern boat owners are unlikely to have one in their tool kit.

Not much danger of shearing below the surface if you pay attention to the grain of the plug.

I owned and maintained for 35 years a 46' cutter with teak decks fastened from above, so I've had lots of experience replacing plugs.
 
Ken Cross

Ken Cross

.
Oct 24, 2010
2,405
Hunter 30 Everett, WA
One more option: a rivet shaving tool (used in aviation) will take it down while leaving surrounding wood alone.
Google "micro shave aviation tool". They used to make one that attaches to an air drill (cheaper.)
 
I

Ilanortho

.
Jul 4, 2015
436
Hunter 34 Menominee, MI; Sturgeon Bay WI
Wow; a real treasure trove of great advice. Thanks to all for taking the time to spell out the detailed instructions for what I thought would be dismissed as a trivial question. Ilan
 
Ukeluthier

Ukeluthier

.
Jan 7, 2015
77
Menger 19 Catboat Annapolis, MD
Ken Cross said:
One more option: a rivet shaving tool (used in aviation) will take it down while leaving surrounding wood alone.
Google "micro shave aviation tool". They used to make one that attaches to an air drill (cheaper.)
Click to expand
I just Googled this tool... I wouldn't let one of those things anywhere near the woodwork on my boat! It also would have no way of matching the highly radiused curvature of the top of a wooden handrail.

Horses for courses. Use woodworking tools for woodworking. Embrace simple hand tools for simple jobs.
 
C

Capt jgw

.
Feb 8, 2014
1,300
Columbia 36 Muskegon
And of there's any possibility you might want to disassemble the piece later, don't use epoxy or any other strong glue to hold the plugs in. Whatever varnish you're using for the finish will work well enough, and you can get them back out without destroying the piece.
 
Ken Cross

Ken Cross

.
Oct 24, 2010
2,405
Hunter 30 Everett, WA
Ukeluthier said:
I just Googled this tool... I wouldn't let one of those things anywhere near the woodwork on my boat! It also would have no way of matching the highly radiused curvature of the top of a wooden handrail.

Horses for courses. Use woodworking tools for woodworking. Embrace simple hand tools for simple jobs.
Click to expand

I'm not sure which tool you saw, but they are really only good for flat surfaces. They do actually a great job on wood or other semi soft materials. You just need to make sure the depth limit is set properly and go slow. I haven't used any of the ones with the motor built in however. I also don't own one so I can't lend it.

I've also had fair success sanding the plug to approximate height before installing it. It just reduces the amount of sanding after it's installed.
Ken
 
Charlie Jones s/v Tehani

Charlie Jones s/v Tehani

.
Mar 1, 2012
2,182
1961 Rhodes Meridian 25 Texas coast
Capt jgw said:
The plugs need varnish too so leave at least the last coat til after they're in.
I cut them off with a very sharp chisel, bevel down, in two passes. First pass a little above the surface. The grain on the plug is probably not parallel to the surface, and one side will be a little higher than the other. Make the second pass from the low side to the high side
wiggling the chisel side to side as you cut. That will prevent tearing wood out below the surface. Or make the second pass with a sanding block. The chisel is faster and doesn't mark the surface as much. Practice on some scrap first.
Click to expand
Having been a boat builder and repair guy for years, this is the exact way I do it. Read it several times to be sure you got it, then do it

Cannot over emphasis the sharp chisel- No, Sharper than that:)

THEN turn the chisel over, bevel UP, and use a slicing motion to cut that last bit, sliding the chisel along the surface. Done right you won't even need to sand.

Then I use an artist small brush to varnish the plugs

Oh and for sure just use varnish to put the plugs in with.

And removing properly installed ( not glued) plugs- drive a coarse thread drywall screw into the dead center, and when it hits the screw, it'll jack the plug out, often intact, but sometimes in two halves
 
heritage

heritage

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Apr 22, 2011
932
Hunter 27 Pecan Grove, Oriental, NC
To get your chisel "Scary Sharp" glue pieces of wet/dry sand paper with grits ranging from about 100 to 3000 on a sheet of glass. Work your way from the coarse to fine grits and you will be able to get a mirror finish and a scary sharp chisel. Kind of fun to do on a rainy, cold day and really does work.
 
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