Crack in baseboard

[Heespharm]

So I got this nagaoka on eBay ... Great price but there's a crack in the baseboard splitting around the tripod plate...

It's thin on the bottom but about 1/4 cm on the inside...

How should I fix this so its a user body? Spackle with jb weld? I have a workshop full of tools at my disposal...

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[Jac@stafford.net]

I would copy it using better materials.

[Heespharm]

I would copy it using better materials.

So let's say I think that's out of my skill level... I mean I'm sure I could figure it out but that may be more time than I'm willing to put into it

[mdarnton]

This doesn't appear to be a structural problem, so a repair need only be cosmetic. It looks like the tripod mount provides both strength and bridging between the two sides, and the crack doesn't really matter to the structure.

On musical instruments there are a number of approaches taken when a gap just can't be closed (which isn't usually the case, and usually we try really hard to get it closed), usually when someone else has already buggered the crack and it's missing original wood. The one that has been working the best for me is to take plane shavings of the same wood as the problem, soak them in hot hide glue, wipe off the excess, and then carefully pack them into place with a needle tool, doing as good of a job, tight as possible without actually getting crazy about it, since you do want a small amount of irregularity. Pack high and tight, make really sure there are no gaps, let it dry, then come back and level it. On that, you can apply some color and varnish as necessary. I regularly have cracks fixed this way disappear, but I'm getting pretty experienced at it.

Did I say pack it tight already? Yes, but tight. Tight!

[csxcnj]

Does the crack run all the way through the wood? If not I wouldn't worry about it. The way the tripod plate is attached should stabilize the baseboard.

[Jac@stafford.net]

So let's say I think that's out of my skill level... I mean I'm sure I could figure it out but that may be more time than I'm willing to put into it

That's fine. I gave the poor POS plywood platform from a Zone VI tripod (which was really a re-branded surveyor tripod) to a machinist friend and he returned the same in 3/8" aluminum, shot-peened for the heck of it. It was reasonable. Perhaps you could be as lucky to to the same.

Jac

[Heespharm]

Does the crack run all the way through the wood? If not I wouldn't worry about it. The way the tripod plate is attached should stabilize the baseboard.

Yes from inside to barely on the outside

[csxcnj]

Yes from inside to barely on the outside

If the plate is stable I would just patch the crack. I've used epoxy and various wood fillers for different woods ( I'm a woodworker).

If the Plate is unstable and you can't make a plate yourself, check online for the nearest woodworking guild or club. Our guild takes on projects like yours for people all the time.

Your baseplate looks like it is made of mahogany, which is readily available. It should not be an expensive project.

[Heespharm]

Thanks for all the replies! I think I'm gonna take out some sawdust from my shop vac and and mix it with some epoxy and fill that sucker up...

[Jim Andrada]

I have a bunch of little cat food cans in the shop with plane shavings and sawdust (off the table saw) for most woods I work with, just in case I have to patch dings, cracks, knotholes, etc. I don't use epoxy because it will prevent the patches from taking finishes like the rest of the wood.

If the crack is big enough I actually try to carve a sort of "graving piece" out of the same wood with similar grain and glue it into the crack.

But in your case I would just leave it alone.

[Kirk Gittings]

Me I would remove the tripod plate clean the wood and bottom of the plate well, sanding it lightly underneath where the plate is and the underside of the plate, fill the cracks with epoxy AND epoxy the plate back down to the wood, replace the screws and let it cure good. I think it would be stronger than the original that way.

[Heespharm]

Me I would remove the tripod plate clean the wood and bottom of the plate well, sanding it lightly underneath where the plate is and the underside of the plate, fill the cracks with epoxy AND epoxy the plate back down to the wood, replace the screws and let it cure good. I think it would be stronger than the original that way.

This is basically what I did... I figure the plate will keep it together somewhat..

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This is how large the crack is