Put a Different Spin on Odd-Sized Hole Plugs

You've enjoyed using your hole-plug cutter. But what do you do when the hole you need to fill is not the same size as your plug cutter? A drill and stationary belt sander will turn any oversize dowel into a tapered plug. From a dowel that closely matches the wood in your project, cut an oversize plug about 1" long.

Drill a ³⁄₁₆ "-deep hole into the top end of the plug and glue in a smaller dowel as shown. Then, chuck the smaller dowel into a portable drill, hold it at a slight angle, and lower it—with the plug spinning—onto a moving sanding belt. This multi-directional sanding will give the plug a taper that you can adjust until you get a perfect fit. Glue the tapered plug into the hole. Then fill, trim, and sand it flush.
—Lynn Warner, La Porte, Ind.