[OldAndWise]

I am trying to make this happen:

I have an unmovable large piece in an awkward spot with a rectangular hole. I'm trying to put a piece of wood inside to fill it then smooth everything out to turn it into a single piece. Is there a name for this method that I should look up ... or is there a good way to go about doing this?

Thanks.

 

[Acercanto]

If you have access to both sides, have someone hold the movable piece up to the hole, mark the outline, then cut outside the line and sand to fit. Easy peasy.
If you can't get to both sides, you could get creative with double-sided tape to put a handle on the movable piece to do the same thing.

As far as securing it to the immobile piece, there are lots and lots of ways to do that. You could glue/tack a "rim" of wood around the movable piece and just glue it in place. You could also secure some pieces of wood across the corners of the hole on the immobile piece and then just set the movable piece into position and glue.

Again, lots of good ways to skin this cat, just depends on what you fee like doing.

Acer

 

[MNsawyergp]

I have filled holes like this in the past. I cut the insert piece with tapered sides, basically like a cork stopper. Make the insert about 1/16" - 1/8" bigger than the hole size. Put glue around the edge of the hole. That is more important than gluing the edge of the insert. You can also glue the insert, but most of that glue will get pushed out of the hole. Then, you need to force the insert into the hole. Because the insert is over sized, you will need to pound it in with a block and a hammer or use clamps or a hydraulic jack. Once you have forced in the insert and the glue has dried, you can sand the insert flush to the other surface.

 

[cabinetman]

We have an introduction section where you can say a few words about yourself. If you fill out your profile in your "User Control Panel", you can list any hobbies, experience or other facts. You can also list your general geographical location which would be a help in answering some questions.

Your image is 1280 px wide. Could you edit your post and resize it to 850 px wide or less. There are a few details about your project that needs clarification. What is the large panel for? Details like can both sides be accessed? Does the panel need to be removed and replaced on a regular basis, or is it a one time need? What are the panels made of, and how thick?

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[ScottE]

Make a template that is 1/4 " bigger in each dimension than the hole in the big piece. Get an inlay cutting rub collar for your router. These have a bushing that goes on the rub collar that you run on the template. You cut your mortise with the bushing off and then you put it on to cut the inlay. It makes you a perfect fitting inlay for whatever shape you want to inlay. It's super fast and accurate.