A patch repair in old wood holds and hides when four things match: the cuts are angled so the new piece locks in mechanically, and the repair stock matches the original's grain, density, and moisture content.
Trace the shape you need with strips of scrap plywood, brad-nail them together in place, and you've built a custom template for a bearing-guided router bit in minutes — no measuring, no CAD, no template stock.
The angle you hold the putty knife at sets both the shape of the finished bevel and how cleanly the excess comes away — hold it too flat and the surplus smears back over the bevel you just struck instead of releasing in one ribbon.
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