tightening up the back/seat joint of some chairs

[ian]

I started with the first chair today. I picked the chair the loosest chair I could find and removed the seat. I then removed the screws from the corner braces. I did some tapping on alternating sides to separate the back and seat. It came apart fairly easily but a piece of one of the legs broke off when the joint came apart.

Attachment 425788

The break is fairly clean and I think that if I clamp it tightly I can glue the splinter back without it showing much.

Is there any advice regarding how to glue the broken piece back in place so that it will look as good as possible?

If you look at the now exposed joint you can see how little wood remained after the original dowel joint was constructed.
This will give you an indication of how little tolerance you have for installing new slightly larger dowels.

I THINK that part of the problem with this chair was a split in the leg -- you can see where dirt / finish has penetrated the surface opposite the back rail.

To repair
clean up the exposed dowels by carefully scraping the residual glue from the exposed surfaces. Including the other half of the dowel holes.
use painters tape to mask off the finished surfaces.
apply a coating of PVA glue to both split faces.
Put the piece back in place and secure with painters tape tightly wound around the joint.

Mark the repaired chair as "for looks" and try to avoid using it. And when you do use it place it for a light weight person who won't rack back on it.


for future chairs, if the joint won't tap apart easily, cut the dowels.

[ian]

I don't have a doweling jig at the moment. I don't mind getting one but there are allot of options. I don't mind spending something for this but the main thing is that it is easy to use, specifically for this situation.

Here are some options I found,

Milescraft 13090003 DowelJigKit with Milescraft JointMate ($20)
DCT Woodworking Self-Centering Dowel Drilling Jig & Bushings Set ($25)
Milescraft 13110003 Joint Pro Doweling Jig ($54)
Dowl It 2500 Dowel Self Centering Jig ($55)

Can anyone make a recommendation? If I understand how the Milescraft 13110003 works, you can fit and drill both the boards you are joining at the same time which would be helpful. I am really just guessing though. There is quite a range in price and I don't see any difference between the $25 DTC jig and the $55 Dowl It jig.

I don't see much difference between those options either.

In your shoes, I think I would be looking at something like the Jessem jig https://www.jessemdirect.com/JessEm_...ig_p/08350.htm

[auscab]

when I do these types of repairs I stick to a few basic golden rules . Otherwise they can turn into absolute nightmare jobs . No 1 golden rule is if its coming apart and dowels are being cut or breaking then when it goes back together you have to find the original hole . That means gradually drilling the broken old dowel out from the center until your close to its glue .5mm away roughly , then with hot water poured in and left a while the rest can be made to slide out using a screw down the hole to hook it out . Trying to drill them out most other ways wont work . If you have ever seen what happens when the holes no longer line up you would stick to this rule like you wouldnt believe!!! The original guy had them all lined up right so make sure you use them holes. Rule no 2 . Hide glue for new or clean tight old joinery is good . The broken bits I would use epoxy . And if the re dowled frame is not perfect and tight I would re glue the whole lot with epoxy . It wont come apart again , just like it is supposed to do . I wouldnt be putting the chair back together with Hide glue , if the joints are stressed and you use hide glue you may be doing the job again in ten years . I re did a whole set when I was 22 and about 15 years later the lady owner told me they were all loose again . All hide glue . Lucky I did the set for free as she was a family friend. I did a loose leg on a side table once in my super traditional restoration years. Hide glue . about five years later the guy came in to tell me the leg had fallen off in the middle of the night and the nice Victorian epergne https://www.google.com.au/search?q=v...EIOjAH#imgrc=_ see epergne link. had hit the wooden floor and been smashed. He was quite annoyed at me ! It wasnt good, but the guy was a bit of a tight A** always sniveling for a cheaper price and getting it from me because I was young and still learning how to quote, only just having finished my apprenticeship. I saw more Hide glue repairs coming back and watched my own furniture done with good fresh old fashioned hide glue then changed the way I glued for repairs .

Rob

[LMHmedchem]

The broken bits I would use epoxy . And if the re dowled frame is not perfect and tight I would re glue the whole lot with epoxy . It wont come apart again , just like it is supposed to do.

I don't really like epoxy because it is so much harder with cleanup and impossible to undo if you don't get it right but if I were to use it, what product would you recommend? I have never used an epoxy product on wood before.

LMHmedchem

[auscab]

You should give every thing a dry run to make sure that you can clamp it all up square, and make sure there are no surprises like one of your dowels is to long . That's where you discover any problems . Then put your glue in . You don't want to be having to take it apart because of a mistake of course . It's a pain with any glue . Some paint strippers dissolve epoxy . I used to clean my epoxy covered knives in a tin of it . So it could be possible to take it apart .
With clean up on chairs with epoxy , don't let it dry . I use a stiff ish brush . If the piece has a polish job to protect I brush out around the joint with a linseed oil and turps mix . Then buff dry with a rag . It comes up clean as a whistle . Oil and turps is a standard mix we always have on the bench and that's just one of its uses . If it's a raw wood and not polished yet . I use the same brush but with Metho .

I use Techniglue . I've got R60 at the moment . That's to do with drying time I think . You don't want a fast setting glue when tackling a multi jointed re glue . You sometimes need half an hour to get it all right and true . Like in the chair repairs I just posted on this page . You can get this glue in smaller tins at Carbatec I think . I used to use 24 hour Araldite but changed to this a few years ago .
Its a bit more muckingvaround with these glues . If the joints aren't to bad original Titebond
Will be ok .
Rob

[LMHmedchem]

Sorry about the delay. Like many others, we are in the middle of a historical cold spell (it's going to be -16 on Friday night) and my shop isn't even at 40 degrees. I haven't looked it up but I don't think it's a good idea to try to glue in those conditions. It may be another week before it's reasonable again.

LMHmedchem

[auscab]

No probs . Take Care . I cant imagine how hard it would be trying to function in such temperatures. If my house and Me were trapped in temps like that Id be dead in a day I suppose ? That's if the firewood then the furniture then all wooden fittings ran out . I was reading of frozen sharks showing up over there !
Rob