Was glue Really Really expensive

[russ57]

In the eighties?
I noticed a dining chair was getting a bit rickety, so decided to reglue it.
The chair (possibly tessa) dismantled with metal screws /dowels, leaving the side frames which were dowelled.
The side knocked apart fairly easily. When i started to clean up the old glue, because this excellent forum has taught me that most glue won't stick to itself, i discovered that each hole possibly has 1ml of i guess epoxy. Perhaps less.

My problem now is that most of the dowels won't come out, but they are 'loose' in that they can be twisted a little but not removed.
Given the original glue is epoxy could i try to inject say titebond into the joint, or should I drill them out and replace?
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[China]

I would be surprised if a commercial manufacturer would have used epoxy for that application try heating it most epoxy or PVA will release with heat.

[apple8]

Veritas have a Chair Doctor glue that maybe of help.

[bsrlee]

Way back then I think they used a styrene based glue, anyway it went yellow and brittle after several years and just about nothing would stick to it. My family lost several chairs of that vintage to flaky glue.

If those dowels are really stuck in there you could be better off drilling them out, maybe to a marginally larger size since they are likely to be Imperial, just pick the metric equivalent that is a hair larger, sand the $^&* out of the end of the rails and the area where any glue will go. Then use a glue you are happy with for assembly - hide glue is strong, easily reversed and will stick to itself if it needs to be reglued but has little moisture resistance.

[q9]

If they twist, they will come out.

It's not a matter of cost saving. They used what was the right amount at the time. How old are those? 80s you say? So 40 years on, they need a bit of TLC. Upholstery would be knackered after that long anyway.

You might look at some kind of slide hammer or a variant to get the dowels out, along with some kind of just slightly oversized drill to rebore the holes. Or not. Dowels usually are use to provide shear strength - don't necessarily need to hold all that tight. I've replaced dowel joints in some applications with a biscuit to good effect, where the intention was a hidden join.

[Chris Parks]

Cut them flush and drill the dowell out then a new dowell slightly larger can be used.

[paul.cleary]

I agree with Chris. They are probably 3/8 inch dowels which is equivalent to 9.5mm so a standard 10mm metric dowel will be a good size to use as a replacement.

[russ57]

Thanks everyone.
Got the first set out, some by warming and twisting. A couple resisted and broke so i drilled them out.
They appear to be 9/16. I made a rough dowel plate and made a couple. I used an 11mm drill as the only 9/16 i can find has been extended and is now about 300mm long.
(the upholstery is leather and just about perfect)
Planning to use titebond 1, but I think I also have titebond 2. I guess either will be adequate.