Horrible chair repair

[AlexS]

I try to avoid repairs as a rule, especially if they are like this. The only good thing about this chair is its appearance. Structurally, it's frightening.
The legs are very thin to start with, and after the mortice and dowel holes have been taken out, there's hardly any meat left. There is no backwards rake on the legs, so when someone leans on the back of the chair, the resultant is a force tending to lever the tenon out. The tenon is only about 18mm long. There are no rungs, and the grain around this joint is diagonal rather than aligned with the leg. The corner blocks don't fit very well. Apart from that, it's a nice chair.
As inevitably happens when a chair breaks, someone tries to fix it - in this case, it looks like they've used PVA craft glue.
I really tried to get out of it - told them it or another one would almost certainly break in the same place, I couldn't guarantee a match to the timber, and couldn't give a price - it would cost what it finished up costing. Nevertheless, they insisted. It's part of a set of six, and has sentimental value. I'll do it, but it will have a report with it that says it shouldn't be sat on.
I'll try & post WIP pics as I go.
.

[chippy 71]

I try to avoid repairs as a rule, especially if they are like this. The only good thing about this chair is its appearance. Structurally, it's frightening.
The legs are very thin to start with, and after the mortice and dowel holes have been taken out, there's hardly any meat left. There is no backwards rake on the legs, so when someone leans on the back of the chair, the resultant is a force tending to lever the tenon out. The tenon is only about 18mm long. There are no rungs, and the grain around this joint is diagonal rather than aligned with the leg. The corner blocks don't fit very well. Apart from that, it's a nice chair.

Alex........It looks like a Parker and if it is I am surprised as their quality is/was very good.
I have friends with a Parker dining set they have had for about thirty years and they have not had similar problems.

As inevitably happens when a chair breaks, someone tries to fix it - in this case, it looks like they've used PVA craft glue.
I really tried to get out of it - told them it or another one would almost certainly break in the same place, I couldn't guarantee a match to the timber, and couldn't give a price - it would cost what it finished up costing. Nevertheless, they insisted. It's part of a set of six, and has sentimental value. I'll do it, but it will have a report with it that says it shouldn't be sat on.

I'll try & post WIP pics as I go.

Have they had similar problems with any other chair?





I will follow this with interest.

Colin.

[AlexS]

Hi Chippy. It's not a Parker, as you say, their quality was much better. If they'd made the legs a but deeper so the tenons had a bit more length, and run the back rail into the side rails instead of the legs, it probably would have lasted quite well. I don't believe they've had this trouble with any other chair....yet.

[chippy 71]

Hi Chippy. It's not a Parker, as you say, their quality was much better. If they'd made the legs a but deeper so the tenons had a bit more length, and run the back rail into the side rails instead of the legs, it probably would have lasted quite well. I don't believe they've had this trouble with any other chair....yet.

Hi Alex.......I am glad it is not a Parker, I would have been very disappointed if it had been.

There can't be much meat left in the leg where the side and back rails meet the back leg, very poor design all round.

Good luck with the repair, rather you than me

Colin..

[Des.K.]

Hi Alex

That chair looks like it's had some serious hurtin' over the years. Will be interested in how you approach it. Good luck, and take plenty of photos.

Des

[AlexS]

Chippy, there's a group of the ex Parker people who now do repairs and restorations on them.
I also met a bloke (FIL of friend's daughter) who was Parkers first apprentice, and turned out the lights for the last time when they closed down.

[AlexS]

I cleaned up all of the dowels and tenons on the side rail and back rails.
One of the back rails came loose. so I had to re-glue it, making sure it stayed in line.
The leg post tapers at each end. so I marked out the thickness around a centre line at 100mm intervals, then joined it up with smooth curves.
I bandsawed it freehand as close as possible to the lines, and it's now ready to smooth to shape.
The wedges are to stop it rocking as I plane it. A bid of sandpaper stuck underneath stops them sliding on the bench. They're just put in position and the tail of the board clamped while I plane the other end to shape.

[petersemple]

I had some Parker chairs that I gave up on. Four of the six all broke in exactly the same way, and I couldn't repair them adequately. The other two are still OK, but nobody sits on them. These chairs have the front legs joined to the side rails with a deep comb (box) joint. The front rail then joins to this with 2 dowels - which leaves very little meat in the comb joint. All 4 that failed had both comb joints fail as the timber split at the dowels, leaving the front legs and front rail detached as a unit. Sad really as they were sentimental. At least we still have 2 and the matching table. I even tried using the ugly steel repair straps you can buy. Still didn't work well enough. They did last 40 years or so, but it is sad they are gone and beyond repair.

Peter

[AlexS]

First step this weekend was to mark out the profile of the leg from the other one, and cut it roughly to shape on the bandsaw. Cleaned it up with spokeshaves and sanding drum. (Moments like this I wish I had a bobbin sander.)
Then marked and drilled for the dowels from the back rail. Dry fitted and marked the location of the mortices for the back splats.
Cut these mortices and dry fitted, then cut the mortice for the side rail, and dry fitted the whole chair together.
All seems to fit pretty well, so the next steps will be to round the corners of the post to match the other one,then sand. After that, I'll be trying to match the colour and finish, before gluing up.

[chippy 71]

Chippy, there's a group of the ex Parker people who now do repairs and restorations on them.
I also met a bloke (FIL of friend's daughter) who was Parkers first apprentice, and turned out the lights for the last time when they closed down.

Back in the early 70s I built a factory for a large company in Sydney and it included a boardroom, bar, offices and research laboratory etc. and during the course of construction I met the chap who designed and made the bar and boardroom furniture, his work was exceptional.
My wife and I were invited to his home and all the furniture in his home was designed and made by him, every stick, beautiful to say the least!
During the course of the conversation, he mentioned that he had served his time with an antiques restorer in England as a cabinet maker.
We mentioned at the time that we wanted a Dutch Dresser and within minutes he had drawn exactly what we wanted, complete with plates cups and saucers on the shelves.
This chap was the furniture designer for Parker Furniture.
The design he drew for us of the Dutch Dresser was lost in our next house move and I never got the chance that Dresser.
Sadly that chap lost his life in an electrical accident only a few years later leaving a wife and young family.
The really sad part is I am damned if I can remember his name now, old age I am afraid.

Colin.

[bellyup]

G'day,
I had a repair job similar to your problem, nor a Parker style chair though - a little more meat on the bones.
Due to a lack of everything out here, I ended up drilling a 1/2" hole into both the top and bottom of the broken leg paralell with the lenght to a depth of about 5 -6" and inserting a lenght of 3/8" threaded "Booker rod" slightly shorter than the length of the two holes. Dry butt the leg together to check for fit( you may have to ream out the holes a bit to get the fit as all of this is done freehand)
Once you are happy with the fit, mix some builders bog together (slow set) and pack into the drill holes as best you can but don't waste time, reinsert the Booker rod into the bogged holes and bring the join together, apply 2 part furniture glue to the actual break area and apply wood clamps as and where necessary and leave for 2 days.
My chair gets used every day and is holding up well after some initial trepidation.
I hope this helps, if I haven't made things clear, please let me know.
Good luck,
Bruce

[AlexS]

This weekend, I rounded the corners using a spokeshave, then sanded to 400 grit. Cleaned up the original chair with reviver to see the original colour to see how good a match I could get. Fortunately the match looks OK so I don't intend to stain.

Gave the leg the first coat of wipe-on poly, lightly sanded when dry, and gave it a 2nd coat. This pic is the first coat, which mostly soaked in.

[AlexS]

After six coats of wipe-on poly this week, to match the finish on the other leg, the chair was ready to re-assemble today.
First, I assembled the chair and applied wax around all the joints where the glue was likely to squeeze out.
I used Techniglue, pigmented with sienna, ochre and a bit of viennese red to match the wood. Normally I wouldn't use epoxy on a chair, but because I'd cleaned up the dowels & tenons, I needed a gap-filling glue.
The glue-up was pretty straight forward. The band clamp went on first, then the other two clamps to make sure everything was straight. The squab is in the chair to make sure that it will fit, wrapped in glad wrap to protect it.

Once the glue has gone off, I'll clean up the squeeze-out and do any touching up if necessary, and get it out of my workshop ASAP.