Furniture and Furnishings - Repair of worn loose chair legs
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nick nixon
02-01-08, 12:59 PM
I have some loose chair legs they are oak into a oak seat. The legs and seat holes are worn and I'm not sure that simply regluing will make them tight enough to hold very long. Any suggestions as to making them more secure?
George
02-04-08, 07:22 AM
If the legs don't go through the seat, here's a possibility.
Take each leg and cut a thin slot in the end that fits into the seat - about 3/4 to 1" deep. Use a dovetail saw or other thin blade.
Fashion an oak shim no longer than the depth of the cut and no wider than the diameter of the leg - should be no more than 1/8" thick at the butt end.
Drive the wedge into the leg, leaving about 1/4" sticking out.
Insert the leg into the seat (with glue) and drive the leg into the seat. The wedge will be driven home, expanding the butt end of the leg and securing it in the hole.
Yes, it is a little tedious and you may have to reshape the shims in order to get it all back together - but it works.
Take each leg and cut a thin slot in the end that fits into the seat - about 3/4 to 1" deep. Use a dovetail saw or other thin blade.
Fashion an oak shim no longer than the depth of the cut and no wider than the diameter of the leg - should be no more than 1/8" thick at the butt end.
Drive the wedge into the leg, leaving about 1/4" sticking out.
Insert the leg into the seat (with glue) and drive the leg into the seat. The wedge will be driven home, expanding the butt end of the leg and securing it in the hole.
Yes, it is a little tedious and you may have to reshape the shims in order to get it all back together - but it works.
clockdaddy
02-04-08, 05:24 PM
I'd like to add to what George has recommended.
It is best not to use a yellow or white carpenter's glue for gluing up the chairs.
Two things have happened to cause the legs to be so loose. All cabinet grade wood has an initial moisture level of at least 7 percent. Some will run as high as 10 percent. When the furniture pieces are fabricated, they fit together just fine.
After we buy the furniture and put in our homes with our modern heating and a/c units the wood dries and shrinks. The shrinking and use breaks loose the glue in the joint and the post begins to grind away at the wood in the joint creating a void.
White or yellow (aliphatic) glues are not made to fill a void. If you glue the chairs up, in six months they'll be loose again. It's necessary to use a glue that will fill the void and stay intact. Two glues are now available that do just that. One is a polyurethane glue sold under the name of Gorilla glue. The other is a two part epoxy (slow curing).
Using the Gorilla glue requires that one of the pieces being glued be dampened or even wet. Apply the adhesive evenly to the dry piece and then insert the post into the hole. The adhesive, while curing, will create a foam that fills the void and any excess will bubble out of the joint so you can trim it later using your knife.
The epoxy should be of the type that cures in about 24 hours and sets up in around an hour. The faster curing epoxies are more brittle and will crumble after a period of time. The slow curing epoxy penetrates into the wood better, fills the void and retains enough flexibility that it will never crumble. When you glue up the chair make sure you have it together right. You'll not get a second chance. Once the epoxy is set up, the only way to get the joint apart is to tear off the wood around the post!! In other words...destroy the chair! To remove any wet epoxy, use white vinegar or lacquer thinner.
I hope this helps you!!
Good luck,
CD
It is best not to use a yellow or white carpenter's glue for gluing up the chairs.
Two things have happened to cause the legs to be so loose. All cabinet grade wood has an initial moisture level of at least 7 percent. Some will run as high as 10 percent. When the furniture pieces are fabricated, they fit together just fine.
After we buy the furniture and put in our homes with our modern heating and a/c units the wood dries and shrinks. The shrinking and use breaks loose the glue in the joint and the post begins to grind away at the wood in the joint creating a void.
White or yellow (aliphatic) glues are not made to fill a void. If you glue the chairs up, in six months they'll be loose again. It's necessary to use a glue that will fill the void and stay intact. Two glues are now available that do just that. One is a polyurethane glue sold under the name of Gorilla glue. The other is a two part epoxy (slow curing).
Using the Gorilla glue requires that one of the pieces being glued be dampened or even wet. Apply the adhesive evenly to the dry piece and then insert the post into the hole. The adhesive, while curing, will create a foam that fills the void and any excess will bubble out of the joint so you can trim it later using your knife.
The epoxy should be of the type that cures in about 24 hours and sets up in around an hour. The faster curing epoxies are more brittle and will crumble after a period of time. The slow curing epoxy penetrates into the wood better, fills the void and retains enough flexibility that it will never crumble. When you glue up the chair make sure you have it together right. You'll not get a second chance. Once the epoxy is set up, the only way to get the joint apart is to tear off the wood around the post!! In other words...destroy the chair! To remove any wet epoxy, use white vinegar or lacquer thinner.
I hope this helps you!!
Good luck,
CD