I am attempting to repair an antique chair with a broken seat rail for a friend. The chair’s construction is of turned components, with the turned ends forming tenons that are inserted into holes bored into the legs. The seating is rush. The wood appears to be similar to oak or ash, possibly chestnut. The entire chair is in excellent condition: rush has no extensive wear; all joints are tight as a clam. There has been a previous repair attempt to this same seat rail: a wood pin bored through the back seat post and into the seat rail – but this has failed. I would like to partially or completely disassemble the chair to remove the broken rail and its failed repair, and replace it with a new rail.
So far, I have tried soaking the adjacent joints with warm vinegar, applying spreader clamps, gently tapping with a dead-blow mallet – but the unbroken joints will NOT budge! Any suggestions what I can try next?
Thank You!
Replies
disassembling chair joints
I have used vinegar before and have had moderate success using it. I also have used denatured alcohol with as much success, especially with joints which have been glued with hide glue. I use a medical syringe and inject the DA into the joint and let it sit for a while. Wiggling the components will help loosen the joint and then inject more into the joint. What also helps is to clamp one of the components in a bench vise and using a deadblow hammer, hit the second component with a strong rap. This is usually enough to break apart the joint.
Hi, mount the joint you want to take apart,in a wood vice or clamps,in a way to put PULL pressure on the joint.now use a ligth
with a 75 watt lite bulp direct the ligth on the joint,cover top of bulp w/aluminum foil,so the HEAT is conentrated on the on the joint
wait about 15 minutes and slowly start pulling on joint with the power vice or clamps.
Don't know what style of chair you are working on, exactly what piece you need to repair and if damaging the finish wants to be avoided. Chaitrs are often rickety assemblies until they are all joined together. As an example, removing the legs and their stretchers from the seat may make getting a stretcher out much easier since you can twist and pull on the legs when the tops are not restricted by the seat attachment. Heat does wonders. I use a heat gun. Places like under the seat don't show so you can test the effect on the finish there. Usually you can just go easy, a little heat at a time since the wood will hold it pretty well. A non marking rubber mallet is a handy tool but getting assemblies free so you can do a little twisting often works the best.
Chair Joints
Flexner had an article some years back , though the focus was on doweled chairs.
Regardless of that though I am assuming these are factory made chairs, and often in those processes they will clamp the chair and make adjustments to get it sitting level, then put brads or pins in the joints while the glue is still wet. Then move on to the finishing room
I would grab a metal detector and/or magnifying glass and look for nails through the tenons.
m,
yes, i've encountered nailed round tenons when disassembling a chair, also. the tenons may be split and wedged as well.
eef
Crows,
If the rest of the chair's joints are sound, here's a technique I've used to repair a broken seat rung or stretcher, without knocking the chair apart:
1- Saw the broken rung's ends off, flush with the legs.
Now you can lift the rush enough to slip the broken pieces out of the seat.
2- drill and split out the tenons from their holes in the legs.
3-Glue up a replacement rung from two pieces, scarfed together with a long diagonal glue line. Start and stop the joint away from the tenons. Glue the joint together with a piece of paper in the glue line.
4- turn the replacement rung to length, with tenons sized to fit the holes in the legs. Stain and finish to match, if any of it will show when it is in place in the chair.
5- Split the joint apart along the paper. Clean the paper off the glue line, coat the surfaces, and the tenons with glue..
6- Insert the two pieces into the rush, extending the tenons into the glue-coated holes. Align the scarf joint as before, and clamp tightly. Spring clamps, made from sections of upholstery coil springs work well for this, as you can work them between the strands of rush. And, you may be able to work small c-clamp heads between the rush strands, working from the underside of the seat, where the strands are frequently not as tightly woven. Be careful not to crush the rush with your clamp, where it (the rush)wraps around the outside of the sear rung.
Ray
chair seat rail repair
Another option:
Bore out the wood pin, replace with all thread of suitable dimensions, useing epoxy, use a suitable plug and finish.
I use all thread to restore chairs, replacing the fractured/broken dowels. By the time an owner brings me a chair for repair, the dowels are broken, and the holes are enlarged.
As to the chair losing value by the use of all thread, it has already lost value by the use of the wood pin.
Hope this helps.
Pete
Steel pins just don't make it for me. The wood moves, the pins don't, and eventually something gives, and repair is needed again, but now harder to accomplish. Remember, as someone has said, there are only two kinds of chairs: those that need repair, and those that will need repair. There just isn't a "forever" repair.
steel pins
Your point about "forever" chair repairs is well made!
The chairs that I get in my shop usually are hand-me-downs with a certain amount of provenance, but usually no real value. They will have broken joints, rails, splats, etc., cobbled together by screws, nails, white glue, blue tape, etc.
I believe Antiques Roadshow has persuaded many people to go up in the rafters, into the garage, shed, etc., and try and bring these pieces back to life.
I do make clear that I am only able to make repairs that will allow moderate use. Keep off carpets, don't allow users to lean back in them,etc..
Thanks for your comment.
Pete
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