Replies

1. 
   peter_walters | Apr 14, 1999 10:01am | #1

   *
   I am working on a project to cut down an 18th c. dutch picture frame. The cuts have to be made in the middle of the frame, and not at the miters. The wood appears to be european oak. The molding is hand cut, and has warps in two planes.
   Its profile is 2 3/8" wide, and 3/4" thick, at the thickest part of the profile,
   but most of the profile is 7/16" thick. Due to the irregularities caused by the warping,
   I need manuevering room when aligning the joints before glueing, and due to the thinness of the cross section, I can't use the usual scarf, lap, or spline joinery, complicated by the fact that as much of the original surface as possible
   must be retained. It looks like I must use a butt joint, reinforced with steel dowel pins. I must drill the dowel pin holes oversize, to allow for alignment adjustments. This means I must use a glue like epoxy to fill in the gaps between the the dowel pins and their oversize holes, and to adhere and secure the faces of the joint to each other. Can you suggest an epoxy, as to brand, properties and sources, plus any suggestions as to work methodology? I have had failures with epoxies before,
   and I am concerned about finding the best adhesive for these purposes.
   Thank You for your time
   Sincerely, Peter Walters

1. 
   J._Wyatt | Apr 14, 1999 04:43pm | #2

   *I have had to do the same thing with broken legs on antique chairs or tables. I did as you suggested, using oversize holes with hardwood dowels to allow proper realignment, filling around the dowels with epoxy glue. I have always used any good generic, off-the-shelf epoxy glue. The biggest considerations you will need to make is applicability of the product to the material (wood) and color which may not be a consideration if you are going to re-leaf or re-gild. Just read the label and good luck.

1. 
   alan_joseph_samson | Apr 15, 1999 03:45am | #3

   *Simpson Strong-Tie Company sells structural epoxy for adhering steel in concrete, where the steel will withstand a pull test.Simpson Strong-Tie Company will send to anyone, free of charge, their new catalog entitled "the well-connected structure", and a video tape about how to seismically retrofit a house.Call Simpson Strong-Tie Company at 800-999-5099.However, in this particular instance, I would stay away from the introduction of steel.I get the feeling that this job calls for a butterfly routed in the back of the frame. I would do it with the frame clamped , so that the butterfly will be installed correctly.Then, just use yellow wood glue.Hope this helps.

2. 
   DonC1 | Apr 16, 1999 04:07am | #4

   *Join them together by any method and SLAP some fiberglass on the back side. end of problem. End of warps. Easy, easu, easy. Any other method will be weaker and harder or more time consuming to do.

3. 
   alan_joseph_samson | Apr 18, 1999 10:16am | #5

   *I support this idea.Hope this helps.

4. 
   Juergen_Hassel | Jun 22, 1999 05:51pm | #6

   *I support Mr. Samson's proposal. Had similar problem with an old English oval mahogany mirror frame with gilded inlays where butt joints, formerly fixed with hide glue, had opened and due to the weight of the glass could not be fixed with glues again. Routed butterfly holes on the back and inserted mahog. butterfly pieces over the joints, then hand-planed them flat. Result: looks as new and surely much nicer than fiberglass. - Juergen

5. 
   Rick_Starr | Jun 29, 1999 06:36am | #7

   *As I'm sure you know, the first rule of the restorer is to do nothing that cannot be undone. Properly applied, almost all glues are stronger than the material they join. As a restorer of antiques, I recommend you cut your mating surfaces the way you want them, then rough them up (I've been known to perforate delicate objects on their endgrain surfaces with a pin or the like so the glue will soak back a ways from the joint.)then wet them out several times, keeping the glue wet so it will soak in as much as possible. then mate and clamp. Please don't use a foreign material like steel. Sounds strong, never works, or worse it never works for long. If in your considered opinion the glue method is unworkable, then drill a small hole in each face as if you were going to dowel it, though you don't need to get the alignment perfect, just close. Then use West System epoxy(there really is no other, despite what others say)with a tooth pick to wet out the joint and inside the holes. Then mix in a bit of adhesive filler, fill the holes using a syringe if necessary, and mate the faces, clamp and forget for AT LEAST 24 hrs.Thus you have a joint that is stronger than the material, which has an EPOXY dowel in it which has soaked into the surrounding wood. If you have any question about how strong that dowel is, try and remove the cured epoxy from the syringe, and remember that it has not soaked into the wall of the syringe as it has into the wood.Protect your gilding first, obviously.

6. 
   Steven_Rasmussen | Jul 02, 1999 07:21pm | #8

   *Does anyone have a good clamping method for gluing the segments of a radius, and is biscuits the best way to strengthen the joints. Some of my joints are too small for biscuits. Steven

7. 
   Leon_Jester | Jul 21, 1999 01:37am | #9

   *If you're putting together small pieces for a radius, try using kerf-cuts and splines. These can be incorporated as design elements, i.e., contrasting woods [oak splines in a mohogany frame].For larger pieces, consider using dowels, if you've got a drill press to drill them on.

8. 
   Steven_Rasmussen | Oct 09, 1999 05:51am | #10

   *Sorry about the delay in replying. I had problems with my computer. I have solved my problem of gluing the segments by using pocket screws. I seen this in the Wood Magazine when they were gluing the face of a clock. This works really good for me because after I glue and cut out the half circle I then run it through a machine to put on a profile that will match the side mouldings of the window. Again I'm sorry about the delay in replying and thank-you for your ideas.Steven