Replies

1. 
   hackmeister | Sep 29, 2013 11:13pm | #1

   Depends on the Glue

   The best glue to use will depend on what was used originally.  The easiest to deal with would be hide glue, because cleaning all the old glue out of the joint is not essential, just squirt in some Liquid Hide Glue and clamp/tie the joint tight.  To check for hide glue, see if a moistened finger sticks to the glue.

   Any other glue would need to be removed completely, because most modern glues to not stick to dry versions of themselves.  The problem with doing that is it may make the joint looser than desirable.  If the joints were still tight enough, I would use a Titebond 1 type glue, as it has some shock resistance.  If the joints are too loose, they may need shims or shavings to fill up the gap.  I think there are wood swelling products out there, although I don't have any experiece with them; all my loose chairs were hide glued.

2. 
   Ed_Pirnik | Sep 30, 2013 04:29pm | #2

   Windsor chair repair

   If you've got the legs out of the seat, I'd start by cleaning away as much of the old glue as possible. This can be done by using hot vinegar and a wire brush. Have a look at an audio slideshow I did called "Nakashima's Chair." Peter Gedrys used that technique to clean away the old glue out of a chair he was repairing/restoring.

   Now the question becomes, how to properly re-glue the legs into their mortises. there are two ways to do this. The best way, and the one I'd probably use if there is any value to the chair in question, would be to cut a kerf in the leg tenons and use a fox wedged tenon--basically, the kerf in the tenon accepts a small wedge. Glue is applied to the joint and as you tap the leg into the bottom of the chair, the wedge gets seated further and further into the kerf cut, thereby expanding the tenon just enough for a tight fit in the corresponding mortise.

   Now, if it's not a particularly valuable chair, you could use a gap-filling glue- IE epoxy. Wood glue by itself won't fill a gap--which is probably why the past repairs haven't held.

   I wish I had known this stuff many years ago when I foolishly attempted to repair an original Thonet windsor using -- of all things-- Gorilla Glue. The stuff foamed up something awful, squirting out of the joint and marring the underside of the chair. Oh, the ignorance of it all!!!

   Best,

   Ed

3. 
   swannyww | Oct 04, 2013 11:24am | #3

   I have used epoxy that is thickend with high density filler by west systems and colored the epoxy to the surronding area so it blends.  I did this on a windsor chair and it held fine.  This works best if the repair can be turned upside down so the epoxy stays in the hole  until dry.  The windsor I repaired was made in China supposidly of oak, but it wasn't really oak, as it was soft as butter and brittle to boot.  The original glue was brittle and broke easily, so the combination of soft brittle wood and brittle glue fails.