Andy,
Here are a few pictures of what I’m trying to describe. The U type joint is on the rear leg, and the front leg has a lenghty crack on the front side and a smaller crack on the back side. If you can zoom in the cracks are easier to see.
Please take a look and let me know your thoughts and Professional opinion on how to repair.
Thanks again,
Senor Dorado
Replies
Senor Dorado—
You can take a deep breathe and back away from some of the things I've said. From your photos, the damage is much less severe than I thought.
I'd hazard an educated guess that those cracks can easily be repaired by forcing regular woodworking glue (white or yellow) as deep into the cracks as you can get it. Compressed air works well to force the glue in; narrow dental tools or artists' palette knives can be manipulted to direct the glue into the cracks; or spread the cracked area apart with clamps or some other form of ingenuity to get the glue inside the leg. First, make sure the joint clamps together tightly without glue (do a dry run; no glue) and then be sure to clamp the joint evenly and firmly during glueup. Come back after the glue has dried and refinish the surface with some light sanding, a few applications of various colored wood stains, and a sufficient amount of clear coats of your favorite finish in order to replicate the original color and sheen.
As for your bridle joint, which is a form of mortise and tenon (what you call the U-joint), the bad news is that it's most likely not going to last very long. The scarf joint I talked about earlier would be much stronger and much longer-lasting in this part of the chair. You can probably leave he repair as is. Nevertheless, I'd set aside a day in the future to repair the chair one more time when it needs it, using the scarfing technique.
—Andy
Hi Andy I'll let you know how it all comes together. Thank you for your time and wisdom. Senor Dorado
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