I want to replace the dowels in the rockers of an apparently antique rocking chair. Antique, as in it was originally assembled with hide glue and has a lovely cracked patina. The dowels have apparently been repaired/replaced once already with yellow glue, which obviously has failed as well. The two front dowel holes have been drilled through, while the back two are blind. The glue in the back two failed and the dowels in front broke at the interface of the leg and rocker. I thought that I could just drill for larger dowels to get rid of the glue problem, but the chair legs don’t have enough diameter. Any suggestions? Two different diameters on the same dowel? I don’t want to refinish or really restore it; just make it functional and attractive.<!—-> <!—-><!—->
Chair has dark stain, i.e., I don’t know what kind of wood it is. <!—-><!—->
Thanks for any ideas.<!—-><!—->
Bob Brown<!—-><!—->
<!—-><!—-> <!—->Grand Junction <!—->, <!—->CO <!—-><!—-> <!—-><!—->
Replies
bob,
It's a little tough to say just what is the best course of treatment without seeing the damage, but here goes.
The best option will be to remove the old repairs where they are broken, and clean all the old glue from the holes and intact tenons. If the tenons are actually dowels, and not extensions of the legs, check them to make sure they are tight in the legs. If not, remove them and check those joints as well. Any yellow glue should be cleaned by flooding with with hot water and swabbing, picking or pulling the film of glue out. Don't get all aggressive and scrape any wood away with the glue. Holes that have only hide glue, not contaminated with any other kind may be left alone.
Once everything is clean, replace the broken tenons with new stock, matching the kind of wood if you can. You might need to turn a stepped tenon, if the hole in the leg is a different diameter from that in the rocker. It's best to turn the replacements out of dry hardwood instead of using commercial dowel rod. Store bought dowels are seldom the correct diameter, and often are made of soft species of wood and out of round to boot. Plus, if you turn the dowels, you can size them to fit correctly.
If the intact tenons are a loose fit due to compression, or the holes being wallowed out, you have a choice. Easiest is to wrap the tenon with linen or cotton or a long shaving, and saturate with hide glue. Not the strongest repair, but serviceable, and traditional. If the hole is wallowed our of round, or big enough, you might want to drill it out larger, plug with a matching face grain plug, and re-drill to the right size and angle. I'd be reluctant to replace the intact tenons with larger ones, unless they too are replacements.
I'd recommend using hide glue in re-assembling the joints of your antique chair. It will be compatable with the original glue, and is easily repairable. Likely the joints will loosen up after years of use no matter what the adhesive, and you then will be able to reglue with a minimum of fuss and bother.
Regards,
Ray Pine
Hey Ray.
Thanks for the input. I'll check out the holes and dowels/tenons more closely. I was surprised to see that you suggested using hide glue, but your explanation makes great sense. Thanks again.
Bob
bob,
You're welcome. Good luck on your repairs.
Ray Pine
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