# Chair repair



## xplorx4 (Dec 1, 2008)

This is being done for someone in our church. This is the second of 5 to be repaired, this being the worse of the bunch.

I managed to disassemble the chair as far as I needed to make better joints. Most of the joints needed to have the dowel replaced; the learning curve has been steep to be sure. To drill out a broken or bad dowel I used the jig (pics) I made and finally a forester bit. These proved to be much better than a standard bit because the shorter and stiffer shank prevented the bit kicking off to one side or another. I could not have done as well as I have without the drill press. It was critical to get angles of things as close as possible. This was accomplished using an adjustable square. The last two pics are of the jig I made, (didn't want to tilt table for different reasons).

I am getting into the re-assembly phase now and hope to have it done by the end of the week.


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

Jerry,

What's the best way to get apart glued-together solid oak chairs? I have a dining room chair with a broken arm support but I'd like to remove the good one to use as a template. 

By the way, that's one mighty fine looking drill press you have there!

Jim


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## levon (Sep 14, 2008)

hi Jim

i use warm water. it dissolves the glue. dont soak it in water,just a little around the joint. sometimes i use a wet rag around the joint.


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## xplorx4 (Dec 1, 2008)

Thanks to Lavon, usually if it does not come apart with some minor coxing, I leave it together and find some other way to fix it. Now I will try the warm wet rag treatment.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Jerry

STEAM works great to get the joints free,if you use your work bench with the dogs and a strap to pull the joints free,don't every use a hammer to free them..then the bench vise will do all the work backwards so to speak  don't drill them out if you can get by without drilling them out but if you need to use a small drill and then pop out the dowel in parts..you will need to use that hole again..the norm..

The work bench is a great chair tool,just use some rags on the dogs and they will pop most of the joints free..


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xplorx4 said:


> Thanks to Lavon, usually if it does not come apart with some minor coxing, I leave it together and find some other way to fix it. Now I will try the warm wet rag treatment.


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

Great tips guys thanks will keep it in mind when I repair some of mine own chairs.


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

Thanks for the water and steam ideas.. I'll give them a try. These are "semi-volume produced" chairs and have a shiny finish. Think it's probably lacquer? Will the water or steam damage the finish? 

Bob,

How do you focus the steam where you want it?

Great idea on the using the bench.. I haven't build mine yet but i suspect a K-body converted to push would serve the purpose. Nice wide contact point, good pressure control.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Jim 

I use a hot plate or two and a tea pot or two going at one time 

I also use clamps to take them apart and use them backwards ,pushing the joints apart 

I should note ,I like using the cheap bar clamps,,they have a stop pin on one end and when it's drilled out/punch out the clamps come apart easy and I just flip them around.. then replace the pin with a cotter pin..I have done that to most of my clamps...


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BigJimAK said:


> Thanks for the water and steam ideas.. I'll give them a try. These are "semi-volume produced" chairs and have a shiny finish. Think it's probably lacquer? Will the water or steam damage the finish?
> 
> Bob,
> 
> ...


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## xplorx4 (Dec 1, 2008)

Thanks BJ, I will use that method in the future.


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## xplorx4 (Dec 1, 2008)

Still at it, I will finish this in the next few days. (I hope) The presentation for tonight is for the two pieces I had to fabricate. The new stock is maple and the stain I have is a perfect match for the chair.
As was seen in the first few pics the lower bracing was in bad shape, well I ended up fabricating the cross member and one of the side members. The challenge was matching the compound miter cut and getting the dowel pin at the correct angle. I used the existing to get both done and it worked out great. The miter saw and drill press were critical in this operation after using the TS to get the stock to correct size. The original was rounded over the top and to match this I use the belt sander rolling the piece back and forth to round the corners on the top. All in all it has gone well to this point; I will glue it up tomorrow and stain it so as to return to owner at church Sunday.


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

Great progress Jerry your a chair machine. 

Now go and sit down and rest.


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## xplorx4 (Dec 1, 2008)

TRN_Diesel said:


> Great progress Jerry your a chair machine.
> 
> Now go and sit down and rest.


I did that except it was horizonal rest. 

The hard part of the chair repair (like that?) has been getting the angles right on the new pieces I use the old ones to get it in the ball park and worked it from there. (If I charged 20.00/hr those two pieces would be at least 75.00. Good thing I don't charge 20.00/hr).


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

The angles are what concern me with fixing a chair at my house.


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## xplorx4 (Dec 1, 2008)

Jim I am sure you can do it, if I can anyone can if you have a compound miter saw. Make the repair piece plenty long and just nibble away till you get the angle needed. It took me a good three hours to get it where I wanted it. The drill press is critical for getting holed drilled properly. You can see the jig I made to hold the pieces that were drilled, if you have the broken pieces you can use those to get close to the angles you want. Putting the chair upside down on the bench really helped in working on it. It just lays there instead of trying to fall apart all the time, 

If you could post the problem perhaps I could make some suggestions nothing to lose, chair isn't useable anyway.


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## xplorx4 (Dec 1, 2008)

*chair is complete and sent home.*

Finished the chair, the owner is well pleased so I am well pleased also.


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

Looks good Jery nice job.


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## David K. (Aug 28, 2009)

You matched it up perfectly. If I did not see the whole post, I would have thought you used the original pieces!


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## xplorx4 (Dec 1, 2008)

I lucked out in two ways, first the stain was a dead on match, the second the chair is so old that it could be blotchy and it didn't matter.


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## Dr.Zook (Sep 10, 2004)

Great job Jerry.


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## challagan (Feb 7, 2006)

Nice work Jerry, that isn't something I would of wanted to tackle!

Corey


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## Lemuzz (Jul 25, 2008)

BigJimAK said:


> Jerry,
> 
> What's the best way to get apart glued-together solid oak chairs? I have a dining room chair with a broken arm support but I'd like to remove the good one to use as a template.
> 
> ...


My father was a furniture maker and repairing furniture was a regular job. He had a rubber mallet. A couple of sharp hits close to the joint was all it took. BUT the glue was hot glue in those days. I don't know if modern glues would release this way:big_boss::big_boss:


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## Lemuzz (Jul 25, 2008)

xplorx4 said:


> I did that except it was horizonal rest.
> 
> The hard part of the chair repair (like that?) has been getting the angles right on the new pieces I use the old ones to get it in the ball park and worked it from there. (If I charged 20.00/hr those two pieces would be at least 75.00.  Good thing I don't charge 20.00/hr).


As I said in an earlier post My father was a furniture maker. To find the angle and length of a chair rail. From 2 scraps of say 50x10 timber, cut one end of each piece at an angle. (any angle - say 20 deg.) Place these against two adjacent legs and clamp the two pieces together. This gives the correct length and angle.
Simply transfer this to the new piece, mark, and cut.


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## xplorx4 (Dec 1, 2008)

Thank you Murray I am sure this information will come in handy on some future projects. I really enjoy repairing /restoring furniture. I am such a novas that any help is appreciated. I believe I would have enjoyed knowing your father.



Lemuzz said:


> As I said in an earlier post My father was a furniture maker. To find the angle and length of a chair rail. From 2 scraps of say 50x10 timber, cut one end of each piece at an angle. (any angle - say 20 deg.) Place these against two adjacent legs and clamp the two pieces together. This gives the correct length and angle.
> Simply transfer this to the new piece, mark, and cut.


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## Lemuzz (Jul 25, 2008)

xplorx4 said:


> Thank you Murray I am sure this information will come in handy on some future projects. I really enjoy repairing /restoring furniture. I am such a novas that any help is appreciated. I believe I would have enjoyed knowing your father.


He was a talented guy. Wood worker, Metal worker, inventor and the best workmate and father a family could have. He hasn't been around for some 45 years but I still miss him :yes2::yes2:


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