# Table & Chair Repair



## woodworker47 (Dec 19, 2008)

I was asked to "repair", not restore, a table with 4 chairs, a piano bench and a very large dresser drawer. Picture are shown below. The first picture is the drawer. The bottom was detached from the back. It was just a butt joint. I cleaned the joint and glued back together. To be sure it holds, I put in screws and glue blocks. Sorry, forgot to take picture of the repair. The piano bench just needed holes filled with tooth picks and screws tightened. 

The third picture is the table and one chair before work started. I took the chairs completed apart except for the back. Since the dowel pins were an odd size, I had to buy 5/8" oak dowels and turned them to dimensions on my metal lathe. I them glue each chair back together. Only had on major problem. I took my Bessey clamp and ground of the tabs on the end so I could remove the clamp and reverse it so it would become a spreader. I was removing a seat rail and the rail broke in the middle near a screw went through to hold the seat in place. I had the option to either replace or repair. Since the break was clean, I decided to glue and repair. I then glued and screwed a 1/4" piece of plywood over the break. As you can see from the picture, it will hold for a long time. 

The table boards were cracked and split. I used my table saw to cut through each crack so I could glue boards back together. I then ran each glued up board through my drum sander. I stained the boards and table before applying three coats of Urethane. 

One final thing on the chairs. There was a piece broken and missing on the back. I traced the good side and made another piece for the left side. The break was at a dowel rod used to hole the back in place. I drilled a hole into the bottom of my piece and cut half was through the hole to my piece would be glued to the dowel. You can see the final three pictures. They did not request this repair, but I could not send back without trying. The final picture shows the piece after trying to match color. Remember, I did not refinish the chairs, only repaired. It came out really close and customer was very pleased.

Frank


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## difalkner (Jan 3, 2012)

Repair work can bring out the creativity in a woodworking, kind of fun at times. Good job, Frank.

David


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Frank, that is some mighty fine recovery work....

.


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## Bstrom (Jan 2, 2020)

Excellent exec\ution of all those pieces! I’m working with some Oak that has that same grain pattern in it - you did a fine job on that table. There is a constant need for this kind of work if you let the word out...as challenging or moreso than building new.


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## newbie2wood (Apr 22, 2016)

Nicely done - and thanks for the explanation on how you did it all. Very helpful for those of us that have no clue LOL

I really like how the table came out really nice, great job on matching the stain.


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

That is some really fine work...thanks for explaining how you approached it...


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## TenGees (Sep 12, 2012)

Nice job, Frank. I have an old chair that has that problem in the same place!


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## sreilly (May 22, 2018)

Good lesson on furniture repair.


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## woodworker47 (Dec 19, 2008)

I forgot to attach picture of the table boards showing the cracks. The first picture was a crack in the table top. I fixed this one by applying CA glue and sanding. It was very difficult to see after stain and finish. The remaining pictures show the cracks and being clamped after sawing through the cracks and gluing back together. I lost between 1/8" to 1/4" per board, depending on the number of cracks I had to cut. Since this was an 8' table, this lost stock will not be missed. Thanks to everyone for there kind comments.

Frank


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

Frank this brings back memories of our furniture business many years ago. It was always fun to start with something people thought was junk and give it new life. I love those chairs .... reminds me, I have a set of 6 or 8 upstairs in my shop I need to redo and get rid of, been too long I can't remember if it is 6 or 8 .... closer to being antiques now.


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## woodworker47 (Dec 19, 2008)

Mike,

I am not sure, but it is thought that the table and chairs may be around 100 years old. I knew the family that owned it in 1965. They have since passed and noe the daughter has it and is using it. There was a label inside the chair stating it was purchased in Cincinnati, Ohio. I have not researched the company name, but I doubt they are still in business.

Frank


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