Need help repairing rocking chair

[Rick Haigh]

I am trying to repair a broken part on a rocking chair and am not sure what glue to use for the repair.

I thought about using epoxy, but I currently only have 5-minute epoxy. Is there an epoxy that is made for wood? Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Rick

[Todd Burch]

Epoxy would be fine. Not sure what "5 minute" epoxy is, but if it is clear, comes in a 2-part mix, and dries in 5 minutes, it should be fine. I've used epoxy with set times between 24 hours and 90 seconds. Pick your poison.

That looks like a straight forward enough repair. One clamp ought to do it. Scuff up the tenon first to remove the shiny parts to give the epoxy something to sink its teeth into. Wrap the bottom of the joint with masking tape so the epoxy doesn't drip all over the chair, or better yet, lay the whole chair on its back before you start the repair.

Todd.

[Carl Eyman]

Just a word of caution; I hope no other glue has been used in the interim. That is, I hope the break is clean, new, wood. If not, I'd think about some kind of a spline to reinforce the joint

[Rick Haigh]

The break is in old wood, that has not been repaired before. I had considered a spline, but was hoping that the epoxy would be sufficient. I suppose that this is a weak spot in the chair and should probably get reinforced.

Rick

[Todd Burch]

Good idea on the reinforcing.

To reinforce it, I would epoxy first as I mentioned above. Then, I would run a groove (1/4" router bit or smaller) with the grain of the top rail, about 1/3 to 1/2 way deep through the rail and the tenon, centered top to bottom, and about 1¼" to 1½" to each side. This groove would be made from the back side so it would be less noticeable.

I would then fit in and epoxy another piece of wood to match.

The toughest part of the job would be matching the finish.

Let us know how it comes out. Should take about 2 hours, max!

Todd.

[David Klug]

Rick, I just repaired a oak chair that had been steam bent with spindles similar to yours. I used a stick epoxy made by PC Products. It worked looked quite well. There was a lot of tension at the crack and the epoxy worked as a filler as well as an adhesive. I had to draw some lines in it for the grain and I used dye to stain it. I didn't take a regular stain very well. I wish you well with your project.

Dave

[Rick Haigh]

David,
Did you add a spline to reinforce the joint? Routing on the back of the chair is going to be tricky.

Thanks,
Rick

[David Klug]

The chair I worked on wasn't broken into, but it was a stress crack. I just spread it apart as much as I could and packed the epoxy in it. The epoxy I used is a stick that I cut a piece off of and then you kneed it together like bread dough. Then I used a C clamp to bring it together.

Dave

[Lee Schierer]

Not to be a wet blanket, but I don't think glue of any type is going to fix that permanently. You might be time ahead to make a new piece from similar wood. If I were to make a new piece I would also consider making it slightly larger in height and width for increased strength. The wood looks like oak, most likely white oak. Repairing with a spline will help, but will be time consuming and somewhat difficult to make it look right.

Just my 2 cents worth, but if I were in your shoes, I'd make a new piece.

[Lynn Sonier]

Personally, I would not use a 5 minute epoxy. You need an epoxy with longer setting up time so that it can seep into the wood and make a better connection.This would be a 30 minute or 2 hour epoxy. Also, to give it better grab, you can drill 1/16 inch holes in all surfaces. This is like putting your hand in a small hole and making a fist - it ain't coming out!

[Todd Burch]

Lynn, very good point about the slower setting epoxy. I use the West System for most of my critical epoxy jobs, and I take it for granted that it is very thin by nature, unless I use any additives. The documentation also mentions about additional mechanical bonds, and your idea about drilling holes
to increase it's grip is good.

[Carl Eyman]

Rick: If this chair is used in a place where esthetics are less important than strength, I'd consider doing the epoxy - 30 min or better - and then binding it with cord. You could use a heavy linen carpet thread, for instance. This is a technique called seizing by sailors for fixing broken spars. It works. You pull that thread as tight as you can letting the epoxy squeeze through. If you are interested maybe Lynn (a master sailor) or I can find specific instructions.

[James Carpenter]

I would use the epoxy (30 minute or more) but as was mentioned about the holes, i would drill a hole (oversize) in both sides and slide in a double ended screw (not screw it in), about 4 inches long. This would give you lots of glue surface. Plus the screw would give you extra rigidness in the center of the crack.