chair repair help

[aurelio alarcon]

I need to repair my Mother's kitchen table chairs (re-glue). I removed the back on one of them and two of the the tenons that go into the chair back are broken off (this is why it was loose). I know that I can drill out the part that is stuck in the chair back, but how do I repair the the broken pieces from the tenons without having to have someone turn me some replacement parts? Additionally, is there a glue removal out there that I can use instead of having to sand each piece to remove the old glue before repairing?

[Steve Inniss]

Aurelio,
Sounds like drilling into both sides and inserting a dowel prior to re-glueing would be the best approach. First drive a finishing nail halfway into one side at the break, cut off the top of the nail, press the two parts together, then pull the nail and you'll have a hole on each side for proper alignment for drilling.

I have a recommendation for you and anyone interested in preserving furniture. I recently came across a book that is LOADED with useful applied, information and techniques. It's The Complete Guide to Repairing and Restoring Furniture by William Cook. I happened upon it in a library and was stunned by what it contained AND how beautiful it was. Just leafing through it is completely inspiring. It's about $40 -$50 in bookstores though($67 in Canada!), but I noticed used copies when I checked Amazon. I got mine back in Sept for $19.00 in two days- looks brand new to me.

I have no affiliation with any of the above, just want to pass along a HUGE, HUGE tip. It's worth a trip to a bookstore just to look at the book - do it! I can't even begin to make a list of the techniques in it.

Make sure it's the one by William Cook. You can thank me by sending me a nice maple burl to turn ;) -Steve