Need advice on glue to fix chairs.

[jason lambert]

I have several maple chairs that the glue has dried out in and the joints have become loose. I usally use tightbond II but I am thinking one of the poly glues that expands might be better since the joint is no longer snug. Is this the right glue to use here?

[terry hansen]

A better way to go (if possible) is to remove the rungs, clean them of old glue, and "expand the end" by wraping with thin cotton thread around end, or some other method; or using a swelling product like chair loc (i think that's the name).
Realize an expanding glue provides no extra strength and will only break loose very soon.
Another option is to use this as a rationalization for a lathe so you can turn new ones.

[Jim Holman]

Clean the joints completely, saw a cross grain slit in the tenons and put everything back together with small wedges (Fox wedges) in the slits with your choice of glue. The wedges will expand the ends of the tenons when you clamp the joints together and give you a nice tight joint.

[Ed Peters]

B4 you attempt any of the above, say hello to the 20th century and better glues. Rockler sells a product just right for our application. I use it all the time and generally have several small bottles on hand to give away when someone asks me to fix their chair. This simple act of charity virtually gaurantees real work from them in the future, but I digress. The product is called "Wonder-Lok_Em" and it works great. No disassembly, no cleaning of joints no clamping. Just give all the joints a wallop to get them seated and then apply the glue to the joint. It will find it's own way in and after about an hour, your chairs will be rock solid.

Just to keep the air clear, I am not associated with Rockler in any way other than as an occasional cusomer paying full price.

Ed

[Michael Faurot]

I've had good luck with this type of repair by using Chair Doctor Glue (http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=30261&cat=1,110) from Veritas. You can order it on line from Lee Valley, but I believe you can also get it from Woodcraft.

[Lee Schierer]

Spindles in chairs work loose over time. Adding glue and putting them back together can be an exercise in frustration as you will be doing it again in short order. Most PVA type glues don't work well in thick layers. Chair Lock and joint expanders aren't good either for longer term repairs.

The most success I've had is to remove all the old glue from both the spindle end and from the socket (hole) to get to bare wood. You want to keep both parts as round as possible. Doing this generally means you will have a very loose fit by the time you're done. Not a good situation for glue. Now here's the trick. Take a piece of soft maple that is as thick as the length of your spindle end. Set your hand plane so you get a shaving about .005"-.010" thick. Make a nice long shaving. Actually make several. Now wrap the shaving around the end of the spindle until itis really snug going into the hole. Then cut the shaving to length. (This is where you may need the extra shavings, as you may damage one or more trying to get this fit up.) Now take the spindle and coat the end with glue. Wrap the shaving around the spindle keeping the surface wet with glue as you do so so there is glue between all layers and around the outside when you get done. Make sure you wet the inside of the hole with glue as well. Fit the shaving wrapped spindle into the hole. It should be a very tight fit. When the glue dries you will have an extremely strong joint.

This method takes more time, but producesw a joint that will last far longer than any of the other methods. I normally use regular yellow woodworker glue.

[Loren Bengtson]

Okay, first off a disclaimer: I have not used this method to fix chairs.

Having said that, I will say that I have used epoxy to do other jobs that were very difficult with Titebond, polyurethane, resorcinal or other woodworking glues. I have used polyurethane glue for its gap-filling properties and have been very disappointed.

If it were me, I would take the joint apart (if possible) to clean the wood. Coat everything with System Three's T88 or Gel Magic epoxy and reassemble. Epoxy doesn't need to be clamped, and in fact works better if it is not squeezed out of a joint. It is 100% solids, so it won't contract as it hardens. It's totally waterproof. And, last, it holds like a bulldog.

I like this idea so much I will probably try it when our dining room chairs get looser. I can't get the joints apart yet.

Good luck,
Loren

[Jim Knishka]

I glued a couple of oak chairs last year with the Veritas product, so far they are holding fine. My joints were pretty tight and this glue was very thin - there's a reason it comes in a syringe!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I bought the last package of Wonder-lok 'em they had at my local Ace Hardware. Worked like a charm. I have one more chair to do and I ran out. I hope they restock that stuff soon! Worked like a charm.