Expert: Jamie Yocono - 1/7/2008

Question
Hi Jamie
I have some fabulous reproduction country french ladder back chairs with hand-tied rush seats and the rails at the bottom holding the legs in a square, are coming out ! I know there's chair glue, this is tedious and requires clamping or weighting on the joint. I saw some stuff on TV called Mighty Putty that looks like it would work way better than gluing, faster etc. I don't have the time to order it because I 'm trying to sell them this week, what can I do in a hurry for a quick fix ? Is there another product, an epoxy or something else that will work well for me ? Thanks so much.
Laurie

Answer
Hi Laurie,

The reason those joints have become loose is because the wood has dried over time, and probably shrunken somewhat. While some glues have gap filling properties, that Mighty Putty isn't really one of them. Well, I can't say it completely; it WILL fill the gaps, but I'm not sure it's what you need.

I have two suggestions, and either one might work. If you're industrious, you might want to try both.

There is a product called "Chair Loc" that is pretty innovative, but has been around for a long time. Basically, you drill a tiny hole into the wood joint, and squirt some of the Chair-Loc into it. It's not a glue, though.

It swells the wood fibers, and makes the joint tight.

I remember learning about it years ago, I think I was in college and was taking a refinishing class.  I've pasted a link to their website below, so you can read about it. Frankly, their website seems a little lame to me, so I've also pasted another couple of links that describe it better. The links are to two woodworking stores that sell the product. Seems like the last link offers the best price, and gives you more stuff, like the bottle of Chair-Loc and a couple of syringes to get good penetration.

http://www.ambroid.com/Chair-Loc.html

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=11264

http://www.constantines.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=16

If you don't want to try the Chair-Loc, you can try gluing and pinning the joints. What I mean is- you're going to have to clean each joint out. There can't be any excess old glue, or the new glue won't hold. So clean the joints carefully, glue them with a good glue, like regular Titebond wood glue. You'll need to probably clamp the chair while it's drying, it's really the best way to get the glue to set properly. You'll need a band clamp for that.

Then.... after it's dry, into each joint, you'll drill a small hole, say 1/8" through the outside part of the leg into the tenon. That's the part that goes into the socket. And into that hole, you'll insert a 1/8" dowel. That size of a dowel is so tiny, you can cut it with good utility scissors or even wire cutters. Sand it off flush, and you've "pinned" your joint. That makes it very strong, and much less likely to ever separate. If you drill toward the inside of the legs, you won't even see the pins when you're done.

After typing all this, it sounds rather labor intensive compared to the Chair-Loc. You can decide which you'd like to do. But remember- that old glue really needs to be cleaned out somewhat, regardless of which method you choose. It's a miserable, painstaking job, one that I usually dread. Sorry.

Try the Chair-Loc first, I think you'll find it locally. Make a few calls.

OK, Good luck, I hope this helps. Please feel free to write back if you have any further questions after reading this.

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com