Expert: Eileen Cronk - 8/28/2006

Question
We have six dining room chairs, two with arms, four without. The rear legs on all the chairs have come loose where the legs are doweled (two dowels) to the seat frame. Under the chair, there are corner braces, but these corner braces have a finger joint (glue joint) from the corner brace to the seat frame. There is also a screw that goes through the corner brace and into the leg itself. Tightening the screw does not bring the leg tightly back into position, and I think it would not work well anyway without the proper dowel glue joint being fixed.

My problem is trying to figure out how to get those finger joint corner braces out (they are still solidly glued in place) without destroying the chair, so I can then remove the legs and tackle the joint. If you like, I can email you photos of the joinery.

Answer
Hi Allen
Nice to hear from you.
I have fixed literally hundreds of chairs in my time, and have ran accross this in most cases where a chair needs to be taken all apart to reglue.
Now the only confusion I have with your question is you are calling the corner braces "finger joints". You put "glue joint" in there also so I will assume what you have are simple corner braces with a screw hole in it that holds the seat on.
In most cases these corner braces are glued and screwed onto the chair sides or glued and nailed.
Did your chair braces have screws or nails?
Of course they will need removing and then the brackets will need "persuading" with a rubber mallet if they are firmly glued. Usually does not take much as the glue will be brittle.
Now I am remembering a set of chairs that I did a long time ago that actually had what you may call a finger joint but is actually a mortise and tennon join instead of the screws or nails.
If this is the case with your chairs great care will have to be taken so the wood is not broken.
So I would try to soften the glue with hot vinegar.
Hot vinegar is the only thing I know that will work on old glue.
Its time consuming and the vinegar needs to be kept hot as you work. I usually put a few old rags in a pot and cover with vinegar and heat.
Then keep the joint soaked for a while until the glue softends enough to use the mallet gently.
Allen if the joints are totally not what I describe send picture to me
ecronk@sympatico.ca
Regards
Eileen