Chair Repair, a restorer's dream job. Part one

Chairs more than any other item of furniture play a daily part in our lives... Rarely appreciated for the ingenuity of their design or the skill of the designer/maker they suffer every kind of indignity and sometimes abuse. Naturally, being the foot soldiers so to speak, there are heavy casualties. Therefore, this is going to be a rather long two part post, dealing with some of the most common problems found with antique chairs, or any chairs really.

Chairs are probably the most frequent visitors to the repair shop and account for the restorer’s bread and butter, so it's not all bad news. Unfortunately on many occasions this is not before some misguided soul thought they had the solution to that loose leg, or wobbly arm. You would not believe some of the items of torture I have removed from chairs. So let’s clear a few things up here first. You cannot repair a joint in furniture with nails, steel brackets, screws, bolts or dowels drilled and inserted form every possible angle. Nor will a squirt of glue in or somewhere vaguely near the joint hold up for more than a day or two. The only thing all these remedies have in common is the cost they will add to the repair bill when eventually the poor old chair makes it to the restorers shop. That’s if they survive at all. I should stop here as this could turn into a rant. So how do we make a lasting repair? Well this is a case where cleanliness, if not exactly next to godliness, is of paramount importance. Just to illustrate, have you ever tried sticking Sellotape to a dirty or dusty surface? It doesn’t work. Well this is exactly what happens if you apply glue to an old joint that may have had decades, possible centuries, of accumulated dust, grime and wax, which has worked its way in there. Not to mention the original old glue which has probably broken down due to adverse conditions at some time in the life of the chair. For example, in times past garden furniture was not widely available as it is today, so people simply took what furniture they had outside into the garden. Naturally they would become distracted, forget to bring it in with the consequence that sun and rain would take its toll. Quite often a chair would be stored in a cellar, loft or other damp place, all of which would contribute to the breakdown of the hide glue. Which, by contrast under correct conditions, will last millennia; as proved by some pieces of Egyptian furniture that have been discovered.
There is only one real answer for a lasting repair and one that will add value to your chair. It must be taken apart and the joints cleaned. You will quite often find that the back can be lift intact and that you only need to remove the side rails, front legs, front rail and stretchers if present. You will of course have to remove the upholstery if yours is an overstuffed design. Many dining chairs will simply have a drop in pad. This type of chair in particular, will have in addition, corner braces, which will also need removing or replacing if missing. Some chairs will also have arms, or in the case of wheelback Windsor’s, braces between seat and bake bow.

The first thing to do is determine which joints need to be taken apart. I find the best way to do this is to stand in front of the chair placing one knee on the seat, with most of the weight resting on the front rail. Then gripping the tops of the back leg one in each hand, or in some instances the crest rail, with one hand above the position of each rear leg, flex the chair by pushing gently with one hand and pulling with the other. Then reverse the action and continue gently pushing and pulling alternately. Taking note of all the joints that have movement. Not knowing which of your chair joints will need attention in advance; I shall describe the correct way to dismantle an imaginary chair, which has movement in all of it’s joints. This will also serve you as reference in the future; for any other chair, you may need to repair. First remove any fabric coverings if present and as many of the tacks as you can. This can be time consuming, but will save time later and make working easier and all the more pleasant without pricked fingers.

Look directly at and immediately in the area around all the joints for evidence of nails or screws. They will probably be well concealed with wax or some other type of filler covering the heads. These fixings must be removed otherwise they will split the timber as you disassemble. Screws are relatively easy to remove. Small diameter pins and nails will be more difficult, especially if the head is sunken. It’s possible to make a hollow drill bit especially for removing pins, but this will probably be beyond the capabilities of a home workshop, and in any case not repay the time needed, if only used occasionally. The alternative is to use a long nosed pin punch to push the nail through the joint. A few smart taps with a hammer on the punch should be enough to either exit the pin of the nail on the opposite side of the leg or other component. In which case you can grip this with pincers and pull the nail through. Use a piece of substantial card placed under the pincers to save damaging the wood. If the nail point has not exited you should still be able to sink it deep enough to clear one of the cheeks of the joint. In which case it will probably bend as you remove the captured component of the joint. You will need to exert extra care while dismantling, flexing the components as you go, to encourage the nail to bend. Once you are sure all foreign objects have been removed put a wrap of masking tape around each component and mark each piece in such a way that you will know the order of assembly. This of course wouldn’t be necessary if you are only taking one or two joints apart. Using a rubber mallet, gently tap the joints apart by firmly gripping the male component firmly and tipping the female as close to the joint as possible. Most joints will separate easily enough others may be more persistent and will require the introduction of hot water into the joints.

Traditional hide glue can be reversed using heat and water. This can be a huge benefit or a major drawback, depending on your need or application. It also allows work to be done that would be impossible with any other glue. Now if you can find a syringe of some sort, this will be ideal for getting hot water into the joint. You can even drill a very small hole into the void of the joint. You will find this just forward of the tenon. If you have already dismantled another joint you can measure the length of this tenon to gauge the position of the void. Although choose somewhere inconspicuous to drill your hole and fill this with hot water by means of the syringe. Capillary action will do the rest, but you may find you need to wait a few hours. Flex the joint every now and then to test progress. If you also have access to a spreading cramp (there are a number of cramps available with reversible heads) you will find this makes life very much easier. Place the cramp between the chair legs as close to the joint as possible and use the spreading action to push the joints apart. Take extreme care not to place undue strain on any parts. Continue to wetting the joints and wait as needed. Once the glue has softened, the joint will separate quite easily, unless that is; someone has squirted “Araldite” or something similar into the joint. If you discover this is the case, you may well still have a lose joint but one locked by a blob of indestructible foreign matter wedged somewhere inside. The only option will be to continue (here the spreading cramp will definitely be a necessity) until something gives. Stop occasionally to flex the joint up and down, which will help dislodge the lump or grind the tenon to allow passage. Although do not be too enthusiastic as you may damage the shoulders of the joint.