Ask the Staff
Question:
The back of my heirloom oak dining chair is broken, and I'd like to repair it (I have all the pieces). Which glue should I use? I see a number of products on your website, but I don't know which one will do the job. I need a way of making the repaired area sturdy, yet not so obviously "glued back together." I'm including a photo so you can see what exactly needs to be fixed.
Thanks for your help,
Jean Jones
Answer:
Jean,
If your wood parts can be put back together having good wood to wood contact and you can apply some clamping pressure with the parts stabilized until the glue dries, standard yellow wood glue can work fine.
A repaired glue line does not always end up being invisible, especially so with repairs where a joint may not be a straight and clean line (breaks are seldom straight and clean). The amount of glue to use is enough for the repair joints to be glued well, without being excessive causing a lot of squeeze out to be cleaned up.
If your repair is structurally sound, a partial or full refinishing of the finish may still be needed to better hide the glue line repair. If any of the breaks are where the end grain of wood on one piece meets only end grain of the other piece, glue cannot add any structural strength to a glue repair with end grain.
If the chair is an "heirloom" and has antique value or strong sentimental value and you are wishing for a perfect repair, you may want to consider someone who is a trusted antique restorer in your area to take on the repair.
Regards,
Ed Scent
Highland Woodworking
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