Can anyone help fix my cursed rocking chair?

  • Thread starter Thread starter DaveC426913
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SUMMARY

The forum discussion centers on repairing a split in a rocking chair's top-back rail, specifically addressing the challenges posed by the central spine's location. Participants recommend using Gorilla Wood Glue for its strong bonding properties, along with techniques such as wrapping the split with wet rawhide or sinew to secure the repair. Suggestions also include using steel rods for reinforcement and ensuring proper clamping during the drying process. The consensus emphasizes the importance of careful preparation and the potential need for aesthetic compromises in the repair process.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of woodworking techniques and materials
  • Familiarity with adhesives, specifically Gorilla Wood Glue
  • Knowledge of clamping methods for wood repairs
  • Basic skills in woodworking tools and safety practices
NEXT STEPS
  • Research techniques for using Gorilla Wood Glue effectively in furniture repairs
  • Learn about the properties and applications of wet rawhide and sinew in woodworking
  • Explore methods for reinforcing wood joints with steel rods or other materials
  • Investigate the process of steam bending wood for furniture restoration
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Woodworkers, furniture restorers, and DIY enthusiasts looking to repair or restore wooden furniture, particularly those dealing with structural issues in antique or sentimental pieces.

  • #31
It's OK. I've got Evo insurance. :biggrin:
 
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  • #32
DaveC426913 said:
It's OK. I've got Evo insurance. :biggrin:
NOBODY has Evo insurance! Look behind you, because the Spanish Inquisition might be bearing down.
 
  • #33
Here's a pic of the back rail. It seems to be a little worse for the passage of a couple of decades. You can see the slot for the spine, which is several inches wide. This is what prevents me from simply wrapping the rail in leather or sinew - I'd just have to cut through it to insert the spine.
 

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  • #34
DaveC426913 said:
Here's a pic of the back rail. It seems to be a little worse for the passage of a couple of decades. You can see the slot for the spine, which is several inches wide. This is what prevents me from simply wrapping the rail in leather or sinew - I'd just have to cut through it to insert the spine.
Seeing it, I would just "retire" the chair. The kind of TLC it would take is only suitable for a valued heirloom.
 
  • #35
wow, i was expecting a crack, but that's just plain broke. the only thing i can imagine at the moment is maybe fashioning a metal sleeve to fit in the slot and bridge the pieces together.
 
  • #36
cut the broke part off altogether and replace it with a shaped block of hardwood. Connect both ends with scarf joints.
f212.jpg

rasp file and sand the block into shape.
 
  • #37
DaveC426913 said:
It's OK. I've got Evo insurance. :biggrin:

turbo said:
NOBODY has Evo insurance! Look behind you, because the Spanish Inquisition might be bearing down.
I am cursed. You guys would bust a gut if I told you everything that's happened to me. I've repeatedly been told I should write a book.

I volunteer to work at a radio station and they get bombed by the KKK. I volunteer to drive co-workers out of town to an important meeting three hours away and my gas tank springs a leak in the middle of nowhere.

I'm driving friends to school and my 1 year old car's gas line bursts apart.

I've known more people that commit suicide or get murdered, or just die in their sleep. I was out of state for a week for work and I left my kids with our neighbor that had three girls that were my girl's best friends. I get a call from my oldest daughter, around 8 years old saying "mommy, you need to come home, their mommy won't wake up and she's dead and we're all alone". :eek:
 
  • #38
When I was a kid, I was a running joke with our doctor's family. I was close friends with both of his sons, but I think he would have preferred that they not hang out with me so they wouldn't get in the same trouble that I did. When I showed up, his first two lines were "NOW, what did you do?" and "Alright, up on the table." I have more stitches than a quilt.
 
  • #39
DaveC426913 said:
This might actually be a viable solution.

Wife suggested
1] using a sinew
and also
2] a padding along the rim
Maybe I should listen to her more. (it was actually a gift from my father to her)

then couldn't wife suggest 3] burning it?

all the talk of fixing with rawhide makes me hope you don't have a dog.
 
  • #40
If it's broken that much, you will have released most of the "locked in" stress that was holding the whole chair back together, left over from when the wood was first bent.

If you patch up the break, don't be surprised if all the other joints in the chair back start working loose in a few weeks.

Unless you want to enjoy the challenge of bending a new rim and rebuilding the whole back, I would just give it a decent buriial or cremation or whatever your culture does with deceased chairs.
 
  • #41
physics girl phd said:
then couldn't wife suggest 3] burning it?
It was gifted to me/her by my father. The reason I'm asking about it now is because recently she mentioned she'd like to have it working.
AlephZero said:
If it's broken that much, you will have released most of the "locked in" stress that was holding the whole chair back together, left over from when the wood was first bent.

If you patch up the break, don't be surprised if all the other joints in the chair back start working loose in a few weeks.

The whole chair is on its component pieces right now right down to the ribs, all waiting to be glued back together.
 
  • #42
Evo said:
I am cursed. You guys would bust a gut if I told you everything that's happened to me. I've repeatedly been told I should write a book.

I volunteer to work at a radio station and they get bombed by the KKK. I volunteer to drive co-workers out of town to an important meeting three hours away and my gas tank springs a leak in the middle of nowhere.

I'm driving friends to school and my 1 year old car's gas line bursts apart.

I've known more people that commit suicide or get murdered, or just die in their sleep. I was out of state for a week for work and I left my kids with our neighbor that had three girls that were my girl's best friends. I get a call from my oldest daughter, around 8 years old saying "mommy, you need to come home, their mommy won't wake up and she's dead and we're all alone". :eek:
Hmmmm. I was thinking about sending you a friend request. But now, I don't think so. Thanks for the honest disclosure. Apologies for the off topic post. To Dave: get a new chair.
 

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