Repairing an Old Chair

ask WWGOA

“George, I’m trying to repair an old chair that needs some type of filler to save the end of the tenon. I don’t think regular wood filler would hold up. They are not completely bad, but have some chips and splits. If you have a suggestion I would be thankful.”

I’m throwing this one to our antique and repair expert, Dave Munkittrick.

WWGOA Contributing Editor Response:

This is a common problem in chair repair. You are right not to trust wood filler in this situation. Wood filler lacks the structural strength you need for a strong joint. A tenon’s strength is both mechanical and chemical. The mechanical part comes from a good fit between the tenon and the mortise so that the tenon is held firm by the mortise without the benefit of glue. The chemical part comes from the glue itself and for maximum strength, you want as much wood-to-wood contact as possible between the mortise and the tenon where the glue can bond. In both cases, missing pieces of a tenon will weaken the joint. Your goal is to restore the tenon to its original shape.

The best practice is to replace the missing pieces on the tenon with real wood, preferably of the same species. From your question I surmise that your tenon is not broken, but has some splits and missing pieces. For a small split in the tenon, it may be possible to glue and clamp the split back together. For a larger split that can’t be squeezed tight without deforming the tenon I take a sharp chisel and widen the split a bit to make a narrow “V”. Then glue in a wedge that’s slightly thicker and longer than the “V” cut in the tenon. The wedge should have a snug fit, but you don’t want to drive the wedge into the tenon. That might widen the tenon so it no longer fits the mortise. After the glue has dried, pare the wedge flush to the tenon.

If the corner of the tenon is broken or missing, cut off the missing corner at a 45-degree angle. Cut an oversize replacement corner and make sure the grain is running in the same direction as the grain on the tenon. Epoxy this piece onto the corner and trim it flush to the existing tenon.

You can get away with a few small chips on the tenon. For large chips I use a narrow chisel to gouge a ramp or channel in the tenon, then glue in a piece of wood to fit the channel and pare flush.

One more thing: you should use hide glue in your repair. If the chair is an antique, that is the glue that was used when the chair was made. Old hide glue is reversible and gets re-amalgamated by adding water. That’s the beauty of hide glue. If you use yellow glue, it will not be able to soak into the wood fibers as they will be sealed by the old hide glue. The resulting repair will not last.

I am currently working on an article on chair repair for the Guild, so stay tuned to this channel.

David Munkittrick

Contributing Editor

Got a woodworking question you need answered? Comment or Email us at editor@wwgoa.com

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Strength of Glue Joints

Frame Mortise & Tenon Jig

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8 Responses to “Repairing an Old Chair”

  1. Gina

    Hi there, I’ve got an antique glider style rocking chair that I’m reupholstering, but I’ve noticed fine cracks along the grain of the wood; one in the leg/foot (single piece, front to back) and the other in the frame. Can or should I fill them with epoxy, and if so what kind? I don’t have much experience with wood. Thank you!

  2. terrygearhart

    Good Day folks, I'm wanting to make several 3 sided wooden desk top name plates i'm going engrave then with my cnc router, have any videos or can you tell me what size to start with thank you in advance terry

  3. Alec

    Will a stepped drill bit work to use as a traditional reamer for reaming the leg mortises for building windsor rocking chairs? Anything particular to look for? Thanks!

  4. Sam

    ‬ I have an old, heavy antique chair with curvy wooden arms. I am refinishing the wood and am wondering if I can use wood filler in a gab on the arm where it has separated or should I try to glue and figure out a way to tighten it with ratchet straps? Given the configuration of the chair, I don't think clamps would work. The chair is very sturdy - nothing feels loose but I want to do the right thing before having it reupholstered. Thank you!

  5. Preston Macon

    I’m trying to repair an unstained/unpainted teak wood chair set, the teak has gotten soft and is fraying at the edges, and if I tighten the bolts on the chair it digs into the soft wood. is there any way to strengthen the teak while keeping the natural teak look?

  6. Jon

    trying to learn to build chairs so I can duplicate chairs for people that want to add to their set. Any ideas how to drill holes for the top of the splats in the arched back?

  7. art mazzurana

    Help .. I have a set of antique pressed wood kitchen chairs and one chair is missing a barley twist spoke on the back of the chair (seven inches long). Any idea where I can find a replacement? Thanks.

  8. Eithne

    I have absolutely no idea about DIY but I'm desperate! I have been given a sofa which had to have both its back legs sawn off to get it out of its previous home! (They're not screw-on legs) I've got the legs and am hoping to be able to join them back to the sofa. I'm thinking maybe we could drill a hole in the sofa side of the leg, insert a treaded T-nut and then somehow insert a bolt into the sawn-off bit of the leg to convert it to a screw-in one. But I can't find a headless, threaded bolt. I did think about dowelling them together, but I don't think it would be strong enough. What do you think? Do you have any ideas about how to fix this?