Reinforcing loose joinery joints can be simple (reapplying glue to loose joints) and time-consuming (duplicating broken parts on a lathe).
The choice of wood glue and its use
An effective adhesive bond consists of five layers: a thin film of adhesive, two areas (one on each side) impregnated with adhesive, and adjacent wood, into which the adhesive does not penetrate. The weakest of them determines the adhesion strength. In the early days the glue itself was the weakest layer, but modern adhesives are so strong that they can destroy wood.
To make a well-bonded joint, it is necessary to clean the two mating surfaces of old glue, dirt and finish. If the wood is smooth, it needs to be roughened with a knife. If the wood becomes wet during the removal of the old glue, it must be dried. Shape the joint so that it fits tightly and does not have gaps.
Also, squeeze the joint so that the adhesive goes into the grain of the wood. Typically the joint is dried and bonded prior to assembly to ensure that the wood surfaces fit together and have sufficient adhesion. Then disconnect the connection and apply thin layer glue to both adjoining surfaces. Apply a thicker adhesive to the end structure than to the side structure, which is less absorbent. Reassemble the joint, squeeze and wipe it — first with a damp cloth, then with a dry cloth. Check immediately that the connection surfaces are correctly positioned.
The choice of glue depends on the type of furniture, the place of its application. Professionals sometimes disagree on which adhesives are the best for furniture joinery. The most popular types of glue are described below.
The main types of adhesives used in furniture repair
Polyvinyl acetate (PVA). Good general purpose adhesive for basic types of room furniture. It is used ready-made; sets 30 minutes after compression; however, it takes two days to reach full adhesion. This glue is applied to both glued surfaces. PVA does not withstand moisture well, so it does not need to be used for gluing outdoor furniture.
Aliphatic resin. This glue is an improved version of PVA. It is stronger, more moisture resistant, more viscous and less fluid. However, it dries faster than PVA and therefore requires faster compression. The clamps can be removed after 30 minutes, but the connection must remain stationary until the adhesive reaches full bond strength (this usually takes 18 hours). Yellow glue is used to fill gaps and bond poorly fitted joints.
Animal (animal) glue. It is obtained from animal skin, nerve tissue or bones. From the time of Egypt until 1900, it was the only furniture adhesive. Antique restorers claim that this adhesive is reversible: steam and sunlight destroy its sticky properties, causing the bond to separate. In addition, there is enough time - almost 20 minutes - to squeeze the glue until it starts to set. However, it can only be applied at temperatures around 20 ° C; it hardens at temperatures below 10 ° C and thins at temperatures above 33 ° C. Joints assembled with animal glue should remain compressed for 6-12 hours. It cannot be used in the repair of outdoor furniture.
Plastic resin adhesive (urea formaldehyde ). A very strong adhesive used in joints subject to unusual stresses. It is produced in the form of a powder that must be diluted with water; however, once it dries, the glue is extremely moisture resistant. It must be applied at temperatures above 20 ° C. It begins to set in 5-15 minutes, and after compression must remain under constant pressure for 5-12 hours (depending on the ambient temperature).
Resorcinol adhesive ... It is sold ready-made (mixed), but you can prepare it yourself by mixing the powder with a liquid catalyst. This is a very strong glue, it has high heat and moisture resistance: it is used even in boat construction. This is the most best glue for repairing outdoor wooden furniture... It should be applied at room temperature and left in a compressed position for 10 to 12 hours.
There is a large number of other synthetic adhesives used in woodworking. New types of adhesives are constantly emerging, but furniture renovators are more likely to use the adhesives listed above. Known epoxy adhesives(there are different kinds, including those that harden very quickly), they work on chemical principles to form a strong bond between pieces of wood, as well as between non-porous materials such as metal or glass. Epoxy adhesive has high strength clutch but expensive. Some less expensive adhesives with similar properties are used when renovating furniture. Contact adhesives set most quickly. Their disadvantage is that they do not allow time for corrections after they have been applied to the connections.
P REMER: Repairing a Loose Table
Of particular concern are the joints on the tops of the legs. Under heavy pressure, they can loosen and even fall off. Problems often arise with folding boards that buckle and retractable extenders that stick or break. Many faults can be easily rectified.
Most of the tables intended for private use consist of a tabletop attached to a frame and representing a rectangular base made of narrow horizontal straps, tightly connected to the upper sides of the legs. In some cases, the frame is connected to top and the legs are bolted to the frame. In tables of a simpler design, the legs are attached directly to the underside of the top. Such connections are held together different ways: with glue that may lose strength; spikes and dowels that can break; plates, screws or bolts that may loosen. Bonded bonds that have lost their adhesion can be easily restored by applying a new layer of adhesive. However, in order to repair the deeper gaps between constituent parts, it may be necessary to disconnect the connections and then replace the broken parts. To complete the renovation and make it better, you can reinforce the connection with metal corner plates or wooden blocks.
Repairing tables with moving parts requires different measures. A damaged sliding table mechanism can be repaired by cleaning and lubricating its sliding parts; if they are broken, bent or lost, they will need to be replaced. The easiest way to repair a sagging folding board consists in the fact that it is knocked out with a wedge and this wedge is glued to its lower side.
It is good to have a glue injector. It can be used to inject glue into hidden places. An important tool are also clamps. You need G-clamps (clamps) to close cracks, and girdle clamps to maintain equal pressure on glued joints. When using the clamps, place thin pieces of cork or soft wood to avoid damaging the surface of the clamping element. To close the glued sections, apply the minimum necessary force, since excessive pressure can cause all the glue to be squeezed out, leaving the connection weak and dry.
If you need to secure a part with a back-to-back dowel joint, you will need a keyway jig (to guide the drill) and metal key centers. These tools provide precise placement and alignment of the key holes. Dowels with special grooves are also useful, which make the adhesive bonds more durable.
How to get to the damaged area
Detaching the table top ... To access the damaged joint, turn the table over and place it on a folded cloth or rug. Remove the countertop. If it is secured with metal compression plates inserted into the groove in the frame straps, remove the screws and these plates and detach the tabletop. If it is attached with screws or bolts to the frame or corner blocks, remove those fasteners. If the repair requires disassembling the connections, you can use the following methods.
Make markings on each part of the table for its subsequent assembly. Break the glue that holds the pieces together. Use wood or cork blockers to protect the hitting area; raise this area slightly.
Separate the parts of the table, first separating the leg assembly from the table top, use a system of levers for this. To do this, cut out two pieces of wood with a total length slightly greater than the distance between the parts to be divided. Trim one end of each bar, cupping it. Cut the other ends in a V and an inverted V shape to connect these bars. Position the lever so that its outer ends are as close as possible to the connections to be opened; place cork spacers between these ends and the table. Press down with your hand while straightening the joint in the middle of the lever. To apply force to the short connections of the parts to be divided, make another two-piece lever or use a reactive clamp.
Analysis of frame-to-foot connections
Three types of connections. The most common connection is the socket-to-tenon connection, in which the tenon on the frame is glued into the socket on the leg. Possible damage with such a connection is the splitting of the socket or the splitting of the thorn.
A butt joint is typical and is usually reinforced with dowels glued into corresponding holes on each of the two elements. If the keys are broken, drill them out and replace or make a new connection. Butt joints with or without dowels are sometimes reinforced with a miter plate or interlocking.
If the legs are attached to the frame with beveled joints, the frame is covered with glue and screwed to the outside of each leg. The screw heads are installed below the surface of the frame in reverse drilled holes filled with plastic sleeves. If the screws fall out of the leg, pull or drill the bushings out of the frame, remove the screws, re-glue the joint, and use new screws of the same length but one order of magnitude larger in diameter. You may need to enlarge the tops of the back drilled holes for the screw heads, but do not re-drill the lower parts that are proportional to the screw threads.
How to close a crack in the top of a table leg
Gluing the cracked socket ... If a crack has formed around the socket at the top of the stem, inject adhesive into the crack and also into the hair hole between the socket and the tenon. Squeeze the connection with two clamps. Place the G-clip on the top of the leg first to close the crack; then place the tubing or wrap clamp extending from outside one leg to the outside of the other to keep the spike in the socket. Let the glue dry overnight; then remove the clamps.
Broken spike repair
1. Preparation for dowelling. If the spike is badly cracked or broken, remake this connection to a close-to-key connection; first cut the thorn and fill in the socket. Cut the tenon flush with the part with a fine-toothed saw; even better with a tenon saw. Clean the socket from glue and pieces of a broken thorn with a chisel; mark and cut out a wood grommet the same size as the socket. Cover this sleeve with glue and hammer it into the socket. When the glue is dry, saw off and trim off any pieces of wood protruding from the nest.
2. Drilling and aligning the key holes. Draw two lines with a pencil through the end of the horizontal strap about one third of the distance from the top and bottom. Align the keyway jig and drill an 8mm diameter x 30mm deep hole in the trim. Repeat these steps on the other line.
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| Broken stud repair. Preparing for dowelling | Broken stud repair. Drilling and Aligning Key Holes |
Insert into drilled holes key centers, carefully align the harness on the top of the leg, tap the other end of the harness with a rubber mallet, applying enough force to drive the ends of the key centers into the leg and leave marks. Use these marks to install the jig and drill two holes in the leg with a diameter of 8 mm and a depth of 30 mm.
Apply a thin layer of glue to the end of the horizontal strap and to two 8mm dowels, each 55mm long. Use a rubber mallet to hammer the dowels into the holes in the harness, insert them into the holes in the leg, and nail the harness to the installation site. While the adhesive is drying, squeeze the connection with a girdle clamp.
Angle fixing
Attach the metal corner plate (picture below left) to the leg and, holding it in place against the frame, attach one screw on each side. Drill a pilot hole in the leg through the center hole in the plate. Remove the screws holding the blade and the blade itself. Thread the bolt into the leg, grasping it in the center with pliers and turning it until all the threads on the end of the bolt are in the leg. Replace the plate in place by inserting all end screws to secure the plate to the frame. Install the lock washer and wing nut onto the screw bolt and tighten.
To attach a wooden corner bracket (picture below right), cut a triangular block out of hardwood (so that its structure goes from the harness to the harness) and cut it so that it joins the leg. Attach the block to the frame with two # 8 screws threaded through the block into the leg perpendicular to the frame - one on each side of the leg.
Aligning the folding board, unsticking the sliding table
Jammed folding board ... To line up an overhanging drop-board, mark the farthest point where the supporting sled or table leg touches the underside of the board; scrape off old glue and trim and attach the tapered wedge to the board. Cut a wedge out of a piece of hardwood, apply glue to the top of the wedge, and push it between the slide and the board, tweaking it until the board is level. Place a weight on the top of the board while the glue dries.
Restoration of the sliding table ... To adhere a sliding table with a sticky timber strap, unfold it until it is fully stretched and use a chisel to scrape off any dirt and cured grease deposits. inside strapping. Apply fresh lubricant to all accessible moving parts using silicone spray and wax.
If in sliding table there are metal straps, clean the sliding parts with a pointed key or stick. Then sprinkle them with powdered graphite. If there is a broken wooden casement pin on the edge of the sliding board, drill out the piece and replace it with a hardwood key. Glue one end of the key into the cleaned hole and sharpen the other end to fit freely into the casement hole, sanding to round the ends and reduce size.
A table with loose legs is irritating, you want to get it out of sight. But if the table itself is valuable, or you are used to it as a family heirloom, then you want to keep it. You can think about self-repair, especially since in most cases it is not too difficult to fix the design.
We are talking about a table in which all the parts are intact, only the glued joints have come apart. This happens with almost all pieces of furniture; after serving for many years, the product requires repair. There are no obstacles to renovating the structure with your own hands at home.
For work, you will need a hammer, glue, a thin brush, clamps or a belt with a clip, sandpaper. You need to understand that it will not work to knock down the legs with nails, or twist them with self-tapping screws. Smash the details, but there won't be much sense. Just after such a repair, the table will definitely have to be thrown away.
Therefore, it is better to take the matter seriously, especially since there are no difficulties here.
The first thing we do in any repair option is to completely disassemble the loosened base. If the assembly was on round thorns (dowels), then we clean them from the old glue and prepare to put them back in place. If the pins are broken, you will have to re-drill the nests and use the ready-made round dowels from the store.
Close to the topic is the article, just with the replacement of broken dowels.
If the dowels become loose after cleaning, that is, they enter the nests too easily, then the thickness of the tenon must be increased. This is done by winding gauze with glue, or gluing veneer to the dowel. After processing, we check how the spikes fit into the nests and, if necessary, light the thickness.
Pictures instructables.com
We apply glue to the dowels and be sure to the nests themselves. As a rule, the brush does not fit there, so we apply the glue using a narrow wooden chip.
We insert the dowels into the slots and assemble the connection by knocking out the parts with a mallet, or with a hammer through wooden block so as not to damage the coating. For the parts to stick well together, you need to squeeze the parts with clamps, or using a ratchet belt.
There is another way to qualitatively fix the wobbly leg. To do this, you need to buy corner screeds for tables in the store, preferably four at once for all legs.
Then we proceed as follows: Remove the tabletop and mechanisms, if the table is sliding. Then we take the screed, apply it inside the corner of the underframe and mark the installation site.
For greater rigidity, the ends of the plate are bent inward, therefore, according to the marking, it is necessary to make cuts on the sidebars.
We install the screed in the cuts and mark the place for screwing in the central hole metal hairpin... We drill a socket for a hairpin by 1-2 mm. smaller than the diameter of the stud.
We screw the hairpin into the table leg and pull the screed plate into place with self-tapping screws.
It remains only to screw a nut or a lamb on the stud and tighten the corner of the underframe well.
This method is good because, if necessary, the table can be pulled up again.
From negative points there is only one, an expensive table made of valuable wood will lose its value somewhat. Nevertheless, the classic assembly of furniture is made on tenons with glue.
♦ The old cabinet can be given the new kind, if the front surface, with the exception of panels, is pasted over with a cloth, wallpaper, film. Cladding material in color and pattern must match the wall covering. This wardrobe will look especially good in the bedroom.
♦ To prevent the legs of furniture - chairs, armchairs, tables - from scratching the floor, stick felt circles on them.
♦ To avoid damaging the floors when moving furniture, place plastic can lids under the legs - they will reduce friction.
♦ Place a thick wool mat under the feet of the object to be moved. It makes it easier to overcome the rapids. You need to work together - one pulls the rug, the other pushes the cabinet.
♦ It is not so easy to pull out a drawer of a table, chest of drawers or a drawer unit when the handle breaks off. A plunger will help to cope with this task. It is enough to press it against the box near the place where the handle was and pull it towards you. The box will slide out easily if it is not overloaded and does not "jam".
♦ Polished furniture, mirrors, TV screens, lampshades, window panes are easily electrified and attract dust. To get rid of this, wipe surfaces with 1 part shampoo, 1 part antistatic and 8 parts water.
♦ If the drawer in the kitchen or writing desk it is difficult to open, wipe the edges of the box and the grooves "into which it enters, with dry soap or a candle.
♦ After wallpapering the apartment and cleaning the floors, the furniture can be rearranged, but you should not push it tightly against the walls until after ten days. Curtains, carpets, paintings and other items are also undesirable to hang before this date.
♦ Cleanliness and comfort in an apartment largely depend on the location of furniture and carpets in it.
♦ The furniture is sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity in the air in the apartment, as well as to the action of sunlight. This is especially important for lacquered furniture. In damp rooms, it fades, stains appear on it. At elevated temperatures, the varnish layer becomes covered with a network of fine wrinkles due to the drying out of the wood.
♦ Direct sunlight (especially if it has not passed through the window glass) causes irreversible changes in the varnish coating: it dulls, becomes covered with spots and cracks. Varnish coatings they also lose their appearance due to the ingress of water, solvents, from contact with hot objects.
♦ Often, due to lack of space on the closet, a whole warehouse is arranged: there are suitcases, boxes, parcels. They don't decorate the room at all. The matter can be improved if; close everything with beautiful curtains. Stands are placed between the cabinet and the ceiling (a standoff or attached to the cabinet), horizontal tubes are inserted between them, curtains move along the tubes.
♦ Heavy shelves can be hung with bolts. Holes are knocked out in the wall with a margin and the bolts are cemented in them so that the thread protrudes to the desired length. The shelves are fastened with nuts.
♦ To wooden bed did not creak, it is necessary to put cloth pads at the interface.
♦ Tables with removable legs tend to loosen over time. Neither the tightening of the lamb nuts, nor even the plywood, helps. To eliminate this drawback, you need to hammer nails without heads into the ends of the boards that form the table box, and drill holes for them in the legs. Now, when twisting the "lambs", the nails will take on the wedging force and reliably strengthen the legs.
♦ Of course, the uneven leg of the swinging table can be sawed off or, on the contrary, something can be placed under it. However, it is better to fix the defect once and for all by gluing some kind of thrust bearing required thickness... And a small wedge will help to determine it precisely: having eliminated the swing thanks to it, we mark on it with a pencil the place where the leg rests - this will be the required thickness of the thrust bearing.
♦ Furniture made from particle boards, the doors often fly off - the screws do not hold well in the walls. We recommend that you strengthen them like this: carefully drill the hole for the screw to a diameter of 8 mm, drive a wooden plug with glue into it and screw the screw into it.
♦ Perhaps, ball or magnetic latches for table doors are good, but they slam painfully when closing-opening.
However, there is a simple and "quiet" option: to use Velcro fasteners, widely used in clothing, "burr-nick". To do this, it is enough to attach strips of such linden-checks to the doors and to the place to which they are pressed when closing.
♦ If there is not enough space in the hallway, and you have a large family, then it is convenient to arrange numerous shoes to help you with an unusual galoshes on the front door.
It is a wooden box with a plywood wall hung on the door, on which ring-shaped pockets made of dense fabric or leatherette for shoes are stuffed.
♦ It doesn't matter if the springs have sagged on the sofa. Discard the springs and pull the interlaced belts over the frame (not very tightly). Their own width and the distance between them fluctuate from 40 to 60 mm. Secure them well. On top, lay a simple strong fabric, on it - one or two layers of foam, then fabric again. Secure it to the frame. Finally, stretch the tapestry.
♦ The lock "magnetic latch" does not need any recommendations. It is comfortable and very reliable. However, the installation of the latch requires special precision. While doing this work, take a piece of plasticine. After installing one half of the latch, apply a thin layer of plasticine to the area of the door. By closing the door, get an accurate imprint of the location for the second half of the latch.
♦ Remind you reliable way repair of rocking chairs. To firmly attach the spike to the socket, you need to expand the socket by 2 - 3 mm, and make two longitudinal cuts in the spike half of its length. Then make two wedges and insert their ends into the cuts. Lubricate the spike and socket with glue and firmly insert everything into its original place.
♦ The legs of kitchen stools will stop unscrewing if rubber pads are placed under them.
♦ It doesn't matter if in wooden legs the screws were loose on the stools. You can fix them by doing this: drill through the screw with a two-millimeter drill, and half the leg, grease the screw with glue, put in place and fasten with a nail.
♦ If the thread of a kitchen stool with a metal frame in the socket where the leg is screwed in has broken, do not be upset, the matter can be improved. Take a nut with the same thread and grind off the end of it. In the hole with the damaged thread, make two cuts with a file for the projections of the nut, in the seat select a recess for it. It remains to insert the nut and screw in the leg.
♦ Loose chairs that have struts connecting the frame can be reinforced in a simple way... Holes are drilled in the legs to a shallow depth, in the struts - through holes. After that, screws are screwed into them so that the latter pull together the struts and knives. The chairs repaired in this way will serve for more than one year.
If the chair begins to dry out, only complete disassembly followed by gluing can save it. The only thing that will be able to postpone the term of such a difficult repair for many years is the installation of a pair of screeds. Such ties are threaded rods made of steel wire with a diameter of 3 or 4 mm, passed crosswise through the legs and secured with a pair of nuts each.
♦ It so happens that the loose chair legs still sit quite firmly in the seat frame and it is undesirable to undo them. In this case, it is more convenient to repair the legs using not glue, but metal corners: no traces of restoration will be visible, and the reliability of the fastening is guaranteed.
♦ The back of a chair can be flat, but bent is much more comfortable. How do you make one? This does not require special equipment, and the technology is simple here. It is enough to have a furniture clamp and a few auxiliary wooden blocks.
The middle of the back plywood blank is steamed over the spout of a boiling kettle. Then the back is laid on two bars, the steamed place is pressed with a clamp and left for a day or two in this position - the deflection will remain even after the load is removed from the workpiece.
♦ For some reason, there is always not enough space in any bedside table, and a galosh rack in the hallway is not a panacea. It is necessary to store shoes, boots, and slippers. But putting it all in two layers is not convenient and unhygienic.
We offer a simple way to increase the capacity of the shoe rack. It is necessary, having measured the diagonal of the space between the shelves, cut out plywood inserts equal to it - instead of the usual shelves, you will get triangular two-story compartments that will hold twice as many shoes, as if there were two pedestal barrels in one.
♦ The shelves of the cabinet do not always require a constant position at a certain level. Temporarily, any of them can be fixed at the desired height using wooden wedges inserted between the shelf and the cabinet wall.
♦ One inadvertent movement of a child pulling a drawer out of furniture wall, - and all the contents crash onto the floor. But it is not so much the child who is to blame for this as the dad: after all, it is not difficult to make a "brake" hook in the box from a small block, fixing a counter stopper over the box.
♦ Drying out is a common defect in wood furniture. If cracks and other defects of the monolithic solid wood do not violate the structural strength of the furniture, it is quite amenable to restoration.
After planting the insert elements on the glue and waiting for complete drying, treat the surface with a plane, then with a jointer, if necessary, cycle and sand with a fine-grained sandpaper. As a result, after a very simple intervention in appearance cabinet or table, you yourself do not recognize him.
1. An object with three legs will not wiggle, even if the length of its legs is not the same, since the mass is distributed over three points of support. This option is great for small tables or stools.
2. Only dry wood with a moisture content of no more than 10% should be used, therefore it is useful to have an electronic moisture meter in your arsenal. The raw material (even if it feels dry to the touch) will dry out and warp over time, causing the joints to loosen and the legs to change.
3. High chairs and tables, especially those that are narrow or with a heavy top, are not likely to be stable unless they are reinforced with legs. Place the feet as low as possible to achieve the greatest stability, as shown in the example of the tables (see photo). But sometimes it is different.
With thin legs and high heights, loosening of the joints occurs in the upper part of the object. In such cases, make the legs thicker and reinforce the structure with additional legs or wide drawers that tie the top of the legs.
In the original version of our table (see link), the legs at the top and bottom were connected by projections located at right angles, but the upper part of the object quickly loosened.
Therefore, we redesigned the design by adding a spider to give the table extra rigidity.
4. The legs of the table and the parts of the seat frame should be wide in the places where they abut the legs. If you want to avoid the impression of massiveness, cut out arches or other decorative cutouts on the side bars, as shown below.
5. Making it big folding table using bolts or other similar fasteners, use a special adhesive sealant for assembly to prevent the nuts from loosening. Then the legs will not loosen.
6. Do not move the table (especially on carpet), as even a small obstacle can weaken or damage the connections, and the legs will become loose. Always lift the furniture up and carry it around, even if you need an assistant to do so.
Note: Floor unevenness can be a problem.
You have made a sturdy table or chair, but despite its impeccability, the furniture sways. Before you start adjusting the length of the legs, move them to another place and check for stability again. The cause of the problem may be uneven floors... Soft carpets are an excellent remedy for small wobble.
A pair of pins connecting the legs of the chair make the structure rigid and prevent loosening.
When making a three-legged chair or stool, place them at an angle to increase the footprint and give the product additional stability.
For a secure fit of the nuts during assembly, use a blue thread sealant to be able to disassemble the table again. The red sealant is intended for final fixation.