Broken Chair Back Repair with a Lathe, Shave Horse & Furniture Restoration Skills - Fixing Furniture
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- Опубліковано 3 чер 2022
- Repairing this broken chair back is a challenge. It requires a variety of skills to get it back together again and to make it look like nothing was repaired. In this video you'll learn how a lathe, benchtop shave horse, and furniture restoration skills are used to get this chair back into working order.
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The first step is to assess the damage to the chair back to determine why it broke. I have a set of 4 chairs, so I can learn from the other chairs how they're assembled. It turns out that this chair was repaired before. There are scarf joints attaching the broken pieces together. They weren't done well, so some of them have broken. There are also dowels drilled into the chair back posts but unfortunately they weakened the chair back as you'll see in the video.
To repair this chair back, the two posts need to be replaced. They have a mortise (a slot) in them so there's more work to these than just turning them on the lathe. I start by marking and drilling out most of the material for the mortice. Then I chisel out the edges to get mortises the right width. Next, I make a temporary tenon to glue into the mortise when I turn these on the lathe to prevent any tear out that would damage the edge of the mortise.
Using the lathe, I turn the new chair back posts and duplicate the design to match the rest of the chairs. This is a dusty job but I find it rewarding to shape a square block of wood into a furniture part. After sanding, I apply a coat of black tempura paint to the whole piece, let it dry, then sand it off. This is a staining step called "setting the grain". It gets the open grain in the Red Oak very dark and will help the new parts match the old parts once the stain is applied.
The top of the chair back posts need to be finished so I used my benchtop shave horse to hold down the work while us used a spokeshave, file, and sandpaper to do the final shaping. This is a critical feature of the chair that needs to match the other chairs in the set. I then apply the black paint and set the grain to match the rest of the chair back post.
The next step is to apply the stain. I'm using a water-based stain that works well to duplicate old oak. When applied over the set grain, it looks just like the original parts. I finish off the parts with polyurethane, which matches the original chair.
To assemble the chair back, I cut slots in the tenons at the bottom of the chair back posts. These accept a wedge to hold the chair back posts in place so they don't pull out of the chair seat. I glue up the chair back using PVA glue on the scarf joint on the slat that broke and with hide glue on the rest of the parts. Based on how these 25 year old chairs had 5 broken slats, they may break in the future, so using hide glue will allow the next repair person to disassemble the chair to replace the broken parts.
With the chair all back together, it's time to return it to the customer. Sometimes people ask if all this work is worth it... that is an answer only the customer can answer. These are quality chairs the customer has owned for decades and they decided to repair them instead of replace them with something that may be less quality. I offer the skills, the customer decides if they want to make use of them. Thanks for watching Fixing Furniture!
Fixing Furniture is not only a UA-cam channel but it's also a membership community. Get access to videos before they're published on UA-cam, watch all the videos without ads, get downloadable reference sheets, and participate in Fixing Furniture Live every two weeks. Learn more about membership at www.fixingfurniture.com
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Fixing Furniture is hosted by Scott Bennett, Owner of Wooden It Be Nice - Furniture Repair in Brooklin, Ontario, Canada. WoodenItBeNice.ca
#repair #restoration #furniture - Навчання та стиль
I believe you are one of the best teachers on UA-cam when it comes to "how-to" videos.
Wow, thanks Ray! I appreciate that. Scott
You're like the bob Ross of furniture repair. I feel so relaxed listening to you lol
I'm 78 and occasionally wonder how I would have lived my life differently. I know now that I would have done more wood working. I'll watch your program. Owen Son of Herman
Once again, like a beautiful piece of music, your techniques all come together flawlessly! I cant tell you how much i appreciate all that ive seen up to this point! My wife is in bed now, so i have a few more videos to watch, to learn from, and to deeply appreciate! This can never get old to me! 66carpenter
What are some tips on how you charge your customers for jobs. It would be great to understand more of the business side of furniture repair. I would imagine some of these repairs cost more than buying a new piece…
I am glad I found your channel. I found a set of 6 chairs (given free) that I love the style, but they are in rough shape. Your videos are giving me the confidence to try snd fix them myself. Thank you 🤗
You have the calmest voice I could listen to you all day. You make things so easy to understand! Thank you!
The only thing about your videos that bothers me is how clean your shop is compared to mine! 😁 Thanks for all the useful tips, Scott.
Lol, thanks for the chuckle Adam. Glad you found this helpful.
Geeezzz Mr…. You are fenominal!! Loved the video..❤ i just received a broken chair..but I sure can not do what you just did. I’m gonna have to go the dowel route, and PVA glue. I don’t have the tools or know how to do what you just did. You’ve got mad skills, for sure. Keep doing what you’re doing…great teach..loved the video. ❤ Cindy
I always enjoy woodworking channels where they show their mistakes and how to overcome them. You just saved me a lot of headaches having to re turn a new leg because I made the tendon too loose. Thank you!
Nice job!
Thank you! Cheers!
Cutting the mortise in the wood while it was square, then temporarily filling it with a scrap of wood barely glued in is brilliant.
I need to copy that shave horse design. The other shave horses I have seen are much too big for my small shop.
Glad you liked it. Here's a link to the plans for the Benchtop Shave Horse woodenitbenice.ca/products/benchtop-shave-horse-plans
I have nothing to say really, but I appreciate your content, and wish to help with the yt-algorithms.
Thanks Marius
great music for a great build!
Glad you liked it Donald. It struck a chord with me and seemed to meet the mood of the turning. Cheers. Scott
You do real good work!
I feel this was one of your better videos on chair repairs, with good explanation of why of each process. Great job with the repairs and matching the finish.
Thank you Richard! Scott
Scott: nice work. The chairs look great. Carol from California
Thank you Carol! Cheers
Awesome job, Scott! The chairs were in rough shape and you made them new again.
Thank you Brian. I appreciate that! Scott
great video Scott, your explanations of why,what, and where things broke, and the reasons why. were great tutorials. another great learning tool! thanks for sharing. ECF
You're welcome Ellis. Glad you enjoyed it! Cheers. Scott
Can’t wait to see the new vacuum system.
Great. I've created a new UA-cam channel to share my invention process. If you're interested, you can subscribe and turn on notifications to see when I publish videos there. ua-cam.com/users/cleanlathe
Happy New Year😊
i like that you took the time to explain about using the respirator for the dust. Not enough people use them including myself. ill be putting it on more
Have you ever considered live streaming? I have learned a lot from you but find I have an unrealistic expectation of the time these repairs take. It often takes me days to complete a simple repair.
I haven't thought about live streaming. Can you tell me more about your thoughts on this? What would be valuable for you? Thanks. Scott
I shared a couple of your videos on the Facebook page for our Makers Space. Hopefully it will bring you some more subscribers!
Awesome! Thank you for your support! Scott
Great video! Lots of ideas for all areas of fixing furniture, I appreciate your influence on my new furniture repair work. Yes, would be nice to have more info on the two types of hide glue.
This was so amazing to watch. I have no clue how to do any woodworking but I was fascinated and hope to one day learn. How do you not get any splinters wiping away wood pieces? I was nervous for you every time you did that. Haha
You are an excellent instructor. I have enjoyed watching your videos. Thank you.
I appreciate that! Glad you're enjoying them. Scott
Great idea to attach the upper crest rail. In the past I've made all kinds of jigs to put a mortise in a round rail. Wonderful video as usual' The Old Crow Fixit shop
Thanks for sharing that Thom. Cheers. Scott
Found your channel last week and can't stop watching. Already subscribed.
Question, can you show your dust/vac system?
Looking to build one for myself and I have a very small shop.
I was curious about the same thing, too...
Here's a video I made about dust collection and you can see the solutions I use. ua-cam.com/video/-c2YyFw7g1U/v-deo.html
@@FixingFurniture Thank you!
Would definitely like to see a head-to-head on the 2 hide glues
Very nicely done.👌😊
Thanks a lot 😊
Amazing
Thank you! Cheers!
Excellent job on the slats and spindles... you should have made half a dozen more slats for the next set of repairs. These chairs look like they were used for musical chairs with linebackers.
Lol, yeah, that would have been a sight to see when the music stops!
Great tips and techniques in this one Scott 👍
Excellent job. As always.
Thank you! Cheers!
Scott- An impressive restoration. A great instructor too ! Really enjoying the videos, thank you for sharing your experiences with everyone. Irish Mike.
Thanks for sharing that Irish Mike! Cheers. Scott
Another fantastic video! Good job, Scotty. 👍
Glad you enjoyed it
I love watching maestro do the investigative work!
Lol, glad you like uncovering the root cause Don. Cheers. Scott
New things I learned today. Thanks Maestro!
Meticulously done, great attention to detail, well done, I've enjoyed this video 👌👍👍
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing that Sundra. Scott
Once the thru-tenon was sawed off on top, wouldn't a Forstner bit of exactly the right diameter been effective to drill out the remaining wood without expanding the mortise?
Drilling out a mortise runs the risk of altering the angle of the mortise. I recommend breaking out the pieces to avoid causing damage. Cheers. Scott
4:11 Could the large staves be doweled with steel dowels? A 200 lbs teenager was leaning backwards & snapped the main arched back off. The other filler smaller pieces are fine.
Great job, The finished oroduct from your shop is better than new. And yes I would like to see you compare the tow hide glues. Thanks, David Adaor
Great job and fantastic info!
Glad it was helpful! Scott
Really good job. I would be interested in a comparison of the two hide glues.
Man u would be an annoying person to live with, but you are the only person I'd want repairing my furniture, so meticulous, and so much thought and experience goes into your reasoning for everything. No need to warrant your work, it's never going to ever break.
Another great video its a shame you dont put all your work on dvd
Thank you for such a great video!
Glad you enjoyed it! Scott
I`d really want to see a test with those hide glues because only Titebond is available in Brazil.
have you ever tried the titebond long open time pva glue for complex all at once glue ups?
I'm learning so much watching your channel. It's helping me restore and update furniture I have instead of buy new. Thanks. Awesome channel!
That's great to hear Carol, and I find that motivating for me to share more. Cheers. Scott
Always learning from you…great job! Thank you for sharing this!
My pleasure! I love to hear comments like yours Dawnn as my passion is to help others learn furniture repair skills. Scott
I always look forward to seeing your videos Scott. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience.
My pleasure. Thanks for being a subscriber Geoff! Scott
Absolutely a great repair, result. With my wedged tenons, I would have 'Accepted' your loose fit, as the Wedge would have snuged them up nicely.
Thanks for sharing that Peter. Cheers. Scott
Great video lots of good tips and chairs turned out nice.
Thanks so much Tom! Scott
Great job on the turning❤
Thank you so much 😀
Why did three of the four chairs break and you assume it will happen again? Many old chairs never break like that. Very nice repairs. 👍🏻
Good question Jill. Three of the chairs had broken slats on them. The chair maker made the tenons very small where they're inserted into the seat. Because the chairs are so heavy, I think these undersized tenons aren't able to take the stress. It's a design issue with this set of chairs. I hope that helps. Scott
Wow, you did a great job! I will share this video with may son.
Awesome, thank you! Scott
Hello Scott, yes, I would like to see a comparison of the two liquid hide glues. I'm a professional furniture repairman and use Old Brown Glue because presumably it has a longer storage life than the Franklin glue. I store my liquid hide glue in a refrigerator and use a inexpensive mini crock pot to heat the glue to reduce it's consistency. I've used Old Brown glue to reglue chairs and even to re-veneer chair seats with their compound curves, using a hand pump vacuum bag. I've enjoyed watching many of your videos and appreciate your skill as a wood worker, video maker and editor. It woud be great to visit with you some day to compare notes and discuss techniques, tools etc. I especially like your bench top shaving horse. I have a website showing some of my work, if you're interested, but not sure if it's appropriate to post it here. Thank you for sharing.
Sure Jim, post your website in a comment. I'd like to take a look. I sometimes get questions from around the US and Canada asking if I know someone in their city who can do quality repairs.
Videos by you and Tom Johnson convinced me to try hide glue, and now I am a fan. I've come to favor the hot mix, which is not as inconvenient as it seems. But it would be helpful to see a direct comparison of Titebond vs Old Brown vs hot mix for holding strength, work time, cure time, etc.
Superior workmanship no doubt, all procedures are well thought out before implementing and the best solutions are used with the greatest attention to details. Two thumbs up for sure 👍 👍
Thank you very much Tom! I appreciate that. Scott
Great video Scott,awesome job on the chairs. just curious how much something like that would cost to restore per chair?
Excelente trabalho.👏👏🇧🇷
Thank you Marcello! Scott
Another great job! What color is that brown stain you're using? I like Old Brown Glue, but you have to be sure to keep it warm while you're using it. I stand my bottle in a mini crock pot with an inch or so of water.
Excellent video - your methods and explanations are top notch. The wood shavings trick with the elastics was a new one for me. The quality of your videography is great. Thank you for teaching!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for your encouraging comment. Scott
Hi, I love the calm with which you make your works. It relaxex me and teaches me a lot. I would like to know what kind of paint did you use to set the grain (the black one I mean). Thanks
Hi Haitham. The black paint is a tempura paint - an inexpensive general art paint. I hope that helps. Scott
@@FixingFurniture thank you very much... That helps!
❤❤
Hello Scott. Why do you not use steam to take off the glue? Does it cause some problem to the wood?
Steam will make wood swell (it's a great way to remove a dent in wood) so it's not something I would use on a joint to try to remove glue. I hope that helps. Scott
@@FixingFurniture Thank you very much!!!
Where do you find matching wood so the grain matches?
Hi Andy. You need to use the same type of wood as the furniture you're working on. In this case, it's Red Oak, so I purchased some at my local hardwood supplier. Wood identification is difficult, so if you need some help, sometimes lumber yards can help you. Cheers. Scott
Your lucky to have a local hardwood supplier
Well done.👍👍Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe.🙂🙂
Thanks, you too! Scott
Thanks for your video.... What's the best mask for prevention of dust when you're working in the shop?
Hi John. The Ellipse is a good, light mask. I also like the 3M Quick Latch, which can be fitted with an organic vapour cartridge when using chemicals. Cheers. Scott
Hello Scott
At 41:15 mins When you cut the excess wedge off from under the chair , did you also cut the excess tenon with it as well because i noticed the tenon wasn't flush to the base when you first inserted the wedge ?
Thank you
Jason
Hi Jason. I don't cut the tenon flush with the chair. I leave it in the original state because if someone needs to remove it in the future, a square end is much easier to tap apart then an angled end. I hope my description makes sense. Cheers
You did a great job on repairs! I've just recently got into remodeling furniture. What brand chesils would you recommend that's not a lot of money? Take care and GOD BLESS 🙏!
I don't recommend buying cheap tools as they will disappoint you. If you're shopping on a budget, look at buying used brand-name chisels. I hope that helps. Here's an article that my be helpful www.finewoodworking.com/2008/08/18/best-bench-chisels
👍👍👍
Thanks Pete! Scott
Scott, I always enjoy and learn from your vids. This one was extra special, as it displayed your awesome turning skills. Thanks
👍👏👏👏
Glueup is such a stressful activity. I kind of 😥. But you did it cool and collected 😇👍
It used to be very stressful for me but over time, it gets easier with more experience. Cheers. Scott
Ottimo lavoro maestro, complimenti 👍👍👍👍👍👍
Thank you Manuel. Scott
Is there a reason why you only have 10 degree in your workshop?
A friend told me: If you drill out a wedge by making some holes then changing the drill's angle, take care --- don't use the thinnest drill bit and don't put too much pressure. Otherwise the bit will snap on you, so close to the surface you cannot grip the leftover to turn it out, and your problem is bigger than when you started. A friend did this, not me, definitely not me.
Yes, I think I have the same friend 😂. Thanks for sharing that #tip
you could be a Dentist too!
My personal choice would be no Muzak.
Thanks for sharing that Nic. Scott
Superb video Scott love all the detail you tell us, great bit of turning look's great, the customer should be happy with that, have a nice day . Brian UK !!!. 🪚🪚🔨🔨. 😀.
Thanks Brian. Glad you enjoyed it. Yes, the customer was very happy with the work. Cheers
Great video! I would like to see a direct comparison between the 2 glues if you can