Would appreciate advice that prevents me destroying an Apter-Fredericks or Hepplewhite chair...

Not that I think my chair has such provenance, but it might be a National treasure.

This chair rocks from front to back with the greatest of ease. Basically the back section is sound, but the connections at the seat and bottom of the legs desires repair.



It is my intention to open and clean the shaky joints, apply glue and assemble. Where necessary fill gaps using a commercial preparation. After gluing I am thinking of pinning the joints with a couple of dowels.

I would like advice on what glue to use. I have heard of Gorilla glue, and it is available in France; but recently read on these page to stick clear of it, so how about PVA, or a similar modern 5 to 10 minute glue?

The base of the seat is in two pieces (Photo 5) and has previously been repaired, but whoever did it had no experience of structural engineering so I will remove the current side supports and put something across from side to side over the division.

There are a number of screws throughout, and I thought of replacing these with dowels.

I don't know if you can tell from the photographs what wood the chair is? I thought it might be oak. Whatever it is, how do I get some life back into it? Before or after re-assembly?

If you have a date for the chair, and any other thoughts about it, I would be pleased do know. The chair is French.

Thank you for any help you can give me. I will post the results of our combined efforts, assuming it is more than a pile of wooden pieces in the corner of the room.

 

The chair would have been assembled with hide glue - a traditional repair would be to use the same stuff but in practical terms you'd be better off with carpenters yellow glue and some clamps.
Gorilla glue is not what you should use even if you can get it. It is basically a cyanoacrylate glue marketed and marked up well beyond its true value and is identical to the thicker gel-like cyanoacrylate glues that the dollar stores sell.
Plus it has no gap filling qualities at all and relies on intimate surface contact for a strong bond. You aren't going to get that kind of fit fixing up some old chair!

 

Thanks. I'm not sure they will know carpenters yellow glue here in France. Have googled it and apparently it is an 'aliphatic resin', so hopefully our DIY shops will know of it. I'll let you know.

 

Indeed. Basically, yellow carpenters glue is like white glue, a PVA, but with a bit more tack.

I just saw that Gorilla also makes the stuff, probably a bit pricier, over here I use Titebond. Elmers and LePage make it but you can also buy no-name small bottles at the dollar store too.

 

Brian, I thought I'd take a photo of a bottle of it that I have here, thinking that the label would list the "ingredients". Unfortunately, it does not(!) but here's what it looks like:

 

It's a Renaissance revival dining(probably) chair, around 1880/90. Very nice, I have something similar.

 

That's exciting. I never expected that either when I bought it nor now. I just liked it. I'm not sure what I shall do with it; probably put it in corner and pat it as I walk passed. Thanks for that information.

 

Those are pretty stable and can be used regularly.

 

It is oak. Agree with the use of white/yellow wood glue and clamps. Clamping is very important to get a good bond. Be sure to remove any old glue by scaping or sanding and dry-fit to make sure you have a tight connection before gluing. Replacing non-original screws with dowels seems like a reasonable plan to me since this is not a priceless antique.

 

Thank you. I am anticipating that the rocking will have caused damage or wear to the surfaces of the joint, if so, how do I tighten it to get four good surfaces? Also what is your suggestion for feeding the oak? Thanks?

 

Occasionally need to cut very thin shims to get a good bond. Make sure glue gets on both sides of the shim. If you do not have the ability to cut shims, some veneer might do the trick. For antiques, I like to use a tung oil varnish. Can buy commercially prepared or make your own. Equal parts of oil-based varnish, tung oil, and mineral spirits will do the trick. Apply with a soft cloth, 2 coats or more.