Recently, I was working on a broken chair leg that belonged to a pre Civil War dining room set made of mahogany and it was apparent that it was going to be a challenge. In my usual routine I would first figure out how I was going to piece it back together and then figure out what clamps I would use in order to apply enough pressure to get the job done.

Sometimes, in order to get a break back together properly it's necessary to repair the break in stages because of the nature of the break and location. Most of the time breaks of this type occur along the grain line which makes the job easier to deal with because usually the two pieces will "slide" perfectly back together to the point of almost disappearing. But here in lies the problem.

I spread a small amount of glue onto the break, making sure to cover both sides of the break and slid it back together. The glue will squeeze out along the break when it "slides back into place." So far so good until its time to apply the pressure. For those of you who have been up against this challenge you understand the dilemma that's about to happen. The joint starts to slide apart just as it slid together because of the angle of the break and pressure from the clamp and clamping blocks. What to do?

After struggling with this and being very frustrated I took apart the break and cleaned the glue off to give me time to figure out a different way of clamping. I could put a small nail in the break to keep it from moving but that would further damage the leg. Maybe a clamp on both ends of the break but I would need an extra hand for this.

I called my friend Mike who was my go to guy when I first started out in the Finishing business. He ended up giving me a really good tip. He told me to go and buy a bicycle inner tube and cut it into long strips. Then he had me wrap one end of the strip, stretching it onto itself in the middle, then stretching and wrapping it from side to side. This way, the two pieces couldn't slide and everything was in the proper location.

Not only did this glue the break perfectly, it did virtually no damage to the finish. The glue squeeze out was easily wiped off with a damp cloth and the glue was able to separate and crumble from the inner tube, making it ready for future use.

This is one of the best tricks I've learned along the way and still rely on almost daily for all kinds of quick fixes like broken back spindles, chair stretchers, chair legs, etc....

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Alan can be reached directly via email c/o Alan Noel Furniture Refinishing at anoelfurniturere@bellsouth.net . You can also visit Alan's website by CLICKING HERE .

Visiting Atlanta? Attend one of Alan's upcoming highly informative Highland Woodworking wood finishing seminars:

April 14, 2018 Spray Finishing
April 21-22, 2018 Antique Restoration
May 16, 2018 French Polish Workshop
May 19, 2018 Finishing 101