This chair was a difficult repair. As you can see, you can never have enough different types of clamps on hand.
I repaired seven chairs for this customer.Please note that the front leg was completely broken off.
I re-attached it using a hardwood dowel. The chair was not worth making a new leg. After trimming and staining, You could barely notice the repair. After all, previously it was ready for the fireplace an hour and a half before. the customer was happy, So I was too!
God bless
-- Gene, a Christian in Virginia
8 comments so far
Tim
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1292 posts in 1733 days
#1 posted 909 days ago
A lot of ingenuity going on there Gene, good repair. I like the special made clamping cauls.
-- Good judgement comes from experience and experience comes from poor judgement.
clieb91
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2674 posts in 2103 days
#2 posted 909 days ago
Gene, Looks like you have a good number of clamps.. good thing to. Seems like a good idea to put the dowel through the seat. Great Save.
CtL
-- Chris L. "Don't Dream it, Be it."
Bill729
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191 posts in 1250 days
#3 posted 909 days ago
A nice short lesson in clamping. Thanks for sharing!
Bill
Scott Bryan
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27262 posts in 1990 days
#4 posted 909 days ago
It looks like a nice save on the chair. I have done a few of these for friends and family and it is nice to be able to help them out, as I am sure you know.
-- Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful- Joshua Marine
HokieMojo
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2085 posts in 1897 days
#5 posted 909 days ago
Nice repair. I’ve never tried a repair because of my fear of trying to match finishes.
lew
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8982 posts in 1924 days
#6 posted 909 days ago
Wow, Gene! Lots of good clamping ideas here!
Lew
-- Lew- Time traveler. Purveyor of the world's finest custom rolling pins!
Bob42
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451 posts in 1959 days
#7 posted 909 days ago
Nice job Gene, I used to repair those kind of things for some antique dealers. Many times they would paint them so the repair didn’t have to be matched with stain and they claim they could sell them faster because the customers liked the painted look. You did a good job with the clamping, they are not easy repairs. Also think of using strap clamps in some cases.
You really can’t charge enough to make that kind of job worth it but some you win and some you hope to break even. If it keeps the customer happy and coming back then it’s OK. Keep up the good work.
-- Bob K. East Northport, NY
gene
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2185 posts in 2052 days
#8 posted 909 days ago
Hey Bob,
You are correct about the time factor. On this particular chair, I told the customer how I planed to make the repair and would charge him one hour and materials, plus that if I could not make the repair? He would have to trash it. It took me just under three hours trying different methods to get it just right. Most all furniture repairs do take time and allot of trail and error, plus a bunch of patience and a cool head ! This chair was a real basket case!
Thanks for the comments.
God bless
-- Gene, a Christian in Virginia
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