Chair Repair

Chair Repair Overview
In our kitchen/breakfast space is a big Mission Style chair. My analysis of this chair is that it was home or school shop built in the early 1950’s. It has been in a flooded basement or a flood. It has been over-stressed and broken (before the flood). And repaired by someone-not-the-builder.
After a number of year of our use, some of the joints got loose and it was time to repair.
Nearby you can see the chair after repair. And tools involved.
Forensics: The front lintel had been broken before. I suspect that verticals had splayed enough to allow one of the dowels to break. Pulled back together by the repairer, a scrap of wood was nailed to prevent the splay. Long ago and far away, I learned that nailing oak (other than flooring) was futile. Similarly, the glue blocks in the corners were nailed, maybe more than once as attested by the collection of rusty bent nails in each.

"I'll have that fixed on no time..."
Chair Repair Tools
I drilled holes for screws in the corner glue blocks that were loose. Put in screws and re-glued. Glued the dowels in 3 out of 4 corners.
About 3 hours and just a small number of hand tools.
Some “Antique Road Show” host of the future will tell then owner of this one, “Interesting, well made, several repairs, a pretty good chair. But not worth much”.

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