Chair maintenance problem

[Woodchips2]

We replaced the pews in our church with upholstered chairs some years ago. Whilst the chairs are a lot more comfortable they have given us an ongoing maintenance problem which I am looking for some help in solving.

The upholstered seat frame is metal which attaches to the beech legs with eight machine screws as shown in the photos. The beech legs have been tapped to take the screw fixings but over time they work loose. I guess this is due to metal and wood expanding at different rates as the air temperature changes. To tighten them the seat has to be taken off the frame because you cannot get at four of the screw fixings due to the proximity of the seat.

Would it be possible to use an adhesive on the machine screws to stop them coming loose? Maybe a spot of 'No Nails' on the wooden thread or 'Superglue' on the screw head?

Regards Keith

 

[Racers]

Hi, Keith

Are you sure there isn't a metal insert in the legs? If there is, some thread lock on the screws should sort the problem out.

http://www.loctitesolutions.com/index.p ... ERID=28480

Pete

 

[Chrispy]

Loc-tite make a thread locking glue, I can't see why it wouldn't work, it has two options either it works or doesn't. the Loc-tite would perhaps give the option of disassembly in the future.

(beaten to it again) :lol:

 

[Woodchips2]

Thanks Pete & Chris. I've never used Loctite but will give this a go. We need to be able to take them apart occasionally because I've had to repair a couple of the legs which had split due to somebody rocking on them.
Regards Keith

 

[Jacob]

Basically a bad design to start with. Doomed!
Loctite, or anything to tighten the grip will help, but only briefly.
Bolts through might do it, in place of the screw, perhaps with a plate on the outside?

PS try the original suppliers? If they've sold a lot you probably won't be the first to complain and they might have plates/bolts etc all ready to fit.

 

[Woodchips2]

Basically a bad design to start with. Doomed!
Loctite, or anything to tighten the grip will help, but only briefly.
Bolts through might do it, in place of the screw, perhaps with a plate on the outside?

PS try the original suppliers? If they've sold a lot you probably won't be the first to complain and they might have plates/bolts etc all ready to fit.

Thanks Jacob, I agree but they were bought before my time!

I will try the suppliers although I wouldn't be surprised if they had gone out of business!

Regards Keith

 

[kevin dwyer]

well I restore a lot of chairs, by the look of these I'd imagine each leg has a tendency to go in a different direction.

 

[Woodchips2]

well I restore a lot of chairs, by the look of these I'd imagine each leg has a tendency to go in a different direction.

Thanks Kevin, I think you've got to the seat of the problem :lol:
Regards Keith

 

[kevin dwyer]

how about fixing four of them together and turning them into a pew ..

 

[Woodchips2]

:

how about fixing four of them together and turning them into a pew ..

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[CHJ]

I think Jacobs 'Bolt Through' would be the best option.

Perhaps something like these:

Domed Nut

Cross Dowel Bolt

 

[Woodchips2]

Thanks Chas. The chairs stack away because the church is used for other activities so the domed nut would probably prevent then stacking. However the cross dowel bolt may work and I'll have a trial on one of the chairs.
Regards Keith

 

[Matt@]

chairs have a habit of working loose whatever you do with them. I dont think I'd trust the cross dowel bolt thing to be long lasting. I dont know what the name for them is but I'd try get those fittings whereby there is a threaded bolt that screws into an interior threaded sleeve resulting in a neat flat allen head on each side...

 

[CHJ]

..... The chairs stack away because the church is used for other activities so the domed nut would probably prevent then stacking. ....

Alternate Nut

 

[Woodchips2]

Thanks Matt & Chas. This would be a good solution because tightening them up periodically could be done without taking the seat off. The head could also be countersunk.
Regards Keith

 

[marcros]

i would also bung on a bit of locktite, for what it costs. May save you having to tighten them from time to time.

 

[Woodchips2]

i would also bung on a bit of locktite, for what it costs. May save you having to tighten them from time to time.

Shall do, I've never used Loctite before and I want to see how it performs because I can think of some other situations where it could be useful.
Regards Keith