Chair repair

[dickm]

Have been given a rush-seated chair with the front rail of the seat broken in the middle. Can anyone think of a way of repairing this without destroying the seat in the process? The problem is that the rushes bind the two sides of the chair together quite tightly, so it's not obvious that there is any way of removing and replacing the front rail.
it's not a specially good or valuable chair, but seems a shame to scrap it.

 

[Spindle]

Hi

How about screwing a steel re-inforcing strap to the back of the rail?

Regards Mick

 

[CraigyCraigo]

Motice in a dovetailed peice in the back maybe and glue. Put a spreader clamp in it. You'll always see it (if you look) but match the wood and it may work nicely!

 

[jonesbones]

could you not turn the chair over make two or more grooves going 3/4 way into the rail insert strips of strongg timber or ply with a strong glue dont know how wide or thick the rail is the stronger the strips the better, leaves the top untouched and I am sure you could hide the break. just an idea best of luck with it jonesbones

 

[dickm]

Thanks for the comments - the key problem is that rush seating completely encloses all the seat rails, so it's either a matter of destroying the rush seat to get at the front rail, or screwing a reinforcing piece on the underside of the front rail, through the rushes, which would be feasible but not very attractive. Unless someone can come up with some magic that has eluded me so far

Hope this pic makes things clearer; should have put this in the first post

 

[Mike.S]

:idea:

I think I'd be tempted to try to use a clamp to spread the front legs apart (only 2" needed?) thus freeing the tenoned ends of the broken rail. Make a replacement rail to match and slide that in whilst simultaneously driving out the broken one - thus avoiding disturbing the rushes.

Works fine in theory :!:

 

[jonesbones]

sorry I was thinking of a cane chair Mikes idea seems a pretty good one. good luck let us know how you go on jones bones

 

[Nick Gibbs]

At last a question I really am qualified to answer. My parents bought a caning and rushing business in High Wycombe when I was 6, so I've been surrounded by chair repairs all my life. A steel plate can work, but you'd be surprised by the forces exerted by both rush and cane.

Repairing a rushing rail with the rush in place is very awkward. Usually rails break because they rot, often at the joint with the leg. If that happens the most effective solution is to cramp up the chair as well as you can, drill through the leg and into the end of the rail and insert a length of dowel or steel rod with epoxy, then plug the hole.

Repairing a rail that's broken away from the ends inside rush you want to keep is more difficult. If it's a clean break you may be able to glue and screw it back together, but it's unlikely. Instead I would try to pull the two broken parts out of their holes (watch out for pins holding them in place, which need to be weedled out first). Use the broken rail as a template to make a new one. Fortunately rushing rails only have to be rough. Then cut the raill in half at the fattest point at an angle to create a scarf joint. Drill pilot and clearance holes across the joint. Feed the ends back in, with glue on the ends after a trial, then glue and screw the joint, but don't use PU glue which can foam everywhere. It can help to keep the chair rigid with a sash cramp and spreader cramp working in opposite directions.

Any questions email me, and my wife runs the business now and rush the chair for you if all else fails.

Good luck

Nick

 

[dickm]

Thanks for those answers, folks. I've been moithering about trying to spread the front of the chair enough to work on, but suspect the rush(ing?) is too tight to get more than a few mm of play. Nick's solution sounds to be the right one; only thing that's still a bit unclear is how to get the two halves of the scarf joint exactly together in the right alignment. Any additional thoughts, Nick? Probably worth posting on here rather than pm in case anyone else has the same problem?

One other idea that was mulling around in my head was to remove the broken piece and make a replica, but with a loose tenon on one end. If the hole in the new member is deep enough, might it be possible to put the new piece in place with the tenon "retracted", and then work it back out and into the mortice in the leg?
Hmmmm. Things to think about....................

(Another mystery is how it got broken - the donor's rather elfin daughter was blamed, but she can't weigh more than a few stone.)

 

[Nick Gibbs]

Alignment is an issue. It's not an easy job getting a rail in with the rush intact. It may help to get the rail into position first and then add the glue. You can probably get away without gluing the tenons if the lower rails are secure. Rushing rails are often not glued. Use a cramp to align the scarf joint. Then screw it in place. Good luck.

Nick

 

[dickm]

Thanks for the expansion, Nick. A trick that might work could be to make the replacement overlength, diagonally halve it and then cut off the end of each of the "tongues" and make corresponding step in the opposing tongue. Seems to be what is done with structural scarfs and just might help with the location. Another thought might be to make the scarf close to one end, so it was more accessible?

But have to get the builders out of the way first

 

[Nick Gibbs]

The scarf is normally at the centre because the gluing area is largest there and there is more depth for screws, as the rushing rail tapers towards the ends. I've generally found there to be more 'slack' in the rush at the middle than the ends.

Nick

 

[beech1948]

Done a few of these.

Best approach is to remove rushes, remove component, remake, finish and replace both component and rush.

Anything else would be a bodge and very visible....you alreasdy know this.

Get on with it then :lol:

Al

 

[dickm]

Best approach is to remove rushes, remove component, remake, finish and replace both component and rush.

Anything else would be a bodge and very visible....you alreasdy know this.

Yes, indeed .... but...... it won't actually be visible inside the rush seat..................... so maybe...?

Get on with it then :lol: .

I want to, but.. there is some 60m of special skirting board and architrave moulding to be run, then the kitchen floor, then the new units in the kitchen and the redecoration. Procrastination/displacement activity thinking about chair is OK, but how long will SWMBO's patience last?

Take your point about strength of scarf, Nick. Maybe come the autumn I'll have an answer.

 

[Nick Gibbs]

It's not uncommon for rushing rails to break after re-rushing, such is the tension. It's only then that I'd try to repair a rail in situ. Otherwise I'd always remove the rush.