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Once again the versatility of my Mark V has come to the rescue. I had a situation - a drilling action I wanted to do - but it was hard to figure a method to do it accurately. Knowing it couldn't be done with a hand held drill, I wondered how to do it with the Mark V.

This was all about a re-finishing job on an old oak library type chair. (BTW it was made and dated in 1941.) The top of one leg had pulled apart from the crest, so I knew there was a bind somewhere. After disassembly, cleaning, adding new dowels, it all went together well except for the rear of the stretchers. This resulted in not real tight dowels from the rear legs to the stretchers. Ah Ha! I found the source of the stress that caused the separation of the crest from a leg.

O.K.! now I wanted to re-enforce that stretcher/leg joint. After deciding a smaller dowel through the leg and stretcher would probably do the trick. The question was how to drill it accurately.

The rear legs are at an angle to the stretchers and the whole heavy chair would not fit on the main table.

Solution -- lose the main table and use the auxiliary table and a couple of clamps. Was able to use the adjustable stop collars on the aux. table for the correct height.

Wow! almost any weird shaped of stuff can be drilled with the Mark V.

Good job!

Now that is slick. I wish that I had been the clever. I drilled and pegged a set of six wooden dining room chairs but I hand drilled because I could not envision a way to hold the chairs solid. My next set of chairs will be much better because of your ingenuity.

charlese wrote:After disassembly, cleaning, adding new dowels, it all went together well except for the rear of the stretchers.

I don't mean to hijack your post, but I was wondering how you disassemble a chair. I have one with a broken stretcher that I'd like to repair. BTW, your solution to your problem was ingenious.

Bruce wrote:

charlese wrote:After disassembly, cleaning, adding new dowels, it all went together well except for the rear of the stretchers.

I don't mean to hijack your post, but I was wondering how you disassemble a chair. I have one with a broken stretcher that I'd like to repair. BTW, your solution to your problem was ingenious.

What's the age of the chair? IF your lucky, it may have been glued with hide glue. So heat, hot water and or steam should break the bond.

It was probably purchased new in 2002 or thereabouts. I have a steamer I can try on it.

Bruce wrote: I don't mean to hijack your post, but I was wondering how you disassemble a chair. I have one with a broken stretcher that I'd like to repair. BTW, your solution to your problem was ingenious.

If there is only one stretcher broken, maybe you can remove the broken one by stretching/twisting/ drilling the joint connecting to a cross stretcher. If the broken stretcher can be removed it may be possible to re-insert it by drilling through the legs and into the cross piece.

Being far from an expert in re-making old chairs. I'll tell you what I do. Each chair I've done is a bit different. Some parts need taken apart. Others don't, but the chair has to be taken apart enough to clean up and make new clean solid joints.

I Don't know that much about glues used in chairs, except for hide glue. In all of the chairs I have taken apart (only three) they were old and mis treated for years by teenagers (boys) that thought the thing to do was rear back on the back legs and rock. Many joints were already loose! The screws put in during manufacture helped hold the chairs together. Even so, after removing all screws I had to use my clamps in a SPREADING configuration to separate parts. Some dowels pulled loose and others stayed firm. One or two dowels broke as I spread and twisted.

Yes, all joints became a something to fix!! I re-drilled and made new dowels - some dowels were re-used after cleaning.

The trick, as I see it is to get the best fit you can, without changing the size of parts. All joint surfaces and surrounds must be sanded to expose wood.

After all the separated parts are marked for their location they are laid out for re-joining.