Fix a broken chair leg (oregon pine)

[Terry52]

I broken a leg of my wooden chair. The wood is oregon pine and it deserves more than being fixed with a duct tape.

broken part of the leg

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• Terry52
• 12 Mar 2012
• 1

rest of the chair

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• Terry52
• 12 Mar 2012
• 1

how does the pieces fit together

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• Terry52
• 12 Mar 2012
• 1

I don't know much about carpentry (we did a few things many years ago with my old man, but that was ages ago) and don't really have much tools in my possession - so I am asking for advice - how can I "properly" fix the leg,

*to make a strong joint
*and to keep the look of the chair

?

At first I was thinking about glueing up two broken pieces with wood glue - but would it hold? But the joint are will always be under stress (otherwise why would it be broken here?), so I though if I put the two mending plates (A&B as in the picture below) and a single screw (C) - that would hold the glued parts much better?

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• Terry52
• 12 Mar 2012
• 1

The mending plate A is on the inside and won't be visible, but the plate B will be on the outside and will not look good - but I don't think single screw C would hold the joint good enough.

I also feel that I am over-engineering this - so would really appreciate your help.

Thank you.

 

[foxhole]

Just wood glue and clamps, plates of little use unless they span a joint and spit is too thin, it snapped due to the knot in the leg timber at it's weakest point.Personally I would bin it.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

it snapped due to the knot in the leg timber at it's weakest

Or the OP is too fat!

Did it snap in a comedy style ie with someone on it?

 

[big-all]

yep cheap poor quality timber constructed from staves[small bits off wood glued together] if you look at the leg in the background you can see the join between the timbers and the small contact area because off the curve

 

[gregers]

you might if there is enough room,drill holes for dowells then use poly glue clamp.