Woodworker's Journal 1983-7-3, страница 18
Are your fingers worth $5 apiece? Restoring AntiquesA Cure for Loose Legs by John W. Olson Not long ago I had occasion to repair a lovely old chair that had a torn cane seat and a bad case of loose front legs. The joints between the side arms and the front legs were still tight as were those between the back legs, side arms and seat rails. Consequently, it wasn't feasible to completely disassemble the chair. To do so would have risked damaging the back and side arms which would have meant further repairs. The first order of business was to remove the old cane seat. The cane was of the prewoven type and held in place by a spline in a groove along the edges of the seat rails. Normally, this type of seat is easy to remove unless, as in this case, glue was used to hold the spline in place. A glued spline is very difficult to remove without damaging the edges of the groove so 1 made a special tool to do the job. By grinding both sides of a '/* in. chisel, 1 made a stiff tool with a tip that measured '/i in. deep and 5/32 in. wide-just wide enough to remove a Vi in. spline without damaging the groove and sharp enough to cut the spline and pry it out. All traces of the previous cane and spline were removed. A groove that isn't clean and smooth will not permit the new cane and spline to sit properly. The front legs were the next order of business. As stated above, the rear legs, the back and the side arms were reasonably tight. However, the dowels holding the front legs to the front rail were completely ungiued. Fortunately, these dowels were short enough, and the seat frame springy enough, that it was possible to remove the front rail. All of this was done after the corner braces on the inside of the seat frame had been removed. Sketch A illustrates the loc ation of these braces. The dowels, their holes and the mating surfaces between the legs and braces were then thoroughly cleaned down to the bare wood. As 1 have said before, my favorite too! for this task is a Dremel® handgrind-er and a '/+ in. carbide burr with straight sides. This little electric tool makes for a fast and easy job. The corner braces and their mating surfaces with the inside corners of the seat rails were also cleaned at this time. My favorite method of cleaning seat braces is the stationary disk sander. The hand grinder was used to clean the brace joint surfaces on the seat rails. Each brace was tested for fit and corrected if needed. The front rail was reassembled dry and the four seal braces installed using screws but no'glue. All the joints were pulled up tight and then a hole was drilled from the center of each brace into the leg behind it. This brace hole was large enough to be a sliding fit for a long screw that RIPSTRATE™ could save them! If you have a table or radial arm saw you know what that whirling blade could do to your hands. RtPSTRATE guides the work light against the fence and table while you push it through with a stick, with both hands far from the blade. ALSO PREVENTS KICKBACKS' Requires no adjustment RtPSTRATE is more than a safety device. Proles sional shops use it because it gives straighter cuts and speeds the work. Money back guarantee S54.50 (just about S5 per finger) Add S3 50 shipping. Check. Visa. IvVC Free brochure. Call or write: Fisher Hill Products 3 Fisher Hill FitzwiKiam, NH 03447 603 585 6883 bandsawing—table sawing-disc sanding & moulding-all at a price that's easy to swing! A versatile machine for today s home craftsman The space saving EMCOSTAR-2000 gives Itawless precision and changeover from operations is as simple as repositioning the drive tieit lo the proper pulley EMCOSTAR-2QOO additional capa bililies include woodturnmg, slot mortising, bet I sanding and horizontal boring, all perlormed with the level ol accuracy you d expect from individual tools costing much more' At EMCO MAIER weve been designing woodworking equipment lor over 36 years We're proud of the new addition to our woodworking family and we think you'll be also Call or write today for FREE catalog. Phone614/445-8328 Dealer Inquiries Invited! [M^fll CORPORATION EMCO MAIER CORPORATION. Dept 3E3 2050 Fairwopd Ave Columbus. OH-<3307 I 5t'«l I City SI.I if It |
