Ed Pawlowski wrote:

Hard to evaluate from a photo, but it is not just about money. If it is
solid wood with good joinery you can end up with a really nice piece of
furniture. If it is cheap veneer and termite ridden and delaminating,
not worth the effort but could make a nice fire. I did see one old desk
that would be nice for the grandkids to use to color on. It was $48,000.

That you didn't add a smiley face suggests high esteem for their artistry!

Here are two more photos of the damage, taken with the top off and the
break sprung open a little:

http://www.zefox.net/~bob/lincolndes...turefulllength

http://www.zefox.net/~bob/lincolndesk/fracturetopview

It looks fairly straightforward to re-coat the joint with glue and push it
back together. That leaves the dilemma of which glue to use.

The drops of old glue strewn around soften slowly and get slimy when
dampened with cold water, so it's likely to be hide glue. The only
hide glue I've seen at local retail is TiteBond liquid hide glue, but I'm
a little wary of it. Seems like it would be prone to spoilage on the
shelf. Does anybody following this thread have good experience with it?

Granulated hide glue is available on the web and not necessarily expensive;
is it worth the extra time and trouble? If you have a brand or supplier
recommendation please share it.

Thanks to all for reading and guiding a novice!

bob prohaska