I have several loose spindles on my oak kitchen chairs and want to fix
them. I know the ultimate fix would be to pin each of these with a
dowel. Does the "spindle tightening glue" work or is it just a temp fix
to the problem?

mrbubl wrote:

I have several loose spindles on my oak kitchen chairs and want to fix
them. I know the ultimate fix would be to pin each of these with a
dowel. Does the "spindle tightening glue" work or is it just a
temp fix
to the problem?

Am not familiar with the product; however, from your description, it
has all the markings of something a snake oil salesman would try to sell.

The only gap filling adhesive I'm aware of that also provides gap
strength would be epoxy.

Don't think it would be a good fit for oak.

Lew

I have several loose spindles on my oak kitchen chairs and want to fix them.

Clarification --- Do you mean stretchers? If so, try to disassemble
the undercarriage and reglue and clamp the parts. There is a solution
available that will swell the wood, but I find that re-gluing will
hold longer.

On Fri, 11 May 2007 01:16:34 GMT, mrbubl wrote:

I have several loose spindles on my oak kitchen chairs and want to fix
them. I know the ultimate fix would be to pin each of these with a
dowel. Does the "spindle tightening glue" work or is it just a temp fix
to the problem?

That stuff doesn't work too well. The true problem here is that the
chairs were not properly. Remove all the old glue, clean with
acetone, a fox-keyed tenon might work.

On Fri, 11 May 2007 01:16:34 GMT, mrbubl wrote:

I have several loose spindles on my oak kitchen chairs

What are they made of? How old, and how well made? When you say "oak",
did that grow on an oak tree, or is it modern painted-up jummywood?

If it's 40-50+ years old, real oak, with decent construction and
suffering from honest wear by racking a joint, then the "Chair Doctor"
glue is good and works well. Note that it only works on loose tenons
though, not worn-out or broken ones. It swells wood, it doesn't gap
fill.

If it's jummywood, then the wood itself is too soft to form a firm joint
by swelling a tenon. It'll swell and fit in the workshop, but a week
later it's loose again.

The only adhesive I know that will gap-fill on a chair tenon is an epoxy
with a suitable filler. It's a hard-working joint - lesser adhesives,
like PU, just won't last.

Whatever you do, don't use a foxed wedge tenon to repair it. You can't
dismantle these without breaking things in the future. As a good chair
should outlast several repairs, this isn't a good thing.