A neighbor brought this chair to me about the time Hurricane Sally came in September.  Finally, got to it.  This is what I received.  At least, all the pieces are there.  

 

The upright posts had dowels that were broken.  And, this chair has lots of stories.  Will repair from the seat pan up.  

 

 

 

What a booger bear to get apart.  Took awhile.  Now, we can get some progression on.  

 

 

 

Doesn't look too bad.  Will sand out the mortises and tenons.  This poor chair has seen a tough life.  

 

 

 

The nails have been removed, but one slat did break.  Not a problem for Titebond III.  

 

 

 

Mortises are sanded out sufficiently.  Just removed the glue.  

 

 

 

Sanding with 180 grit, this appears to be a poly coating.  Will test before trying to put on a varnish.  

 

 

 

Obviously, the rounds are not correctly sanded.  It is obvious that this is a production job with rotational sanding, leaving the sanding marks around the spindle.  Will try to sand with the grain and make this correct.  Going to take some time with hand sanding.  

 

 

 

Looking at the seat pan, it appears to be pine.  I do believe the seat pan is pine.  However, the rounds are all some form of cheap or low grade oak.  And, this other spindle indicates that the production is still a sanding while the spindle rotated on the lathe.  No hand sanding or sanding with the grain.  Ugh!

 

 

Edited January 26, 20215 yr by FlGatorwood

Continued......

Setting up the boring of the old dowels was a bit of a challenge.  I thought of using some clamps, but just used my hand to clamp it to the mitre and had our oldest granddaughter pushing the bit while I held the spindle.  

 

 

 

 

 

Looks pretty good.  Had grandson use his geometry to align the markings to guide the drill bit.  

 

 

 

Granddaughter holding after drilling the hole.  Tape on the head board (not the correct nomenclature) was the guide as to the angle of the bore.  

 

 

 

Goofy granddaughter so happy that our work all fits closely as factory.  Will get it glued, but some sanding first.  

 

 

 

Clamped with dependable HF clamps.  I love these because they rarely flex.  Almost as straight as pipe clamps, unlike bar clamps.  

 

 

 

The 3 clamps pulled the back away from the arms.  So, 1 clamp on the front brought the back into the correct spot.  Screwed the arms to the post.  More sanding and then will start my weakest procedure--finishing.  Will be ready by the weekend.  Going to get cold after Wednesday.  So, will try matching the stain and will try to see if shellac or poly.  Last picture coming.  

 

 

 

Last construction step, inserted wedges in the split tenons.  Not glued, so will be easier to remove the next time it has to be done.  When it wears out, I won't be here.  Neither will the owners.  I hope the grandchildren get the chair and take better care and remember all the stories it tells.  Thanks for your patience and following along.  

 

 

Edited January 26, 20215 yr by FlGatorwood

Some nice work and some great memories.  

Wow I wish we lived closer so I could trade some hands on lessons for electrical work! Grandkids are always gonna remember doing woodworking with grandpa.

 Nice repair job Steve. The amount of wear on the arms shows it's a comfortable chair.

Great save.  Looks like you have a fantastic assistant too!  I cherish the days that the grandkids help me in the shop.

Nice ride along on the chair repair.  Enjoyed this post.  Nicely done and I'm sure you'll have a happy neighbor.

Thanks, everyone.  Hope this helps someone to understand the simplicity of the assembly of these chairs.  To weaken the glue, I used a heat gun on low heat, then applied some mineral spirits.  It worked rather well.  

12 hours ago, FlGatorwood said:

Granddaughter holding after drilling the hole.  Tape on the head board

You taped your granddaughter's head to the headboard!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is a great save Steve.  Please post up the finals after you have refinished it.

10 hours ago, lew said:

You taped your granddaughter's head to the headboard!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Was trying to get the glue to dry.  LOL  

 

Thanks, Lew, for pointing out that I didn't word that better.  Next time, I'll try to make it Lew proof.  LOL

1 minute ago, FlGatorwood said:

Was trying to get the glue to dry.  LOL  

 

Thanks, Lew, for pointing out that I didn't word that better.  Next time, I'll try to make it Lew proof.  LOL

Hahahahaha. I make my wife so angry when I do that to what’s left of friends. No one understands my warped sense of humor 

2 minutes ago, lew said:

No one understands my warped sense of humor 

 

Well then we are in good company, twisted and warped the whole lot of us.  

Great company.   Love the company here.  

I've always said, "There is a special room in Hell for people that put nails into chair joints.   And it's right next to the room for people that put screws in chair joints."