I finally gave in and fixed my grandma's old rocking chair instead of tossing it

That chair had been sitting in my garage for 3 years with a cracked arm and loose rungs. I kept thinking it was too far gone, but last Saturday I grabbed some wood glue and a clamp from Ace Hardware. Total cost was like 8 bucks and it took maybe an hour to sort out the wobble. Has anyone else been surprised by how easy some fixes actually are once you actually try them?

3 comments

3 Comments

anthony_campbell8811d ago

Have you tried using a clamp after the glue sets?

young.kim11d ago

Wait, did you really just try clamping after the glue sets? I always thought you had to clamp first and let it cure under pressure, but I messed up a joint last week because the glue dried before I got the clamp on. Tried your way on a test piece and it actually held better than my usual method. Makes sense now that the glue has time to soak in deeper before getting squeezed.

derek_perez11d ago

Whoa hold on, you glued it and then clamped it after the glue was already set? That sounds completely backwards to me, man. I've been fixing stuff my whole life and I always thought you had to get that clamp on right away while the glue is still wet. If you let it dry first, how does it even penetrate the wood fibers? I gotta say, I'm genuinely shocked that actually worked for you. Makes me wonder if I've been overthinking this whole woodworking thing for the past 20 years.