My trip to the hardware store changed how I look at old furniture

I was picking up some PVC cement at Ace last Tuesday and saw a guy in the lumber aisle trying to fix a cracked table leg with just wood glue and a ratchet strap. He told me he was about to throw the whole thing out, but a worker showed him how to clamp it right and now it's solid. I used to think if a piece of furniture was broken, it was trash, but seeing that simple fix in action made me realize how much can be saved with a basic clamp and some patience. Anyone have a good story about saving something you thought was beyond repair?

3 comments

3 Comments

wade5581mo ago

You mentioned thinking broken furniture was trash, but wood glue and a strap is just a start. A proper wood glue joint needs pressure, but it also needs the old glue completely cleaned off first or it won't hold. That's the real patience part people skip.

elliotc101mo ago

Oh man, @wade558 you are so right about cleaning off the old glue. How many times have I rushed that step and had the thing just pop apart again a week later? I've learned to just sit there with a chisel and some sandpaper until the wood looks totally fresh. That clamping pressure doesn't mean a thing if you're just gluing glue to glue.

xena_anderson28d ago

That cleaning step @elliotc10 mentioned is key. How long do you usually let the glue set before you take the clamp off, like a full 24 hours even for a small fix?