Wood Furniture Repair: Fixing Broken Arms, Legs and Other Structural Parts

Every so often, a quality piece of wood furniture will break. If the break occurs in one of the arms or legs of the piece, it should be considered structural damage and should be repaired accordingly. While it can be a bit more involved than replacing a decorative portion of the chair, it's still possible to do it on your own. The trick is to take your time, and have the correct tools on hand. This article will summarize the materials needed, as well as the steps needed to repair a broken arm, leg, or other structural part on your favorite wooden chair.

Like any other repair job, the first step is to gather the tools and the materials needed for the repair job. While each repair is different, and will require different tools, there are some basics that are standard in just about any instance. For starters, a good set of screw drivers, both standard and Phillips is a good idea. Other useful tools include a claw hammer, sand paper, wood adhesive, a wood planer, and various clamps including C-clamps and strap clamps.

The first step is to inspect the broken piece. If it can be easily removed and replaced, replacement of the part is usually the best way to go. By replacing the piece entirely, you eliminate the possibility of future weak points in the piece, and add strength that simply cannot be guaranteed by repair.

If however, the broken piece cannot be replaced, or it can be easily repaired, the process of doing so is fairly straight forward.

When repairing an arm or leg on a wooden chair, strength is very important. If you think about it, in most cases, these portions of the chair have to withstand added weight, sometimes even the entire weight of a human. Therefore, the broken part must be reinforced, if not replaced completely. The best way to reinforce is to use a dowel or wooden peg pinning the broken pieces together. Depending on how thick the broken piece is, the dowel should be between 1/8 inch and 3/8 inch. Also, be sure to use multiple dowels depending on the length of the broken piece. Usually, a standard dowel can support approximately 1.5 inches of a broken piece.