How to Glue a Broken Wooden Table Leg

Repairing a broken table leg yourself costs much less than replacing the table.

Wood is versatile, strong, attractive and, best of all, easy to repair. If you have a wooden table with a broken leg, repairing the leg yourself with glue is an economical and fairly straightforward procedure. After a well-executed glue repair, your table will be upright and functional again in no time. With the right preparation and materials, you can easily complete a glue repair of a broken wooden table leg in a weekend.

Things You'll Need

• Sawhorse (optional)
• Rag
• Professional-grade wood glue
• C-clamp
• Scraper
• 150-grit sandpaper

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Instructions

1. Position the table securely on its side, so that no pressure is placed on the broken leg while the glue repair is setting. If necessary, prop the table up with a chair or a sawhorse so that the table does not shift during the repair.

2. Wipe a clean rag over both surfaces to be joined. Remove any loose splinters or debris. However, if the surfaces are irregular and they still fit together well, do not smooth out the surfaces.

3. Dab professional-grade wood glue on each surface to be joined. Place a small dab every inch across the entire surface on each piece to be joined.

4. Fit the broken pieces of the table leg together, and wiggle them firmly to ensure that they are in the correct position. Tighten a C-clamp around the break to hand-tightness. Do not overtighten the clamp, or you may mar the surface of the table leg.

5. Check the seam where the broken pieces of table leg meet. Small beads of glue should appear along the seam, forced out of the joint by the clamp's pressure. If no beads of glue appear at the seam, open the clamp and repeat the process after adding more glue to the repair.

6. Allow the repair to dry overnight. Scrape the dried beads of glue off the repair seam, and sand the joint lightly with 150-grit sandpaper to remove any traces of excess glue.

References

• New Woodworker; The Art of Using Wood Glues; Tom Hintz