How to Replace a Broken Dowel

When your chair rung snaps off and you're left with a wobbly chair, you have two choices: toss the chair or repair the rung. You can use these techniques for repairing a broken dowel to repair chair rungs, ladder rungs and dowels used in furniture joints.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Hammer
• Screw
• Wood glue
• Vinegar
• New dowel
• Clamps

1. Remove the old dowel. If the dowel is slightly stuck, you can secure a screw into the end and use a claw hammer to lift out the dowel by the screw. If the dowel is completely stuck, you can drill out the dowel with a bit sized to the width of the hole containing the dowel.

2. Clean away old glue. Glue residue will hamper the placement and adhering of your new dowel. Alcohol softens animal-hide glue, while a water and vinegar mixture may dissolve other glues.

3. Measure the old dowel. If the joint was loose, check to see that the hole has not worn away to a size larger than the dowel.

4. Glue the new dowel. Apply wood glue to the end of the dowel and all around the surface inside the joint. Insert the dowel, and wipe off any excess glue that immediately swells out of the joint.

5. Clamp the dowel into place. Proper clamping is critical to the success of your repair. You've reached the correct pressure when beads of glue begin to squeeze out of the joint.

Tips & Warnings

• If the dowel cannot be replaced without completely destroying the piece of furniture, replace the broken section with new wood cut to fit using a scarf joint. This joint is cut at a long angle to maximize the gluing surfaces. Only use this technique on a dowel that is not under great pressure, such as rung in a chair back on or on a railing baluster. Always replace a ladder or chair rung.
• Be cautious of using glue-dissolving solutions that may mar your furniture finish. Acetone and lacquer thinner are two such substances.