How to Repair Chair Rungs

With all the abuse our chairs take each day, it's no wonder they require maintenance once in a while. The greatest amount of stress occurs at the intersection of the chair rungs and the legs, so the majority of repairs are on the chair rungs themselves. Loose or broken rungs can seem to be the end of the chair, but with a few simple steps and some basic materials, you can have your chair back in service for years to come.

Things You'll Need

• Cordless drill
• 1/16-inch drill bit
• Wood glue
• Toothpick
• Strap clamp

Instructions

1. Grasp the chair rung firmly, and wiggle it back and forth. This will show you which end has come loose from the chair leg. If necessary, you can mark that end lightly with a pencil or a small piece of tape to help you remember where it is.

2. Drill a 1/16-inch hole where the chair leg meets the loose rung, using a cordless drill and a 1/16-inch drill bit. Angle the bit so it drills into the chair rung as well. Take care not to drill through the leg of the chair. To prevent this, measure from the end of the drill bit and place a piece of tape at exactly half of the thickness of the leg.

3. Squeeze a small amount of wood glue into the hole you just drilled. Force the glue down into the hole using a toothpick or small sliver of wood. Apply more glue until the hole is filled just below the surface of the wood. Clean any excess glue with a damp cloth.

4. Apply a strap clamp, also called a ratchet clamp, over the legs of the chair. Pull it tight by hand making sure it's over the rung that you glued. Ratchet the clamp tight until you can't ratchet it any further. Leave it clamped for at least an hour.

5. Repeat this process for any loose back spindles as well. The joinery is very similar to that of the lower rungs, so you can certainly use this same process for fixing the back spindles.

Tips & Warnings

• Sometimes, if the rung or spindle is just a little loose, you can slip a thin sliver of wood coated in glue inside the joint. This piece acts as a wedge to prevent the rung from slipping out again.

References

• Northfield Mountain Antiques