I know this video is nearly a decade long; however, it is amazing how much can be learned within this video. Thank you for your time, knowledge, and expertise.
OH boy!1 I am a self taught, excuse me, self teaching, and I learn and get inspired, and restore my faith, if its a tuff day from your videos. You are awesome and I am so happy to have your site available.
Thanks! Yes, it took a few disasterous glue ups to figure that out. But I realized that was why store bought dowel pins were spiraled, sometimes grooved
I can't get over the finished product! It looks incredible! I suppose one takeaway from this is to do nothing to the broken edges until you're reading to press them together so that they will press together into all the broken bits.
Great tips on your videos! On the table leg repair, when you glued the leg together and then cut it apart, how did you account for the kerf of the blade? Was it short by that width? Thanks again!
Great Repair Tom... Can't even see where the leg was cut... Sure came out solid. Great idea with using the boards and drilling them to create a brace to make sure they stay blumb to each other. That dog sure loves the snow.. can't say the same for my 5 pound french poodle. Keep the Vidz coming. Thanks, Michael Frey
Thanks Mike. I've never seen a dog that doesn't love the snow, at least your dog can walk on it without breaking through. Of course from his (her?) perspective that snow is a lot deeper! Tom
+Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration You're welcome. Thank you for taking the time to share. Many blessings to you and your family, mate. Cheers!
Hello Sir: Some Cheap Advice: 1 Get a variable speed Dremel tool with wood bits. 2. Use the Dremel to route out out a pair of round depressions in each end of the break 3. Use your drill to deepen the the depressions about 3 inches on each side. 4. Cut a length of 3/8 " allthread about 5 1/2 inches long. 5. Mix up some Devcon 24 hour epoxy, adding some mahogany colored pigment to the epoxy 6. Fill the two holes in the leg ends, and butter the broken ends. Butter the length of allthread with epoxy, insert the allthread into one of the holes, and then shmoosh the whole assembly together. 7. Clamp for 24 hours, then sand, fill, color match, and varnish as usual. This way the repair will last for about 300 years. The above type of repair is used on Gunstocks, which have to take a lot more abuse than any piece of furniture, while not showing any repairs.
I agree about using a long steel pin instead of a wooden dowel. I have used this technique in all sorts of repairs including to metal and plastic parts and in gunstocks where I normally use stainless steel.
Perfect timing for me to see this! My aunt has a hallway bench with legs similar to this table. One is broken off and will attempt to fix it. A questions...she used a lot of glue, probably Krazy glue, in an attempt to fix. What wold you use to take all of the old glue off of the wood? Thanks and love your work.
Hi Steven, thanks for watching! Use a heat gun, on a low setting, or a hair dryer on a high setting, that should soften the glue. Be careful not to scorch the finish. A solvent like acetone or lacquer thinner would work but would definitely harm the finish.Be careful!
That's some video, brilliant and again a true craftsman with some amazing tips n tricks.. Thank you again.. May i ask how do you like the Japanese saw for cutting (forward) i think ill invest.. Thanks Thomas
Hey Tom,I’m sure you’re great at eyeballing for dowels. But there is a new device I’ve seen that goes on the drill , that projects a circular image. I’ve wondered if it’s any good? What do you think? Jim k.
Awesome repair! That's called the Experience. Well done. I've my sofa chair and its one side wood is broken & can't sit on it. Don't know how to get it repaired. Can you or anybody help me if I send the photo of its broken area? I would be obliged.
How necessary is it to glue and cut in the first step? My table leg just snapped off, but it's a fairly clean break. How bad is it if I just try to drill into it like that?
Usually the break is a bit ragged, making it difficult to drill in the center. But if it’s so clean that you can accurately drill, (difficult even in the best of circumstances), then you don’t need to glue and recut it
How many beeswax bottles do you spend monthly? Great video Tom, as usual explaining to the detail the risks and the strategy for the fix as well as any corrections you may need to apply as you go. Awesome, thank you!
My wife got a antique vanity from her father and the leg is broken in half before we got it. I looked at it and it has the wooden stud holding it togethor but however the broken ends where the cracks are dont line up. Whats the best way to fix it? Also whoever repaired the first time it just drilled and drived the stud in the the leg.
Sorry about the broken leg. I have a few videos on "repairing broken leg"s. Maybe this one will be helpful. ruclips.net/user/edit?o=U&video_id=72X9SOgHRsA
Can you help? I have an 18th century oak mule chest. The legs are oak planks which have rotted and lost height. How can I restore them to their original height?
8 dislikes? Either they have no taste nor appreciation for perfection! Leg was fixed better than an orthopedic surgeon does! Speaking from experience.( nurse)
Thanks! Yes, when I broke my ankle and needed surgery, I was amazed to see that the surgeon did exactly the same things that I do. Not just close, I mean exactly. Only the doctor doesn't have to worry about the touch up afterwards, so his job is actually easier
DO YOU HAVE TO COMPENSATE FOR THE WIDTH OF THE SAW? IS THE GLUE ORIGINALLY USED ADDING JUST ENOUGH TO KEEP THE LENGTH OF THE LEG UNCHANGED? SINCE THE SAW IS THIN, DOES IT EVEN MATTER? JUST A THOUGHT...
Sometimes you do have to account for it. But for this leg it didn't seem necessary, I'm not sure why.Sometimes you need to put some veneer in the saw kerf during glue up
Thanks for watching. My father had a furniture restoration shop, it's still in business, run by my oldest brother. So I started when I was 13 years old. I did a few other things for a while but 35 years ago I stared my own shop. I love it and am always trying to learn new and better ways to do things. I have an engineering background and that helps. Also I network with other furniture restorers, Tom
Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration I did end up using wood glue but I don’t have a saw, so for now it’s holding up. No ones allowed to touch it lol
GREAT VIDEO! But ME, a complete novice and bumbling tumbling idiot at even the application of elmers glue on paper, is screaming at the screen. "Be sure to get it straight!" I hate when someone else, a previous owner with all good intentions, has attempted to repair a table, chair, or desk leg, and now that leg is never straight. And it seems it is always the front one, so the number of felt pads I have to place under that repaired leg to level it are always going to be in plain sight. Not to mention that the integrity is compromised. You simplified a wonderful repair! Fantastic!!! THANK YOU
A courageous move, going with a dowel. Off center just a bit, and you don't get a good match up. Certainly the professional way to do it. Knowing my limitations, I would've just gone with epoxy.
That was fun. I'm curious. why didn't you go ahead and drill for a 1" or even a 1 1/4" dowel. It looked like there was plenty of meat. by the way you're my guru. just so you know. I hope to some day be able show you a couple of repairs I've done after learning from you. You probably get a lot of emails of people wanting to show you there stuff. Thanks for a great channel.
Hi Daniel, thanks! A rule of thumb I have is to never drill a dowel into a spindle that greater than 50% of the diameter of the splindle I'm repairing. I've seen a lot of failures where a new break occurs in the wood around the dowel. I feel you've got to leave as much as possible.
Have you considered using steel pins? They are very much stronger than dowels and can be thinner. They can be used to repair small sections such as turned rails and the like.
Willem Ceuleers I have been using metal pins, rods and tubes,(for large sections) for over 50 years. Never once have I had a failure due to your suggested causes. Your tone is reminiscent of one who does not encourage conversations regarding different opinions.
Yes, but it is hard to cut it "perfectly" and to get it back into the exact position. A lot of times I have to drill the holes for the dowel sloppy, and use epoxy for the glue up so I can position the leg correctly
... what's the point of destroying a perfectly good glued (relatively speaking) clean break joint (which was possibly stronger than before it was broken) ... then sawing straight through it just to put a dowel in??.. soz Tom but that's just crazy
Thanks! I don't consider that leg to be well glued, even after I glued it together so well. I mean, it was shattered, and who knows how well all those slivers,etc. went back together! I felt it needed something across that break. There will be a lot of leverage applied to that leg as it is moved, pushed etc. In fact, that's how it broke in the first place
I know this video is nearly a decade long; however, it is amazing how much can be learned within this video. Thank you for your time, knowledge, and expertise.
Thanks! Yes, it's good seeing these again, even for me!
OH boy!1 I am a self taught, excuse me, self teaching, and I learn and get inspired, and restore my faith, if its a tuff day from your videos. You are awesome and I am so happy to have your site available.
+Susan Goodman Thank you!
Love the way you talk about the item a little, and keep comments to the essentials. Very well done. Love watching your stuff.
Thanks!
One of your best videos yet. Very much enjoy watching your work.
Thanks James
Brilliant way around that problem,you’re good Tom!
Thanks!
You're the best Tom Johnson!
Thank you! But my fans are the best!
I love the way every video ends with " it looks pretty good" im sitting here thinking it looks pretty AWSOME!! lol
I agree!
The groove cut to vent the air....I’ve never seen that done....great tip!
Thanks! Yes, it took a few disasterous glue ups to figure that out. But I realized that was why store bought dowel pins were spiraled, sometimes grooved
You’ve taught us all so much...
Brilliant job! You are The Wood Whisperer.
Thank you! That's nice!
SMH, phenomenal workmanship. I'm hooked on your videos.
Thank you!
Another fabulous repair!
Many thanks!
The way in which you solve complex clamping situations is a marvel to me.
Thanks! Sometimes I'm surprised as well!
WOW - who thought of gluing that ragged leg together, the cut through it and install the dowel - BRILLIANT :-)
Thanks!
I can't get over the finished product! It looks incredible! I suppose one takeaway from this is to do nothing to the broken edges until you're reading to press them together so that they will press together into all the broken bits.
Hi Normvep, thanks for watching, and yes, you only get one or two chances to put them together perfectly ( I hate that word!)
Tom
You teach me so much. You really are amazing. Thank you sir!
You're welcome! So nice of you
I love these videos for the little tricks I learn. The I put at least 3 in my back pocket from this one.
Thanks! The back pocket is something I say a lot too!
@@johnsonrestoration from the depths of the Louisiana swamplands here, is the back pocket phrase equivalent to the place where I put my folding money?
Very nice repair. My problem always comes in the finishing process, but I have never tried a toner to match the color. Thanks for the tip.
+Joshua Widener (lutzistdermann) Yes, I couldn't do any of it without toners
Awesome job. I was just given an old gentleman’s closet with a broken leg. Hopefully I can fix it. Thank you for the video.
You're welcome!
A very ingenious methodology that was skillfully executed.
Thanks!
Fabulous! I have exactly the same leg & break to repair on a drop leaf table. Thank you so much. Gigi
+Sheila Ghiglieri Good luck!
Great tips on your videos! On the table leg repair, when you glued the leg together and then cut it apart, how did you account for the kerf of the blade? Was it short by that width? Thanks again!
Great Repair Tom... Can't even see where the leg was cut... Sure came out solid. Great idea with using the boards and drilling them to create a brace to make sure they stay blumb to each other. That dog sure loves the snow.. can't say the same for my 5 pound french poodle. Keep the Vidz coming.
Thanks, Michael Frey
Thanks Mike. I've never seen a dog that doesn't love the snow, at least your dog can walk on it without breaking through. Of course from his (her?) perspective that snow is a lot deeper! Tom
Only you can do that! Your experience- only you can visualize beginning n it’s results. Bingo! Every time!
Thanks!
Brilliant....it's a travesty that you don't have more subs.
Thanks ED, but I'm pleased with the number of subcribers I have, and they're growing all the time! Tom
Learning so much! THANK YOU!
You are so welcome!
Thank you for posting!!!
You're welcome!
I call that "Magic"!! Well Done!!
+mark duncan Thanks!
Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration. Men with dirty hands keep the world turning! Some need a dog close by to keep them sane.
BEAUTIFUL work!
+lemostjoyousrenegade Thanks!
+Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration
You're welcome.
Thank you for taking the time to share.
Many blessings to you and your family, mate.
Cheers!
It looks great!
Thanks!
Thank you for the video. Great work!
brilliant solution!!
Thank you!
great work. Learnt a lot from this video. thanks.
You’re welcome!
Lots of great tips
Thanks!
Hello Sir:
Some Cheap Advice:
1 Get a variable speed Dremel tool with wood bits.
2. Use the Dremel to route out out a pair of round depressions in each end of the break
3. Use your drill to deepen the the depressions about 3 inches on each side.
4. Cut a length of 3/8 " allthread about 5 1/2 inches long.
5. Mix up some Devcon 24 hour epoxy, adding some mahogany colored pigment to the epoxy
6. Fill the two holes in the leg ends, and butter the broken ends. Butter the length of allthread with epoxy, insert the allthread into one of the holes, and then shmoosh the whole assembly together.
7. Clamp for 24 hours, then sand, fill, color match, and varnish as usual. This way the repair will last for about 300 years.
The above type of repair is used on Gunstocks, which have to take a lot more abuse than any piece of furniture, while not showing any repairs.
Thanks! I'll have to dig out the ol' dremel
I agree about using a long steel pin instead of a wooden dowel. I have used this technique in all sorts of repairs including to metal and plastic parts and in gunstocks where I normally use stainless steel.
Perfect timing for me to see this! My aunt has a hallway bench with legs similar to this table. One is broken off and will attempt to fix it. A questions...she used a lot of glue, probably Krazy glue, in an attempt to fix. What wold you use to take all of the old glue off of the wood? Thanks and love your work.
Hi Steven, thanks for watching! Use a heat gun, on a low setting, or a hair dryer on a high setting, that should soften the glue. Be careful not to scorch the finish. A solvent like acetone or lacquer thinner would work but would definitely harm the finish.Be careful!
Great video. Have you ever repaired any furniture that has a small piece of wood broken and missing?
Thanks! I have a lot of videos showing just that!
Amazing!
Thanks!
Nice work
Thanks!
I love your dog.💙
Oh! Me too! I miss her every day!
As usual, very interesting and nice video making.
What a nice dog! I just tried to move a heavy desk by myself and broke the leg, splitting a piece of the leg off just where it joins the desk
Thanks! She is good! Sorry about the leg
That's some video, brilliant and again a true craftsman with some amazing tips n tricks.. Thank you again..
May i ask how do you like the Japanese saw for cutting (forward)
i think ill invest.. Thanks Thomas
You're welcome! I love the Japanese saws, I no longer understand the English push saw. Buy from the Japan Woodworker www.japanwoodworker.com/
Hey Tom,I’m sure you’re great at eyeballing for dowels. But there is a new device I’ve seen that goes on the drill , that projects a circular image. I’ve wondered if it’s any good? What do you think? Jim k.
Thanks Jim, I have not heard of that! I'm trying to imagine exactly what the purpose would be. I'll search for it and see what comes up
Google searched - nothing
@@johnsonrestoration Tom, it’s called bullseye core bore,I found it but the price is crazy. Jim k.
Ingenious
Thank you!
thank you
+Olga Sawyer Hi Olga, you're welcome!
Even though you use narrow Japanese saws, do you h compensate for the width of the saw or is it negligible. Obviously, I do not have Japanese saws.
Thanks! Most of the time it's negligible. Yeah, with the english saws we always had to add some veneer
Awesome repair! That's called the Experience. Well done.
I've my sofa chair and its one side wood is broken & can't sit on it. Don't know how to get it repaired. Can you or anybody help me if I send the photo of its broken area? I would be obliged.
Thanks! Send a photo or2 to: thomasjohnsonrestoration@gmail.com
How necessary is it to glue and cut in the first step? My table leg just snapped off, but it's a fairly clean break. How bad is it if I just try to drill into it like that?
Usually the break is a bit ragged, making it difficult to drill in the center. But if it’s so clean that you can accurately drill, (difficult even in the best of circumstances), then you don’t need to glue and recut it
How many beeswax bottles do you spend monthly? Great video Tom, as usual explaining to the detail the risks and the strategy for the fix as well as any corrections you may need to apply as you go. Awesome, thank you!
You're welcome! Those bottles of polish last an amazingly long time!
Tom, What kind of bees wax polish do you use? It does such a great job.
Thanks! I use Howard's www.howardproducts.com/product/feed-n-wax-wood-polish-and-conditioner/
Is the leg not shorter by the saw width? possibly counter with the metal ferrule
Thanks! yes, in theory. Sometimes it just doesn't seem to be a problem. Sometimes I'll put some veneer where the cut was during glue up
Does the saw that you use on the table leg repair cut on the backstroke?
Correct, it's a Japanese back saw
My wife got a antique vanity from her father and the leg is broken in half before we got it. I looked at it and it has the wooden stud holding it togethor but however the broken ends where the cracks are dont line up. Whats the best way to fix it? Also whoever repaired the first time it just drilled and drived the stud in the the leg.
Sorry about the broken leg. I have a few videos on "repairing broken leg"s. Maybe this one will be helpful. ruclips.net/user/edit?o=U&video_id=72X9SOgHRsA
any ideas on how to replace a missing leg on an old armoire?
Sure! I have a few videos on making new feet - search for them
Can you help? I have an 18th century oak mule chest. The legs are oak planks which have rotted and lost height. How can I restore them to their original height?
Send some photos: thomasjohnsonrestoration@gmail.com
8 dislikes? Either they have no taste nor appreciation for perfection! Leg was fixed better than an orthopedic surgeon does! Speaking from experience.( nurse)
Thanks! Yes, when I broke my ankle and needed surgery, I was amazed to see that the surgeon did exactly the same things that I do. Not just close, I mean exactly. Only the doctor doesn't have to worry about the touch up afterwards, so his job is actually easier
Brilliant
Thank you!
DO YOU HAVE TO COMPENSATE FOR THE WIDTH OF THE SAW? IS THE GLUE ORIGINALLY USED ADDING JUST ENOUGH TO KEEP THE LENGTH OF THE LEG UNCHANGED? SINCE THE SAW IS THIN, DOES IT EVEN MATTER? JUST A THOUGHT...
Sometimes you do have to account for it. But for this leg it didn't seem necessary, I'm not sure why.Sometimes you need to put some veneer in the saw kerf during glue up
Every video like a little story. Thank you. Where you learned all that things?
Thanks for watching. My father had a furniture restoration shop, it's still in business, run by my oldest brother. So I started when I was 13 years old. I did a few other things for a while but 35 years ago I stared my own shop. I love it and am always trying to learn new and better ways to do things. I have an engineering background and that helps. Also I network with other furniture restorers, Tom
Thank you for your anwser. I wish you luck in your bussiness. Happy to hear, that you have work that you like. And I'll waiting more videos)
Great job, now I decided its too hard for me to fix my antique dresser leg.
Thanks! That's too bad. I wish I could help you with that
Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration
I did end up using wood glue but I don’t have a saw, so for now it’s holding up. No ones allowed to touch it lol
How was the one leg not shorter than the other three?
Thanks! I lucked out that's why! If it turned out shorter I would have had to make some adjustments
A dowel with a slot: impressive.
Thanks!
Very goooooooooood
Thanks!
GREAT VIDEO! But ME, a complete novice and bumbling tumbling idiot at even the application of elmers glue on paper, is screaming at the screen. "Be sure to get it straight!" I hate when someone else, a previous owner with all good intentions, has attempted to repair a table, chair, or desk leg, and now that leg is never straight. And it seems it is always the front one, so the number of felt pads I have to place under that repaired leg to level it are always going to be in plain sight. Not to mention that the integrity is compromised. You simplified a wonderful repair! Fantastic!!! THANK YOU
You are welcome! And thanks for commenting
I appreciate the extra animal content
You're welcome!
What glue was used?
Hi, thanks for watching! That was Tite Bond wood glue
,,Я думал,что хорошо умею говорить на родном языке! Нет-выучил только алфавит!,,Спасибо Вам Том за науку!
Пожалуйста!
A courageous move, going with a dowel. Off center just a bit, and you don't get a good match up. Certainly the professional way to do it. Knowing my limitations, I would've just gone with epoxy.
Thanks! I frequently make the hole slightly sloppy, and use epoxy. This one worked out pretty well though
That was fun. I'm curious. why didn't you go ahead and drill for a 1" or even a 1 1/4" dowel. It looked like there was plenty of meat. by the way you're my guru. just so you know. I hope to some day be able show you a couple of repairs I've done after learning from you. You probably get a lot of emails of people wanting to show you there stuff. Thanks for a great channel.
Hi Daniel, thanks! A rule of thumb I have is to never drill a dowel into a spindle that greater than 50% of the diameter of the splindle I'm repairing. I've seen a lot of failures where a new break occurs in the wood around the dowel. I feel you've got to leave as much as possible.
Thanks.
Have you considered using steel pins? They are very much stronger than dowels and can be thinner. They can be used to repair small sections such as turned rails and the like.
well, on a hot dry day your wood will shrink and the metal expand . I wouldn't be very happy with such a fix. Cheers, Willem
Willem Ceuleers
I have been using metal pins, rods and tubes,(for large sections) for over 50 years.
Never once have I had a failure due to your suggested causes.
Your tone is reminiscent of one who does not encourage conversations regarding different opinions.
I would not have thought to glue it up just to cut it back off lol
My guess is it would have been hard for me to cut it once I had it glued...
Yes, but it is hard to cut it "perfectly" and to get it back into the exact position. A lot of times I have to drill the holes for the dowel sloppy, and use epoxy for the glue up so I can position the leg correctly
I don't understand how a dowel made of wood can be stronger than the wood of the leg.
Only because the grain of the dowel is oriented across the break
Great idea(coming from an amateur, lol) but I'll remember it, who knows....rr
Thanks for watching!
... what's the point of destroying a perfectly good glued (relatively speaking) clean break joint (which was possibly stronger than before it was broken) ... then sawing straight through it just to put a dowel in??.. soz Tom but that's just crazy
Thanks! I don't consider that leg to be well glued, even after I glued it together so well. I mean, it was shattered, and who knows how well all those slivers,etc. went back together! I felt it needed something across that break. There will be a lot of leverage applied to that leg as it is moved, pushed etc. In fact, that's how it broke in the first place
Sure glad you didnt use big wood screws or metal straps this time.
Me too! Thanks!
Well that was an expensive mistake for the painters. Not much profit from the job after paying to get this lovely piece fixed.
Yes, it only takes one moment of carelessness!
✌😍🤝Respekt
Thanks!
ongelofelijk proficiat
Thank you!