Replies

1. 
   JohnWW | Mar 12, 2004 01:53am | #1

   No filler will fully restore the strength of a badly damaged piece of wood, especially in something like a chair that is subject to fairly high stresses and where a failure could cause injury. 

   Probably the best you can do is glue reinforcing wood to the hidden sides of the damaged pieces.  Minwax and a few other companies make thin epoxies that are used to stabilize punky wood but the resulting repair isn't meant to be structural.

   John W. 

1. 
   DGIII | Mar 12, 2004 05:57am | #2

   The damage, as near as I can tell, is limited to the upper ends of the backrest upright pieces, so it isn't so structurally important as, say, the seat. Do you have any specific recommendations among the type of products you mention? Is Minwax High Performance Wood Hardener a good one to go with?

   http://minwax.com/products/woodmaint/hardener.cfm

   Thanks for your help!

   Don

1. 
   Tao | Mar 12, 2004 06:18am | #3

   There is a product called "Gitrot" or something very similar that is available at boat stores for restoring dry rot.  It is a very thin, slow drying epoxy that has amazing penetrating properties.  It soaks deep into dry rotted wood , so it will probably penetrate insect tunnels just fine.  I am sure there are lots of similar products on the market, but that is the one i have used.  It might help in your situation.

   Michael R

1. 
   DGIII | Mar 12, 2004 09:22am | #4

   Thanks, Woodwiz, I'll look into it.

2. 
   TomMGTC | Mar 12, 2004 02:54pm | #5

   I would use some thickened west system epoxy or some 3m 5 minute epoxy.Tom

   Douglasville, GA

3. 
   AlbionWood | Mar 12, 2004 08:23pm | #6

   These guys make a product specifically for restoring rotted wood:

   http://www.smithandcompany.org/"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler."  A. Einstein

   http://www.albionworks.net

1. 
   DGIII | Mar 12, 2004 08:41pm | #7

   Thank you all for your suggestions. My problem is that the wood isn't rotted or soft, it's just been tunneled into. Ideally, I'd like to find a product that can be mixed to a syrupy consistency and that I could flow through the tunnels, where it would harden up and fill the void. A paste product will only get in as far as I can push it, while the liquid "wood hardeners" out there won't do anything to fill in the tunnels or add structural integrity. Any suggestions for a product like that?

   Thanks!

   Don

1. 
   TomMGTC | Mar 12, 2004 08:55pm | #8

   5 minute epoxy will do the job nicelyTom

   Douglasville, GA

2. 
   DGIII | Mar 12, 2004 09:00pm | #9

   Thanks, Tom. I'll look into that today. I couldn't find it on 3M's website. Any idea where I should look for it?

   Cheers,

   Don

3. 
   TomMGTC | Mar 12, 2004 09:06pm | #10

   Don't worry about the brand name. Home depot ar any hardware store should have some. 5-minute epoxy or something similiar to that is usually what it is called. Comes in a small dispenser that looks like two syringes side by side and will dispense the proper proportions. Squeeze a little out, mix it up, and fill the hole.Tom

   Douglasville, GA

4. 
   JohnWW | Mar 12, 2004 10:29pm | #11

   I know of no material that will accomplish what you want to do. 

   If enough wood is missing that the chair is weakened, it really needs to be disassembled and repaired, no liquid that you could pour into the holes will adequately replace the missing wood.  If you take the chair apart, then the areas around the joints could be repaired with wood patches, paste epoxies and penetrating epoxies depending on the conditions.  Once the joint areas were rebuilt, the chair could then be assembled with a hide glue.  

   Another problem with pouring a penetrating epoxy into the existing holes is that the epoxy may penetrate the joints far enough that the chair will be very difficult to take apart while still not making the wood strong enough that the chair can be used safely.

   John W.

5. 
   AlbionWood | Mar 13, 2004 01:35am | #12

   I think Tom's right, for a syrupy consistency epoxy is probably the best bet.  If the holes are tiny and you need something that will flow a little easier, consider CA glue (Hot Stuff, Super-T).  It comes in different consistencies, from extremely runny to gel.  Its big advantage is very low surface tension, so it will "pull" itself into tiny holes and cracks.  You can then hit it with a spray accelerant and it sets up in seconds.  That will fill the holes, and maybe soak into the wood around them a little and harden that up too, depending on which glue you use."Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler."  A. Einstein

   http://www.albionworks.net

6. 
   DGIII | Mar 13, 2004 03:52am | #13

   I got a few different products today that I'm going to experiment with before using one on the chair. I got Devcon five-minute epoxy, plus Minwax and PL brand wood filler. I may also go looking for CA glue, depending on how the others perform. I'll post back when I do the experiments.

   Thanks to all of you for your help.

   Best,

   Don