Oak office chair

This chair had broken in several places and the joinery had loosened in the base. I was asked to repair the chair and to replace the casters. the following photos detail the repairs to a leg and to the arms. In both cases, the breaks were across the grain and required what is called a bridging patch. A bridging patch is new wood applied to both section of the break to span the break. Two patches are usually required for a strong repair. The photos below help explain the process.





This first picture shows the legs dis assembled and the leg in the bottom of the photo with all of its broken parts.
This next photo shows the leg being glued up with the original parts.


After the leg had dried, I cut away material on both sides of the leg to receive a patch. Note how the break (and previous repairs) can be seen in the center of where the wood has been removed. The patch is inserted into the space with glue.

The patches being glued in place.

After the glue dries, the patch is cut to a rough shape on the band saw.

The patch after it has been carved to shape and sanded. It is the stained and touched up to match the existing finish.

The same process was used for the arms on the chair. each arm received two patches.Here is a photo of a patch ready to be glued in place Gluing the patches.

Gluing the patches on the other arm.

A completed patch carved, sanded, and ready to stair and touch up.

Here are two pictures of the chair with the arms and the broken leg (facing out) repaired and touched up to match the existing finish.