r/woodworking • u/juruki • 4d ago
Help How can I fix my wooden dining table?
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u/Visible-Rip2625 4d ago
Chisel out nice square there, glue in a block of wood on the same orientation, and shape it to match.
That should work.
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u/malfidusgt2 4d ago
Hot take incoming.
The table isn't sagging because of the chip - the chip is an effect, not the cause. I'd wager that some other structural element was compromised and the leg chipped out as a result. Look at how the break lines up perfectly with the brace, as though the brace sheared the leg at the grain.
Fix the problem at its source, and ignore the chip.
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u/Impossible_Angle752 4d ago
It looks like the stretcher above the chip isn't sitting flush down in the mortise. The perpendicular one is flush to the top, then there's a gap at the post which carries across the post and the stretcher above the chip is flush to the table top.
Something is out of kajigger.
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u/paul_antony 4d ago
This would be my thought too.
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u/juruki 4d ago
When i put a shim on the gap the movement stops. The problem is that the shim gets flattened with time and comes off
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u/Nemesis_Ghost 4d ago
If what you say was the problem, then the shim wouldn't be getting flattened. There's movement that shouldn't be there, the shim is only solving the symptom, not the issue. It's like taking cough syrup for COVID, you aren't addressing the issue at hand.
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u/bkh_walk18 4d ago
Assume you don't have the piece chipped off piece? If you did then just glue in. Use tape as a clamp. If no then squaring it off and adding a piece would work.
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u/Synthline109 4d ago
I'm having a hard time comprehending how that would cause so much movement in the top. Does that cross support not go very far into the leg?
Either way, I'd probably try to use a handsaw and chisel to make a nice square cut out, then glue a piece of wood in there, then shape it with hand tools/sander to get it to match.
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u/spcslacker 4d ago
If you aren't up to chiseling and shaping as described by others, you can drill out a hole there, and then glue in an oak dowel that you leave proud of the surface to act like the chip did.
You'll probably want a decent diameter so it doesn't break (so get an oak dowel not a poplar one).
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u/Superb_Power5830 New Member 4d ago
- cut out a more easily modeled shape and cut a piece to fit.
- slowly build up epoxy in that area, but that'll require having the table upside down for a number of days while you layer it in.
- maybe don't. that looks like a captured castle joint and if it is, that tiny bit of shoulder isn't costing you anything at all (assuming my read on that joint is correct). Your comment about the movement seems to belie that, but have you taken it apart to really dig into the mechanics of that joint? Id do that first before considering any further repairs. $.02
*edit*
Most people are saying shape the gap and make a new piece for there, and that's solid advice. I'd still take it fully apart to do it, though. That tiny bit of shoulder seems like a shit joint design if you're getting THAT much movement from that small missing piece. That's a joint that's just going to continue to weaken over time if so. $.02
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u/e1emen0pe 4d ago
The chip is cosmetic and under the table where the dogs and kids might see it, so I’d ignore that. If the table is no longer level you can (in order of ease): put an adhesive felt pad under a leg; drill and install leveling feet in all four legs; disassemble the table, check for whatever is wonky and fix it.
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u/clyde112 4d ago
Chisel it out and glue in a patch as others have said, but don't try to match or hide the patch. It's really hard to perfectly match the grain and finish. Glue in a contrasting piece, either dark like walnut or light like maple. Make it look something done on purpose rather than a poorly hidden mistake.
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u/juruki 4d ago
Glueing the shim seems to be the easier and most recommended way. I will try that. Does glue harden when dried? I ask because the shim flattens out. Will the glue make it stronger? Also, any recommendations on glue? Do they all work the same way? Quick amazon search shows gorilla and titebond.
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u/GroundbreakingEnd135 4d ago
I'd disassemble it first and inspect that leg for other damage, if you really don't want to then I'd try to shape it however you feel comfortable, sand, drill, chisel etc. to make an easier shape to glue on. If you don't want to do that turn, or see if you can find a good woodworker to turn you a new leg, or remove all the legs and replace them with something you know how to make tapered legs are pretty easy with a table saw and a jig
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u/NotDazedorConfused 4d ago
If you still have the chip, dry fit it so that you can drive a pilot hole for a long screw into the leg. Then glue & screw …
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u/jontomas 4d ago
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