Chairs with spindles can be problematic over time. Wood contracts and expands as weather fluctuates. Glue joints loosen, and dowels and tenons that hold spindles in place become movable. They won't come out, but they revolve, squeak and allow the chair to sag or feel like it will collapse. You can't take the chair apart to fix it, but you can reinforce the joints with small dowels to stop them from moving.
Insert a 1/4-inch drill bit into a drill/driver. Hold the tip of the bit at a 30-degree angle at the point where the spindle penetrates into an adjoining piece of wood.
Drill into the joint, maintaining the 30-degree angle. Drill through the penetrating end of the spindle and into the adjoining piece of wood by at least 1/2 inch. Do all of the spindles on the top and bottom of the chair.
Inject glue into the holes using the tip of the glue bottle.
Tap 1/4-by-1 1/2-inch dowels into the holes using a hammer. Wait overnight for the glue to dry.
Trim the ends of the dowels off flush using a coping saw. Smooth the ends of the dowels off using a small file.
Color the ends of the dowels with a stain marker to match the existing stain on the chair.
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Things You Will Need
- 1/4-inch drill bit
- Dowels, 1/4-by-1 1/2-inch
- Coping saw
- Stain marker
- If you have spindles larger than about 2 inches in diameter, you can use two or more dowels. You can also dowel the joints in the structural part of the chair, such as legs, braces and stretchers. It's not always possible, but if you can get clamps on the chair it will help to bond the spindles even better.
- Wear safety glasses when working with wood.
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