Cedar Chest repair advice?

[Mike Reed]

Hey everyone,

A friend has asked my opinion on repairing an old cedar chest with a cracked board and chipped-off corner:

Ofoto link:

advice I gave him is below, do you have anything to add or revise?

Thanks, Mike

MY REPLY: It looks like the big long crack could be glued. If the board can be removed, the crack can be gently cleaned out, glued clamped, and reinstalled. I would advise this over replacement, because the chances of finding a hunk of cedar that matches the knots and grain are pretty slim. All the stuff currently available is from crops, and it's really too straight to have that old look to it.

The board with the missing corner is a different story. I see two ways to go with this one: =B7 Patch, or cut and replace. To patch would leave most of the board intact with a reasonably obvious rectangular patch where the missing piece is. =B7 The other alternative would be to remove the board, rip it to a narrower width that removes the damaged area, then gluing on a narrow replacement board. This could then be reinstalled, possibly upside down to hide the new strip in the middle of the panel, or just up on top if it looks better as a border. In either case, it would be best if the new piece were stained and finished before attaching, so that the original stain and finish are left intact. The gluing surfaces of this piece would need to be taped-off so they wouldn't be contaminated with stain or finish. It would be nice to save and reuse that nail too.

[RonB]

This is one of those 'hard to say without seeing it' situations. How old is the cedar chest and does it have sentimental value (grandpa built it, etc.). If it is an old chest, and damage isn't extensive or structural, maybe they want to leave it alone. I am astonished at some of the stuff I see in antique and interior accessory shops that 'have built-in character' (cracks, gouges, half gone paint, etc).

I know this is a hard concept for a woodworker to accept but apparently it is accepted by others. Without seeing the piece I would say that other than very careful filling your approach to fixing the existing board is probably better than new lumber.

Are you sure the cracked board has to be removed? I was able to glue a split in the top of an antique dresser a many years ago, with it in place. There was no apparent structural stress pulling it apart because it easily pulled together with light clamp pressure so I worked glue into the crack by finger and with a small brush and clamped. It has held well.

[Mike Reed]

Yeah, I haven't seen it yet either.

Yeah, I was thinking that's a possibility, but again, I haven't seen it yet. I was also considering using some poly glue like I do for chair repair.

Thanks for the quick reply.

-Mike