Is this worth refinishing?

[aaronfude]

Hi,

I'm thinking of taking on this old table as a refinishing project and I'm not sure whether it is doable and whether the table is worth it.

For one thing, on the legs is broken. It you see it here:

seems to have chipped away, and everything "connects" when you put the two pieces together. Can this be effectively glued together?

Could you also take a look at these pictures and recommend to me whether this table is worth refinishing?

(are those thumbtacks?) you so much for your input!

Aaron Fude

[Frank Boettcher]

Definitely not. Not worth fooling with. Throw it away. (tell me where so I can go pick it up) :~).

Frank

[aaronfude]

Thank you very much for all responses!

A couple of follow up questions:

1. To strengthen the leg with a dowel or a steel rod sounds like a good idea. Can I read somewhere about the details of implementation (how wide, how deep, how many, exactly where, etc).

1. When you say "clean it up", do you mean merely a damp rag or something more sophisticated?

2. Also, in it's current condition, what would be a reasonable amount to pay for a table like that (one of the drawers is also broken). A very wide range is OK, I just don't want to miss the ballpark.

And finally, any idea what those bumps on the surface are that look like thumbtacks?

Once again, thank you very much for all responses. This is a great ng.

Aaron Fude

[dadiOH]

I'd go with steel myself. All you would need is one and the location isn't terribly important just so it is away from the edge(s)...centered, more or less. Depth maybe 3/4 - 1/4 or so in each piece. Its purpose is to transmit force from one piece to another so that force isn't taken solely by the repaired joint.

It is easy to place it in one piece. The hard part is getting it into the other so that the broken faces of the joint match up. Here's an easy way assuming you are using a thickened epoxy (so it won't run). It is really a great adhesive for this

1. Drill your hole in one piece
2. If you have what I call a dowel "pop" place it in the hole. It is just a piece of metal rod the correct size with a shoulder to keep it a bit proud. The protruding end comes to a point. Not hard to improvise if you don't have one.
3. Bring the pieces together so they mate as closely as possible and the sharp point is touching the undrilled piece.
4. Give them a tap so the point marks the undrilled piece.
5. Drill a hole the correct depth and angle but make it bigger in diameter so you have some wobble room.
6. Coat the joints with thickened epoxy filling the oversize hole. Don't use a lot on the surfaces, try to minimize squeeze out.
7. Put the pieces together taking care to align them. You don't need to clamp, some masking tape will hold them til the epoxy cures but clean off any epoxy prior to taping.
8. Leave it undisturbed for a day.

[Brian Henderson]

That's called a "dowel center" (ie. it's made to mark the center of holes for dowels).