Loose tenon

If it's not totally wacked you should be able to shim it with some shaving from a hand plane.

Epoxy & microballoons.

Make a fairing putty with above, then butter the mortice, shove tenon into place, clamp and remove excess fairing putty.

The gates of Hell will rust shut before the joint fails.

Lew

Where does one purchase microballoons?

I used a local industrial chemical distributor.

Cash only, 30 lb (4 cubic ft) bags, about $20-$25 a bag for Dic-a-Perl.

Check Yelow Pages

Lew

You could probably more easily and safely glue two thicker chunks of wood on to the tennon and have at it again.

Sounds like you have it figured out.

"The sign of a truly good woodworker is his/her ability to effectively repair screw-ups."

Among other sources Aircraft Spruce and Specialty

veneer and sanding

veneer and sanding

I like that one. WW

Yes, shiming with veener is pretty standard approach but am I missing something here. Bad loose tenon. I would throw it in the trash and make a new one. Or is it already glued in on one side?

Also, my typical rant on loose tenons. If you have a standard tenon and you pin it, then you have a joint that will last 100 years plus. Regardless of what happens to the glue. If you use a loose tenon and only pin one side or neither, it is not that same joint. In many cases, it won't make a difference or maybe make very little but on a chair or an apron of a table that will be dragged around, etc. It is not anywhere near as long lasting as the classic M&T.

Whew, now I feel better.

Earlier this year FWW did a bit on joint strengths. Loose tenon was supperior to m&t, pinned m&t and most of the other joint types (with half-lap and bridle being the strongest).

scott

"SonomaProducts.com" TOP POSTING CORRECTED:

Answer: Any good glue joint can last centuries. Its life will be shortened by moisture, heat and stress. Moisture on a tabletop is a common factor. Heat can be. And tabletop joints are stressed at the ends by the migration of moisture through the end grain -- that's why antique tops split on the ends typically.

If you do a proper job of pinning, and with the technique as a goal, you don't even need glue on an M&T joint. :)

Have the same dimensional changes that turned the glue into powder also either split out the section through which the pin passes or loosened the pin to the point that it long since fell out?

Indeed ... in many of these old pinned joints with no glue, you often see the detrimental effects of the stress of mechanical compression on both the pins and the exterior bore hole area, eventually ending in failure of the joint.

The "test of time" is (for) a relative term. :)