unglue wood

[helenmaglaughlin6]

I have a crib with a broken dowel on the side and I have one and want to replace it.

[-MIKE-]

If it's really old it might be hide glue which can loosened with heat/steam. However, it's probably easier to simply drill out the old dowel and insert a new one. You can drill it out oversized to make sure you remove all the glue. And/or use epoxy on the new one to make sure.

[clare]

Carefully drill out the broken one.

[Scott Lurndal]

Of course, it is likely that there are other non-broken dowels which hold the top and bottom rails together, so inserting the new dowel (if the broken one can even be removed without disassembling the entire side of the crib) will be nigh-on impossible.

I'd just sister the new dowel to the old dowel with some packing or duct tape. Not pretty, but functional.

[clare]

"scarf" the new dowel (assuming she means the "rungs" in the drop-gate) and glue it back together after inserting both ends - - -

More than one way to skin that kitty.

[Keith Nuttle]

Another way to fix it is to remove the broken dowel, and clean out the holes in the rail. Drill the holes deeper into one rail, and make th new dowel such that it goes completely in to one rail, when it is able to pass the other rail. Lower the dowel into the hole in the bottom rail until it is in the holes in the top and bottom rails. When you have dry fit everything, add glue and again position the dowel so it is in both holes.

[-MIKE-]

Hmmm... are we talking dowel or spindle? I assumed it was a fastening dowel in the joint. A spindle can bet cut and removed, like we do on staircases. Then you drill the top rail hole about 1/2" deeper than the spindle and a bit tapered (wiggle the bit to one side when drilling). Push the spindle up into the top rail until you can drop it in the bottom hole, drop down, glue/pin, whatever.

[DerbyDad03]

Is the crib still legal for use? How far apart are the spindles/dowels on the sides and ends?

Safety first.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Legality to use has nothing to do with present standards. It is illegal to manufacture, sell, donate cribs that do not comply with new standard but the gestapo will not raid your house looking at your crib.

It is not smart to use a non compliant crib, of course.

[krw]

However, if a kid dies, there will be some 'splainin' to do.

To put it nicely.

[-MIKE-]

One of my earliest childhood memories was getting my head stuck in the spindles of my crib. The fire department came and cut out a spindle to set me free. And set me free, they did. After that, I would climb out of the crib when I woke up in the morning and cause shenanigans until I woke up my mom. :-)

This was probably around 1970 and I don't know what the law was with crib spindle spacing or if it was a homemade crib or what, but I'm sure the spacing is closer than what it would take to get a kid's head stuck in there. :-)

[Just Wondering]

Y'all are not helping helenmag. She is asking for advice on how to remove a glued-in broken part on the crib so it can be replaced. If the dowel isn't too badly broken you may be able to glue it back together and avoid having to remove and replace it. If the damage is too extensive, cut the dowel completely in two and try wiggling the parts back and forth. The dowel may not be glued very well and the wiggling could loosen the glue joint. If the ends are really glued in solid, you might have to cut the dowel flush against the frame and then drill it out.

[DerbyDad03]

So pointing out an issue that might save a kid's life isn't "helping"? Real ly?

Not everyone realizes that an old crib might not be safe or compliant with today's standard. Help can come in many forms.

[DerbyDad03]

My sincerest apologies for using the word "legal" instead of "compliant". It's a good thing we've got you to keep us on the straight and narrow.

Hey...look at that. I got my point across anyway.

[Ed Pawlowski]

I do my best. Glad I could help.

And that's a good thing. Many old cribs still around from what I saw on the news.

[Just Wondering]

Not when there's no indication that the crib is unsafe. You could just as well point out the dangers of background trampolines and swimming pools, but that's not the question.

But it probably is. Most cribs even older ones are safe.

There's not the least suggestion of any shortcomings in the crib design. She was asking for advice on a woodworking-type repair, and you totally ignored her request while going off on a tangent.

[-MIKE-]

Read the entire thread and you'll see that we already gave advice on how to fix the problem. Then, as always happens in here, we went off on tangents.

Are you new, here?

[Ed Pawlowski]

No, they may not be. New regulations took effect in 2011. Infants are still killed every year from defective cribs, many that ar hand-me-downs.

The fact that the crib needed repair tips you off that it may be an older crib so DD3 was right in giving a warning. Not everyone is aware of how the injuries occur and how they can be prevented.

The crib was manufactured AFTER June 28th, 2011, when new federal safety standards were put into place A soda can cannot pass between any of the slats of the crib There are no corner post extensions or decorative cut-outs on the crib Hardware (screws and bolts) which secure crib components are not loose or missing Crib is free of protruding rivets, metal nuts or bolts, knobs, and wing nuts Mattress is tight-fitting; 2 fingers cannot fit between the mattress and crib?s side Joints and parts fit tightly, and wood is smooth and free of splinters There is no cracked or peeling paint, and all painted surfaces are lead-free Lowered crib sides are at least 9 inches above the mattress support Raised crib sides are at least 26 inches above the mattress support in the lowest position To avoid drop-side cribs ? they do not meet mandatory standards

If you are ignorant of the shortcomings you'd not know to ask about them.

[DerbyDad03]

I don't recall seeing any indication that it was safe either. For all we know the OP is trying fix a crib that been in someone's attic for decades upon decades. "Your great-great-grandmother slept in this crib". No indication of it's level of safety is enough for me to want to ask.

Had the OP asked about a trampoline or swimming pool, I might have. Since she didn't, I really don't think those would have been relevant questions. If you are curious about her other possessions, I can ask for you. Just let me know.

Oh, so it *probably* won't cause the death of a child. That's fine, "probab ly" is good enough, especially when it comes to the safety of children. Sheeesh .

And that somehow makes my question irrelevant? Don't forget, it's about the children. (I'm assuming it's about the children. For all we know, there 's some role playing going on. There may be no kids involved at all. Now *that

• would make my question irrelevant.)

There was no reason for me to repeat the fine suggestions that others had made. Instead I chose to care about the children. I'm sorry if that bothers you, but it won't stop me from doing it again if I feel that it's important enough.

[Keith Nuttle]

Everybody is assuming the OP was planing on using the crib for a new baby. There was nothing in the original post to indicate what they planned to do with the crib. It could be for their dog, or some other creative decoration in their home.