8

I'm working to repair the pictured round wooden table. It has a wood screw insert that's completely stripped out. In addition, the center post has cracked:

table repair

Inserting the metal stud into the hole then clamping with the hose clamp results in a tight connection but not tight enough. The table top screws into the stud, and it's easy to put a lot of force on the connection and spin the stud in the hole.

I'm considering augmenting the hose clamp with two part epoxy, sawdust saturated with wood glue, or wood putty. What would you suggest?

See also this related Question.

Improve this question

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
11

I'm working to repair the pictured round wooden table. It has a wood screw that's completely stripped out, in addition the center post has cracked:

My suggestion is to use increasingly-larger drill bits to widen the hole in the leg. For example, assuming you're starting with a 1/4" hole, work up to 5/16", 3/8", 7/16" and 1/2" bits, and you will end up with a 1/2" diameter hole. Keep your hose clamp on while doing this to keep the crack from widening.

Then, take a piece of 1/2" dowel of a good hardwook (oak or maple would work well). Or, use a plug cutter to make a 1/2" dia. plug of a suitable depth to fill your hole.

plug cutter

Glue the dowel/plug into the hole, redrill the hole for your threaded insert, and reinstall the insert. The plugs have the advantage that when you reinstall your insert, the threads of the insert are biting across the grain of the plug vs. splitting the long grain of the dowel.

I'm considering augmenting the hose clamp with two part epoxy, sawdust saturated with wood glue, or wood putty. What would you suggest?

I suggest this for closing up the crack: Drill a couple holes that cross the crack and epoxy in some dowel pegs. The pegs will act to bridge the gap and keep the crack from opening wider. You can also fill the crack with epoxy to help keep it together, but the dowel reinforcement will greatly strengthen the crack. See the image below.

dowels

The table top screws into the stud, and it's easy to put a lot of force on the connection and spin the stud in the hole.

I would consider trying to find a screw insert with a much longer part that threads into the post. You're applying a lot of force to a very small region with that short stud. Lengthening the insert portion that feeds into the post will greatly distribute the force to the rest of the post.

Improve this answer
4
  • Excellent answer. Could you add an opinion on a quick repair as well. If I don't want to trouble with the dowel and redrilling, what's best: epoxy or wood glue with sawdust or wood putty? I agree the short stud is a problem: too much force over too small an area.
    – Bryce
    Oct 17, 2015 at 16:44
  • Epoxy, definitely. Wood putty has no adhesive power.
    – grfrazee
    Oct 17, 2015 at 18:01
  • Could you elaborate on the dowel pegs crossing the crack? Do you mean a dowel peg either side of the crack? or one peg bang in the middle of the crack? If the latter, won't it be quite limited in its strength?
    – Dave Smylie
    Oct 22, 2015 at 21:55
  • @DaveSmylie, please see the revised post.
    – grfrazee
    Oct 23, 2015 at 15:10
2

find a similar type of wood. use a sander to get some saw dust, mix with a little gorilla glue, to 'wet it' and press into the hole. keep the pressure on until cured. then drill out. or you could just make a wood paste and press the stud into place and hold there till cured.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.