I’m currently working on a staircase redo on a 100 plus year old home. Beautiful mahogany railing and balusters, the bases are dovetailed in and the tops doweled. They all were removed and stripped.How should I reattach them? Should I use a polyurethane glue or a yellow glue? To add extra strength should I shoot brads into all the connections to help tighten them?The stronger glue and brads would help stiffen the handrail but wouldn’t it make repairs impossible,and make it much harder for someone to refinish in the very distant future.
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It lasted 100 years and you are able to take it apart and re-finish. Why change anything? The next person will appreciate your staying with a repairable rebuild, just like you. Don't try to improve on centuries worth of woodworking knowledge.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Dave: I agree with hammer. Also...it still amazes me the balusters being dovetailed in like was common a hundred years ago. Its like they had more hours in a day. I always wanted to include that detail.....but economics dictate simpler dowel screw methods. The dowel screws are just as strong...but just the thought of dovetailing each baluster has a nice charm to it.
Stan
Hand cut dovetails are seldom perfect so if they're loose after you fit them back together I would use hide glue (cause it is easy to remove for future fixes)...... and sometimes you have to apply a little bit of wedge for filler on a really bad fit.
Screws and nails have no place on an antique anything.
Smell them little flowers...play marbles with the kiddies...listen to them birdies....and don't forget to laugh at the pomposity of yourself.
The hide glue is a good idea. It's probably more compatible to what was used when they were first installed. I would clean the mortise with denatured alcohol first though.
Best to you and yours, Chris.
Some say I know too much.
Dave ,
I have rebuit old stairs and always used hide glue and wedges.
Here are some new steps I built back in th 70's. Cut the dovetails on a band saw. They are still stout today.
View Image
I feel sorry for people buying homes that have a 3/4" dowell and pin holding the
Ballusters. We won't be around in 100 years to find out.
Chuck S
live, work, build, ...better with wood
Edited 1/20/2007 1:39 pm ET by stevent1
You know what?...that's the way it should be done ...... and once you practice a little you can cut and fit dovetails just about as fast as goofing around with mechanical stuff........BUT those router jigs etc. always made me crazy and I could never figure them out....bandsaw works good alongside a really sharp chisel every time
Smell them little flowers...play marbles with the kiddies...listen to them birdies....and don't forget to laugh at the pomposity of yourself.
The hide glue is a great idea, as the glue that originally held the doweled tops in was heat sensitive, that's how I removed the ones where the bond wasn't already broken.As for the dovetails there were a few that had hard wood wedges in them to snug them up. This is the way I was leaning to begin with but was looking for a better way. However anything that has lasted intact and pretty near perfect for close to 140 years is hard to improve on.
Plus the hide glue is reversible ... but you'll need a glue pot.
Jeff
Any excuse to buy a new tool is a good one
I use a $10.00 1 quart crock pot and a candy thermometer to check for 125°.I put about three inches of water in the crockpot, the glue goes in a mason jar that is surrounded by the hot water.
mike
Sounds like a good idea Mike Thanks... Dave