How do I remove a broken dowel from a canopy bedpost finial without breaking the finial? I recently had two dowels broke off the finials leaving about 2" as I was struggling to erect the canopy frame by myself. You need to drill out the dowel. You can do this either at the drill press with the workpiece in a vice with cork-lined jaws that conform to the profile of the finial, or if the finial is small enough you can make a set of jaws for a dowelling jig to fit around. Don't just clamp down without some cushioned shop made jaws to match part of the outside radius of the finial or you'll deform the edges. Also, be sure to do a good estimate on your depth settings so as to not blow out of the top of the finial. I would do pretty much what Matt said, but you may want to try something a little different. Instead of trying to drill out the entire broken dowel, try to drill a small hole in the center, and then screw a screw about half way down. Then, depending how much glue was used or how old the bed is, you can pull out the dowel.
It�s kind of like pulling a tooth. The screw makes it easier to pull out, perhaps with pliers or a claw hammer. When it comes out, it leaves a clean hole. We jig the finial (version of previous posts) and bore on the center of the dowel/finial after cutting the dowel off flush with finial bottom; starting with undersize bits and increasing the bit size incrementally till either the remaining dowel walls release with the boring. Or when it�s bored out to near final size, we pick out the remaining "peanut-shell" walls with an awl, leaving the original bore. Then we might do a final on-size bore to clean up. It often makes sense to glue the new dowels into the posts. That makes it easier to fit the tester rails over and slide the finial on last. Would you like to add information to this article?Interested in writing or submitting an article?Have a question about this article?Have you reviewed the related Knowledge Base areas below? KnowledgeBase: Furniture: Furniture Repairs
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was a moller chair on someones porch. Pulled over, went on the porch of the older row house (kinda scared i might add) and knocked. not sure if anyone even lived there. went to the neighbor house and knocked, no answer. walked back to my car and started writing a note to leave when the neighbor walked out. (she spoke very very little English) when she finally got what i was trying to say she showed me the phone number for the person with the moller chair. i called, she answer and i made my odd request and she said her husband would be back in 10 min. The ladies husband was there and i said i wanted to buy the chair on the porch. He said 20$ and i paid him. when i was about to leave he said if i would be interested in the other two? I was like other two?! (thinking maybe inside the house and in better condition) he walked me around the house to them just sitting on their sides on the ground with nothing covering them except a tree. He said how much would you pay for these since they were in much worse shape.
I threw out 5$ a chair and he was ok with that. While loading them awkwardly in to my small coupe trying to make all 3 fit, i asked where the guy had gotten the chairs from, and he responded, for free, as him and his boss cleans out junk from houses on the side. SO now to point! i have 30$ into these. I have never done danish paper cord but have a book on it as i have been wanting to learn to do it. The one from the porch is not in bad shape. still tight joints and no cracks. needs alot of sanding to clean the teak but i can restore it with my skill level. ON THE OTHER TWO, i have never refinished something this bad and some joints are loose and the tops of the chair backs have cracks from wood swelling. Should i break apart the chairs and clean them up and then re-glue. how do i break still tight glue joints and what are some tips and tricks to danish paper cord that you have leaned from experience from doing it that might not be in the books. thanks fellow design addicts