My old recliner (I got it from my parents and I think it’s about 20 years old) broke last night. It looks like the screws that hold the wood base into the bottom frame of the chair (also wood) have all worked out over the years and last night was the last screw, although I did manage to find five of the six screws still in the brackets. So I think I can fix it just by replacing the screws. However, do I need to go with a bigger diameter screw to make sure that the threads bite into the wood?
I’d have already tried it but the current screws are Torx and I don’t have any bits that fit.
Without seeing the actual chair, I’d say; I’d be careful about using bigger screws as it could cause the wood to crack. I’ve used toothpick+glue and the same size screws with some success.
The engineer in me checking in here; do it right and use a threaded insert if you think you may really want to keep it around another 20 years. Of course, the folks at the Antiques Roadshow will then tell you that you dimenished its historical value and future worth.
a threaded insert would be better than a wood screw, a beveled head machine bolt might needed to be used if there isn’t clearance for the common hex head machine bolt. the chair might have to be dismantled some and skill and correct tools needed to put it in.
screws are a poor fastener for this application.
maybe better than an insert would be to use a carriage bolt. you would need access to both sides of the wood pieces and there would need clearance on both sides for the bolt. the chair might have to be dismantled some and skill and correct tools needed to put it in.
I’d take the opposite tack to my esteemed predecessor Si Amigo.
Once any wood screw backs out a smidgen it has almost no holding power. And so over time & use it’ll finish backing all the way out. And during that entire time it isn’t necessarily damaging any of the wood. What they installed at the factory is/was good enough to last a long time if cared for.
So step 1 is to reinstall the same screws into the same holes. Slowly tighten the last couple turns; don’t just put your power driver on max & run 'em down until the bit cams out.
IF the screws go down snug, you’re done. Every year or so go back under there and re-tighten any that have started to loosen. Just like your parents didn’t do for the last 20-30 years. I bet you’ll find it’ll only be 1/8th of a turn on 2 of the several screws.
IF some screws won’t go snug, they just spin, then you need to do something else for just those screws. Depending on the design of the brackets the screws go through, there may be other unused holes or slots you can run the original screws through to get into virgin wood. If so, drill the right sized pilot hole to preclude cracking the wood. Of course if the head’s bunged up, replace them with new screws.
If any won’t get snug AND there aren’t alternative holes/slots in the brackets, NOW you’re stuck using inserts or larger / longer screws. If you do go with larger diameter, drill the right sized pilot hole. The drill will go in pretty easily since most of the material is already removed.
The key thing whichever way you go is to understand those screws aren’t tightened once at the factory (or by you) and stay good for 50 years. Wood shrinks & swells withthe seasons. Any moving parts in furniture are under a surprising amount of stress and need tightening about annually. Do that and the chair frame and mechanism will outlast 3 or 4 recoverings of upholstery.
It sounds like a La-Z-Boy rocker-recliner. If it is, you need to put spacers in the springs before you reattach them, or it wont rock without a lot of creaking. A couple 1"x1"x1/8" pieces of luan will work, theres a spot on both ends of the spring to slip it in.
There is also a product, called something like Wood Swell, that will cause dry wood to swell (who wood have guessed?). In this case it sounds like the use of cheap softwood which may need some reinforcement from wood glue, or some sawdust mixed in white glue, or an insert as mentioned.
Kansas - steel wool easily rusts, and can start corroding the screws.
Another, slightly more involved, method is to cleanly drill out the screw hole (use a bigger bit, something like a Forstner will make a very smooth-sided hole and won’t chew up the face of the wood), then cut a piece of dowel (ideally same type of wood), put glue on it and tap it into place so it fills the hole and sits a little proud of the surface. Let the glue dry thoroughly, then cut/sand the dowel flush. You can put a dab of stain on it to match the surface if you want.
Then redrill the correct pilot hole for your screw and refasten.
I just repaired a crib this way - it had some old threaded barrel fasteners that had pulled out.
If you go to a woodworking store, like WoodCraft or Rocklers, not Lowes or HD, you can buy a bit that’s tapered with matching dowels.
Drill out the old wood with the tapers bit and insert the matching plugs with good wood glue. When dry, pre-drill and reattach your hardware with the original screws. As good as or better than new.
There is also a product called “Mr. Grip” that is basically some very thin sheets of aluminum that are about 2 inches long by 0.5 inches wide that looks and feels like a cheese grater with very tiny holes. You stick a piece of that into the hole and it grips the screw. Very similar to Kansas Beekeeper’s steel wool, without the rust. Look for it at your local hardware store.
If the screws are just a bit loose in the wood, but not so loose they wobble or can’t be remotely snugged up, I’d go with something like a 20 minute two part epoxy put in the holes, wait a few minutes for the epoxy to soak in the wood some, then put in screws and carefully tighten. You would probably want to do this with the chair oriented so the holes face upwards so the epoxy doesnt run out.
Depending on the screw size, I have had good success with golf tees. I fill the hole with yellow glue, hammer in a golf tee (lightly), and then let it dry. Later on I clip the head off with diagonal cutters and shave off the little nub with a blade.
