Piano Bench Repair

[Peter Stahl]

I have to fix a piano stool for my daughter. Leg aprons are doweled to the legs and are separating. I was thinking of pulling it apart, re-glue and add Surface Mount Corner Brackets for Table Aprons.

I did pull it apart and the dowels are still stuck really well on one side or the other but the holes they came out of will be too loose for wood glue. What's a good epoxy for gluing joints back together? Also the aprons are only about 2 inches wide and too thin for corner brackets that use a kerf, any suggestions? I could find any narrow brackets that use hanger bolts in the corner that don't need kerf's. To make it even more fun the legs are Cabriole 1755 type so clamping them without damaging the carvings will be tough. The bench came with the piano her families Preacher who relocated.

Any help would be much appreciated. Also if there are posts where someone did this please post a link, thanks!

[Tom M King]

I fixed one with the exact same affliction years ago with West Systems thickened with Silica and it's still stronger than it's ever been. I keep West on hand all the time anyway, but it wouldn't be worth the investment for this one job. I have used the little Locktite epoxy two bottle sets sold in box stores when away from home and it did fine.

It would need to be thickened with something though to keep it from sagging out of the joint until it kicks. Google epoxy thickener to see what's available now. Even fine sawdust would probably work, but you want the strongest mix possible for that use.

Fortunately epoxy doesn't depend on clamping force so you can pad with old cloths and put a tourniquet around it to pull it together. It's been so long since I did that one that I don't remember all the little details like that.

Pictures would be required to be more specific.

[Lee Schierer]

Piano stools/benches are notorious for coming apart. I would suggest at least partially rebuilding it. Make new legs that are larger in cross section at least at the top where all the stresses will be. Use mortise and tenon joints. Make wider aprons for the top and stringers between the legs for added stiffness. You won't be able to have a stringer between the two legs facing the piano so the front stringer will need to be half way back from the front.

[Peter Stahl]

Thanks for the information. I'll post some pictures when I get a chance. I didn't know epoxy needed thickener.

[Peter Stahl]

Definitely don't want to rebuild or make another but thanks for the suggestions.

[Tom M King]

Epoxy doesn't always need thickener, but for some uses it helps a lot. You can make it into any thickness of paste you need for a particular use. Tape any surfaces you don't want it to end up on, babysit it and catch it when you can trim it before it kicks all the way, then peel the tape off before it gets permanently stuck in place. Don't start wiping it while it's still wet.

Temperature is very important. Too warm and it will get away from you. Too cold and you will be waiting forever for it to kick.

[Tom M King]

The pictures help. Those joints are going to need some reinforcement on the inside, underneath where it can't be seen. I'd still epoxy the dowels though. It's going to take some pretty strong steel angles underneath to withstand the forces of it sliding around. That design was going to fail to start with. Stick on felt discs under the feet will make it slide easier, if not too easily depending on the player.

[Peter Stahl]

Sounds good, I'll probably order this. https://www.amazon.com/West-System-F...s%2C79&sr=8-10

[Peter Stahl]

I thought about that too, putting either felt or Nylon guides.

[Tom M King]

Sounds good, I'll probably order this. https://www.amazon.com/West-System-F...s%2C79&sr=8-10

Good find.

[George Yetka]

Was it a golden retriever tied to a chair getting her nails ground? Thats how ours went. She got scared and bolted and the chair hit every bit of baseboard heat making her more and more scared and run faster and faster. Chair took out Steinway bench. All we could do was laugh. 4-5 sections of baseboard, 2 kitchen chairs , and a piano bench.

[Mel Fulks]

Only dowels I trust , have been driven thru a thick piece of steel making them slimmer. Buy a piece of scrap steel at least
3/4 thick and drill under -size standard dowel size holes . The Dowels have to have glue ON them , when it gets scraped off going in
it no workee .