Strengthening loose carpentry joints can be as simple as reapplying glue to loose joints or as complex and time-consuming as making duplicates of broken pieces on a lathe.
Choosing wood glue and its use
Effective adhesive connection consists of five layers: a thin film of glue, two sections (one on each side) soaked in glue, and adjacent wood into which the glue does not penetrate. The weakest of them determines the strength of adhesion. IN early times the weakest layer was the glue itself, but modern glues are so strong that they can destroy wood.
To make a well-bonded joint, the two mating surfaces must be cleaned of old adhesive, dirt, and finish. If the wood is smooth, it needs to be roughened by treating it with a knife. If the wood becomes wet during the process of removing the old glue, it must be dried. Shape the connection so that it fits firmly and has no gaps.
Also, squeeze the joint so that the adhesive goes into the wood grain. Usually the joint is dried and joined before assembly to ensure that the surfaces of the wood fit together and have sufficient adhesion. After this, disconnect the connection and apply a thin layer of glue to both adjacent surfaces. Apply a thicker layer of adhesive to the end structure than to the side structure, which has less absorbent properties. Reassemble the joint, squeeze it and wipe it clean - first with a damp cloth, then with a dry cloth. Immediately check that the joint surfaces are correctly positioned.
The choice of glue depends on the type of furniture and where it is applied. Professionals sometimes disagree on which adhesives are the best for furniture carpentry. The most popular types of glue are described below.
The main types of glue used in furniture repair
Polyvinyl acetate (PVA). Good glue general purpose for basic types of room furniture. Applicable in finished form; sets 30 minutes after compression; however, it takes two days to reach full adhesion strength. This glue is applied to both surfaces to be glued. PVA does not resist moisture well, so it should not be used for gluing outdoor furniture.
Aliphatic resin. This glue is an improved version of PVA. It is stronger, more moisture resistant, more viscous and less fluid. However, it dries faster than PVA and therefore requires faster compression. The clamps can be removed after 30 minutes, but the joint must remain stationary until the adhesive has reached its full bond strength (usually within 18 hours). Yellow glue is used to fill gaps and hold together poorly fitting joints.
Animal glue. It is obtained from animal skin, nerve tissue or bones. From Egyptian times until 1900, it was the only glue used for furniture. As antique restorers claim, this glue is reversible: steam and sunlight destroy its sticky properties, causing the compound to separate. Plus, there's plenty of time - almost 20 minutes - to squeeze the glue until it starts to set. However, it can only be applied at temperatures around 20°C; it hardens at temperatures below 10°C and thins at temperatures above 33°C. Joints assembled using animal glue should remain compressed for 6-12 hours. It should not be used in the repair of outdoor furniture.
Plastic resin glue (urea formaldehyde ). A very strong adhesive used in joints subject to unusual influences. It is produced in the form of a powder that must be diluted with water; however, once it dries, the glue is extremely moisture resistant. It must be applied at temperatures above 20°C. It begins to set within 5-15 minutes and, once compressed, should remain under constant pressure for 5-12 hours (depending on ambient temperature).
Resorcinol glue . It is sold in a ready-made (mixed) form, but you can prepare it yourself by mixing the powder with a liquid catalyst. This is a very strong glue, it has high heat and moisture resistance: it is even used in the construction of boats. This is the most best glue for exterior repairs wooden furniture. It must be applied when room temperatures and leave in a compressed position for 10 to 12 hours.
Available a large number of other synthetic adhesives used in woodworking. New types of adhesives are constantly emerging, but furniture repair professionals most often use the above adhesives. Known epoxy adhesives(available different kinds, including those that harden very quickly), they act on chemical principles to form a strong bond between pieces of wood, as well as between non-porous materials such as metal or glass. Epoxy glue has high strength clutch, but expensive. When repairing furniture, some less expensive adhesives are used that have similar properties. Contact adhesives set the fastest. Their disadvantage is that they do not allow time for corrections after they are applied to the joints.
EXAMPLE: Repairing a loose table
Of particular concern are the joints at the top of the legs. Under great pressure, they can weaken and even fall off. Problems that often arise include drop boards that sag and retractable extensions that jam or break. Many problems can be easily fixed.
Most tables intended for private use consist of a tabletop attached to a frame, which consists of a rectangular base of narrow horizontal frames tightly connected to the tops of the legs. In some cases, the frame is connected to top part, and the legs are attached to the frame with bolts. In simpler tables, the legs are attached directly to the underside of the top. These connections are held together different ways: glue, which may lose its strength; spikes and dowels that can break; plates, screws or bolts that may become loose. Adhesive bonds that have lost their adhesion can be easily restored by applying a new layer of glue. However, in order to repair the larger gaps between components, it may be necessary to disconnect connections and then replace broken parts. To complete the repair and make it better, you can strengthen the connection with metal corner plates or wooden blocking.
Repairs to tables with moving parts require different measures. A damaged sliding table mechanism can be fixed by cleaning and lubricating its sliding parts; If they are broken, bent or lost, they will need to be replaced. The easiest way to repair a sagging board is to wedge it and glue the wedge to the underside.
It's good to have a glue injector. With its help you can introduce glue into hidden places. Clamps are also an important tool. To close the cracks you will need G-shaped clamps (clamps), and to maintain equal pressure on the glued joints - “frame-leg” - girdle clamps. When using clamps, place thin pieces of cork or soft wood under their grips to avoid damage to the surface of the clamped element. To close the glued sections, apply the minimum necessary force, since excessive pressure can cause all the glue to squeeze out, leaving the joint weak and dry.
If you need to strengthen a part with a keyed butt joint, you will need a keyed jig (to guide the drill) and metal keyed centers. These tools ensure precise placement and alignment of key holes. Dowels with special grooves are also useful, which make the adhesive bonds stronger.
How to get to the damaged area
Detaching the table top . To access the damaged joint, turn the table over and place it on a layer of folded cloth or a mat. Remove the tabletop. If it is attached by metal compression plates inserted into a groove in the frame trim, remove the screws and plates and detach the tabletop. If it is attached with screws or bolts to the frame or corner blocks, remove these fasteners. If the repair requires disassembling the connections, you can use the following methods.
Make marks on each part of the table for its subsequent assembly. Break the adhesive bond that holds the pieces together. To protect the impact area, use a wooden or cork block; raise this area a little.
Separate the table parts by first separating the leg assembly from the table top using a lever system to do this. To do this, cut two wooden bars with a total length slightly greater than the distance between the divided parts. Hew one end of each block into a cup shape. Trim the other ends into a V and an inverted V shape to connect these bars. Position the lever so that its outer ends are as close as possible to the connections that need to be opened; place cork spacers between these ends and the table. Press down with your hand, straightening the joint in the middle of the lever. To apply force to short joints of separable parts, make another two-piece lever or use a reaction clamp.
Analysis of frame-leg connections
Three types of connections. The most common connection is the socket-tenon connection, in which the tenon on the frame is glued into the socket on the leg. Possible damage with such a connection is splitting of the socket or splitting of the tenon.
The typical type is a butt joint, which is usually reinforced with dowels glued into the corresponding holes on each of the two elements. If the keys are broken, drill them out and replace them or make a new joint. Butt joints with (or without) dowels are sometimes further strengthened with a corner plate or blocking.
If the legs are attached to the frame with bevel joints, the frame is coated with glue and screwed to the outside of each leg. The screw heads are installed below the surface of the frame in reverse-drilled holes filled with plastic bushings. If the screws fall out of the leg, pull or drill out the bushings from the frame, remove the screws, re-tape the joint and use new screws of the same length but one order of magnitude larger in diameter. You may need to enlarge the tops of the back-drilled holes for the screw heads, but do not re-drill the bottoms that match the screw threads.
How to close a crack at the top of a table leg
Gluing a cracked socket . If the crack has formed around the socket at the top of the stem, squirt glue into the crack as well as into the hair hole between the socket and the tenon. Press the connection together with two clamps. First, install a G-clamp on the top of the leg to close the crack; then place the tubular or girdle clamp, extending it from outside one leg to the outside of the other to hold the thorn in the socket. Let the glue dry overnight; then remove the clamps.
Repair for a broken tenon
1. Preparation for fastening with dowels. If the tenon is badly cracked or broken, convert the joint to a butt joint with dowels; cut the tenon first and fill the socket. Cut the tenon flush with the piece using a fine-toothed saw; even better with a tenon saw. Clean the nest from glue and pieces of broken tenon with a chisel; mark and cut a wooden sleeve the same size as the nest. Cover this sleeve with glue and drive it into the socket. When the glue has dried, saw off and plan any pieces of wood protruding from the nest.
2. Drilling and aligning key holes. Draw two lines with a pencil through the end of the horizontal trim, about one-third of the way from the top and bottom. Place a keyed clamp in line and drill a hole 8mm in diameter and 30mm deep in the trim. Repeat these steps on the other line.
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| Repair for a broken tenon. Preparing for doweling | Repair for a broken tenon. Drilling and Aligning Keyholes |
Paste into drilled holes key centers, carefully align the trim on the top of the leg, tap the other end of the strap with a rubber mallet, applying enough force to drive the tips of the key centers into the leg and leave marks. Use these marks to position the jig and drill two holes in the leg, 8mm in diameter and 30mm deep.
Apply a thin layer of glue to the end of the horizontal strap and to the two 8mm dowels, each 55mm long. Drive the dowels into the holes on the frame with a rubber hammer, insert them into the holes on the leg and nail the frame to the installation site. While the glue dries, press the joint together with a banding clamp.
Corner fastening
Place the metal corner plate (pictured below left) against the leg and, holding it in place against the frame, attach one screw on each side. Drill a pilot hole in the leg through the center hole in the plate. Remove the screws holding the record in place and the record itself. Screw the bolt into the leg by grasping the center of the bolt with pliers and turning it until all the threads on the end of the bolt are seated in the leg. Place the plate back in place, inserting all the end screws to secure the plate to the frame. Install the lock washer and wing nut on the screw bolt and tighten it.
To attach a wood corner brace (pictured below right), cut a triangular piece of hardwood (so that the structure runs from frame to frame) and cut it to meet the leg. Attach the block to the frame with two N 8 screws, screwed through the block into the leg perpendicular to the frame - one screw on each side of the leg.
Leveling the folding board, gluing up the extendable table
Tailboard jamming . To level an overhanging folding board, mark the farthest point where the support sled or table leg touches the underside of the board; scrape off old glue and trim and attach a tapered wedge to the board. Cut a wedge out of a piece of hardwood, apply glue to the top side of it, and push it between the sled and the board, adjusting it until the board is level. Place a weight on the top of the board while the glue dries.
Restoring an extendable table . To remove an extendable table with jammed wood frames, open it until it is fully stretched and use a chisel to scrape away any dirt or caked-on grease deposits from the inside strapping. Apply fresh lubricant to all accessible moving parts using a silicone spray and wax.
If the extension table has metal trim, clean the extensions with a sharpened dowel or stick. Then sprinkle them with powdered graphite. If the wood sash pin on the edge of the sliding board is broken, drill out the broken piece and replace it with a hardwood dowel. Glue one end of the dowel into the cleaned hole and sharpen the other end to fit freely into the sash hole, sanding it down to round the ends and reduce the size.
Wear and tear usually takes its toll. Of particular concern to table owners are the joints at the top of the legs.
When placed under significant pressure, they can weaken and even fall off. Often problems arise that are associated with existing folding boards, which can sag, and extensions retractable mechanisms that break or jam. Many problems can be easily fixed if you know how to repair a table.
Most tables designed for home use, consist of a table top, which is attached to a frame and is a rectangular base made of horizontal narrow straps, tightly connected to the upper sides of the existing legs. Sometimes the frame is connected to the top and the legs are bolted to the frame. In tables of simple design, the legs are attached directly to the underside of the existing top. Similar connections are held together different ways: glue that can lose its strength; dowels and tenons that can break; screws, plates or bolts that may be loosened. Adhesive bonds that have lost their adhesion can easily be restored by applying a new layer of glue there. But in order to restore serious gaps between in separate parts, it may be necessary to disconnect connections, as well as subsequent replacement of broken parts. To complete the repair and make it as high quality as possible, the connection can be strengthened using metal corner plates or wooden blocking.
Repair of a table with a sliding mechanism
How to repair a table that has sliding mechanisms? To repair tables with moving parts, other measures are needed. Damaged mechanisms sliding tables can be corrected by cleaning and lubricating its sliding parts; If they are broken, bent or lost, they need to be replaced. The simplest method to repair a sagging board is to wedge it and then glue the wedge to its underside.
It's good to have a glue injector. It will help to introduce glue into all hidden places. The most important tool clamps also protrude. You'll need G-clamps to seal existing cracks, and girdle clamps to ensure equal pressure is maintained across all glued frame-to-leg joints. When using clamps, you need to place the thinnest pieces of soft wood or cork under their grips to avoid damage to the surface of the clamped elements. In order to close the glued sections, you need to apply the minimum required force, since excessive pressure can lead to all the applied glue being squeezed out, leaving the joint dry and weak.
If you need to secure a part with a keyed joint, you will need a keyed jig (to guide the drill) and keyed metal centers. These tools help ensure accurate placement as well as alignment of all key holes. Dowels that have special grooves, which are made stronger by adhesive bonds, are also useful.
How to get to damaged areas
To get to the damaged connection, you should turn the table over and place it on a fabric folded in several layers at once or on a rug. Remove the tabletop. If it is attached by compressive metal plates, which are inserted into a groove on the frame straps, you should remove the screws and these plates and disconnect the tabletop. If it is supported by screws or bolts to the frame or corner blocks, you need to remove these fastenings.
How to repair a crack
If a crack appears around the socket in the upper area of the leg, glue should be injected into the crack and into the hair hole between the tenon and the socket. It is necessary to compress the connection using two clamps. First, you should install a G-shaped clamp on the upper area of the leg in order to close the resulting crack; then place a girdle or tubular clamp, stretching it from the outer side of one leg to the outer side of the other, in order to hold the tenon in its socket. Let the glue dry overnight; then you should remove the clamps.
To level an overhanging folding board, the farthest point should be noted where the table leg or supporting slide touches the bottom side of the board; scrape off the old glue and trim and attach a small tapered wedge to the board. Cut a wedge out of a piece of hardwood, apply glue to the top side of it, and push it between the board and the sled, adjusting it until the board is level. You need to place a weight on the top of this board while the glue dries. After reading this article, you will know how to repair a table.
U modern tables the legs, as a rule, are connected to the frame and only with bolts. These connections often come apart. But to eliminate j the defect, it is enough to simply tighten the nuts.
How much more complicated is the situation when the adhesive tenon joints between the legs and the drawers. An attempt to reattach the spikes with glue does not always achieve the desired result, because the new glue will not provide a strong connection with the old one and the knife will soon begin to move again..
The best way to strengthen broken joints is with 1" checkers, made of hard wood, cut out in the shape of the angle between the drawers. The checkers are attached with lashings and screws to the internal surfaces of the drawers, having previously looked through them: the openings under the screws.
REGULATION OF FURNITURE RCHTEL-“FROG” Install furniture hinges on kitchen cabinets and cabinets, as well as on other pieces of cabinet furniture, there is no special “opportunity”, since their doors and cabinets, as a rule, already have sucking holes. The hinge itself is attached from the inside! >dzer-he, and its /yunt °hing plate - to the furniture body at the level of the hole on the door under the base of the hinge. Both hinge elements have slots and screws, through which they fit into each other. All screws in the mounting plate (including those intended for fastening the hinge) can be used simultaneously. adjusting the door position.
The door is adjusted according to the leakage by loosening the fastening screws (in the figure - with blue heads) to install the 1" plate and shifting the latter along the long holes to the desired position. You can align the door horizontally using the set screw on the base (from the green. y head;. The distance between the door P and the furniture body, and so; their mutual parallelism (and then
and another determines the opening angle
doors) are adjusted with a fastening screw with a setting marked in red.
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There may be two reasons. Either the legs rest unevenly on the floor, or the table is unstuck. In the first case, you need to find out the reason: an uneven floor or legs of different lengths. Here we are talking about a table, but all this fully applies to a chair and, in general, to any furniture “with four legs”.
If the reason is uneven legs, then we set the table upside down, placing a plank of the same width on each pair of legs, as shown in Fig. 1 to make sure which of the four legs is shorter or longer.
If one of the legs is longer than all the others, you need to shorten it. How long? This can be determined using a target rod (Fig. 2). Now accurately mark the cutting line. Using a sharp pencil, we first draw a line on one side of the leg, and then on the opposite side and saw off exactly along the line. We clean the cut surface and edges with a file.
If one of the legs is shorter than the others. In this case, you can lengthen one leg (then the table will maintain its height) or shorten the other three (then the table height will be smaller). If we settled on the first option and we are talking about only 1-3 mm, we glue or nail a leather or rubber lining from below to the short leg.
If you need to build more, then to the lower end of the leg we attach a plywood lining with glue and screws, which is slightly larger in size than the cross-section of the leg. The screw heads must be countersunk! After the glue has dried, we cut off the protruding parts of the lining, straighten it with a chisel and clean it with a file.
If three legs need to be shortened to the length of the fourth, we place the table on a completely flat place and place a wedge under the short leg so that the table does not wobble (Fig. 3). Directly along the line of contact between the wedge and the edge of the leg, draw a line with a pencil and cut the wedge along it. We apply the sawn-off part of the wedge with the cutting surface to the remaining legs and draw a line along which we shorten them.
If a table or chair wobbles due to weak adhesive joints, it is necessary to restore them. We do it like this:
- 1. We disassemble weak connections and remove glue.
- 2. We connect the parts again with glue. If you don’t have large clamps at hand, take a strong rope, wrap it around the table twice and tighten it, twisting the rope with a wooden collar (Fig. 4,5). We first place pads in the corners under the rope so as not to scratch the furniture.
- 3. In order to maintain the required distance between the legs in their lower part when tightening, we place spacer bars of the appropriate length between them.
- 4. Corners can be further strengthened with pads.
♦ An old cabinet can be given a new look if the front surface, with the exception of the panels, is covered with fabric, wallpaper, or film. The facing material must match the wall covering in color and pattern. Such a wardrobe will look especially good in the bedroom.
♦ To prevent the legs of furniture - chairs, armchairs, tables - from scratching the floor, stick felt circles on them.
♦ To avoid damaging the floors when moving furniture, place plastic can lids under the legs - they will reduce friction.
♦ Place a thick woolen rug under the feet of the object being moved. With its help it is easier to overcome rapids. You need two people to work - one pulls the rug, the other pushes the cabinet.
♦ It’s not so easy to pull out a desk, chest of drawer or nightstand when the handle breaks off. A plunger will help you cope with this task. It is enough to press it against the drawer near the place where the handle was and pull it towards you. The drawer will slide out easily if it is not overloaded and does not “stick.”
♦ Polished furniture, mirrors, TV screens, lamp shades, window glass are easily electrified and attract dust. To get rid of this, wipe the surfaces with a mixture of 1 part shampoo, 1 part antistatic agent and 8 parts water.
♦ If a kitchen or desk drawer is difficult to open, wipe the edges of the drawer and the grooves into which it fits with dry soap or a candle.
♦ After wallpapering the apartment and washing the floors, the furniture can be placed in its place, but you should not push it tightly against the walls earlier than ten days. It is also not advisable to hang curtains, carpets, paintings and other objects before this date.
♦ Cleanliness and comfort in an apartment largely depend on the arrangement of furniture and carpets in it.
♦ Furniture is sensitive to changes in air temperature and humidity in the apartment, as well as to the action of sunlight. This is especially important for furniture coated with varnish. In damp rooms it becomes dull and spots appear on it. At elevated temperatures, the varnish layer becomes covered with a network of small wrinkles due to drying of the wood.
♦ Direct sunlight (especially those not passing through the window glass) causes irreversible changes in the varnish coating: it becomes dull, becomes stained and cracks. Varnish coatings also lose their appearance due to exposure to water, solvents, or contact with hot objects.
♦ Often, due to lack of space, a whole warehouse is set up on the closet: suitcases, boxes, packages are stored there. They don't decorate the room at all. The matter can be improved if: close everything with beautiful curtains. Stands are placed between the cabinet and the ceiling (against them or attached to the cabinet), horizontal tubes are inserted between them, and curtains move along the tubes.
♦ Heavy shelves can be hung with bolts. Holes with a margin are knocked out in the wall and bolts are cemented into them so that the thread protrudes to the required length. The shelves are secured with nuts.
♦ To prevent a wooden bed from squeaking, it is necessary to place cloth pads at the joints.
♦ Over time, tables with removable legs become quite loose. Neither tightening the wing nuts nor even re-gluing helps. To eliminate this drawback, you need to hammer nails without heads halfway into the ends of the boards that form the table frame, and drill holes for them in the legs. Now, when twisting the “lambs”, the nails will take on the wedging force and reliably strengthen the legs.
♦ Of course, the uneven leg of a swinging table can be filed down or, on the contrary, something can be placed under it. However, it is better to correct the defect once and for all by gluing some kind of thrust bearing of the required thickness. And a small wedge will help you determine it accurately: having eliminated the swing thanks to it, we mark on it with a pencil the place where the leg stops - this will be the desired thickness of the thrust bearing.
♦ Doors of furniture made from particle boards often fly off - the screws do not hold well in the walls. We recommend strengthening them this way: carefully drill out the hole for the screw to a diameter of 8 mm, drive a wooden plug with glue into it and screw the screw into it.
♦ Perhaps ball or magnetic latches for table doors are good, but they slam painfully when closing and opening.
However, there is a simple and “quiet” option: use “burdock” Velcro fasteners, widely used in clothing. To do this, it is enough to attach strips of such velcro checks to the doors and to the place to which they are pressed when closing.
♦ If there is not enough space in the hallway, and you have a large family, then an unusual shoe rack on the front door will help you conveniently arrange numerous shoes.
It is a wooden box hung on the door with a plywood wall, on which ring-shaped pockets made of thick fabric or leatherette for shoes are stuffed.
♦ It doesn’t matter if the springs of the sofa sag. Discard the springs and stretch (not very tightly) the intertwined straps onto the frame. Their own width and the distance between them ranges from 40 to 60 mm. Secure them well. Place a simple strong fabric on top, one or two layers of foam on it, then the fabric again. Secure it to the frame. Finally, stretch the tapestry.
♦ The “magnetic latch” lock does not need any recommendations. It is convenient and works very reliably. However, installing the latch requires special precision. While doing this work, take a piece of plasticine. After installing one half of the latch, apply a thin layer of plasticine to the door area. After closing the door, get an exact imprint of the location for the second half of the latch.
♦ Let us remind you of a reliable method for repairing swaying chairs. To firmly attach the tenon to the socket, you need to expand the socket by 2-3 mm, and make two longitudinal cuts in the tenon for half its length. Then make two wedges and insert their ends into the cuts. Lubricate the spike and socket with glue and firmly insert everything into its original place.
♦ The legs of kitchen stools will stop unscrewing if rubber pads are placed under them.
♦ It doesn’t matter if the screws in the wooden legs of the stools are loose. You can fasten them by doing this: drill the screw through with a two-millimeter drill, and drill the leg halfway, lubricate the screw with glue, put it in place and secure it with a nail.
♦ If a kitchen stool with a metal frame has a thread in the socket where the leg is screwed in, don’t be upset, the matter can be fixed. Take a nut with the same thread and grind off its end. In the hole with damaged threads, use a needle file to make two cuts for the protrusions of the nut, and select a recess for it in the seat. All that remains is to insert the nut and screw in the leg.
♦ Loose chairs that have struts connecting the frame can be strengthened in a simple way. Holes are drilled in the legs to a small depth, and through holes are drilled in the struts. After that, screws are screwed into them so that the latter tighten the struts and legs. Chairs repaired in this way will serve for many more years.
If the chair begins to dry out, only complete disassembly and subsequent gluing can save it. The only thing that can postpone such a difficult repair for many years is the installation of a pair of couplers. Such ties are threaded rods made of steel wire with a diameter of 3 or 4 mm, passed crosswise through the legs and secured with a pair of nuts each.
♦ It happens that the loose legs of a chair are still quite firmly seated in the seat frame and it is undesirable to undo them. In this case, it is more convenient to repair the legs using metal corners rather than glue: traces of restoration will not be visible, and the reliability of the fastening is guaranteed.
♦ The back of the chair can be flat, but a curved one is much more comfortable. How to make one? This does not require special equipment, and the technology here is simple. It is enough to have a furniture clamp and several auxiliary wooden blocks.
The middle of the plywood backrest is steamed over the spout of a boiling kettle. Then the backrest is laid on two bars, the steamed area is pressed with a clamp and left for a day or two in this position - the deflection will remain even after the load is removed from the workpiece.
♦ For some reason there is always not enough space in any bedside table, and a shoe rack in the hallway is not a panacea. It is necessary to store shoes, boots, and slippers. But putting it all in two layers is inconvenient and unhygienic.
We offer a simple way to increase the capacity of the shoe. It is necessary, having measured the diagonal of the space between the shelves, to cut out plywood inserts equal to it - instead of ordinary shelves, you will get triangular two-story compartments that will accommodate twice as many shoes, as if there were two nightstands in one.
♦ Cabinet shelves do not always require a permanent position at a certain level. Temporarily, any of them can be fixed at the desired height using wooden wedges inserted between the shelf and the cabinet wall.
♦ One careless movement of a child pulling a box from a furniture wall, and all the contents end up on the floor with a crash. But it’s not so much the child’s fault as the dad’s: after all, it’s easy to make a “brake” hook in the box from a small block, securing a counter stopper above the box.
♦ A common defect in wooden furniture is drying out. If cracks and other defects of a monolithic wooden mass do not affect the structural strength of the furniture, it is quite amenable to restoration.
After placing the insert elements on the glue and waiting for complete drying, treat the surface with a plane, then with a jointer, if necessary, sand it with fine-grained sandpaper. As a result, after a very simple intervention in the appearance of a cabinet or table, you yourself will not recognize it.
