LarryJ Posted October 13, 2017 Report Share Posted October 13, 2017 Working on refinishing a cedar wardrobe with a crack in the door near the hinge, likely from the door opening back on the piece. My repair approach is to try to squeeze some glue in the crack and screw on a support strip on the back of the door like the existing one. Any other repair suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted October 13, 2017 Report Share Posted October 13, 2017 Looks like a failed glue joint to me. I pull a sheet of fine sandpaper through the crack a few times to clean up any old glue. You can pull the glue down into the joint with a piece of paper or a shop vac below the crack. Then clamp overnight. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryJ Posted October 14, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2017 14 hours ago, wdwerker said: Looks like a failed glue joint to me. I pull a sheet of fine sandpaper through the crack a few times to clean up any old glue. You can pull the glue down into the joint with a piece of paper or a shop vac below the crack. Then clamp overnight. Using the shop vac to pull glue through is brilliant! I won't need the glue syringe I picked up from woodcraft. Was able to get sandpaper in most of the way and give it a few stokes. It's all clamped up. Thanks for the suggestion. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted October 14, 2017 Report Share Posted October 14, 2017 Does that batten allow for seasonal expansion/contraction of the panel? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted October 14, 2017 Report Share Posted October 14, 2017 Eric raises a crucial point. Batten strips should be fixed in the center and screws either side should be in slotted holes to allow expansion & contraction. The screw in the picture is not slotted. If the panel was in a low humidity environment and dried out that could have caused your crack. Remove the batten strips, wallow out the holes and use a round headed screw with a washer under it. This should allow the door panel to expand & contract yet restrict bowing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryJ Posted October 14, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2017 1 hour ago, wdwerker said: Eric raises a crucial point. Batten strips should be fixed in the center and screws either side should be in slotted holes to allow expansion & contraction. The screw in the picture is not slotted. If the panel was in a low humidity environment and dried out that could have caused your crack. Remove the batten strips, wallow out the holes and use a round headed screw with a washer under it. This should allow the door panel to expand & contract yet restrict bowing. 1 hour ago, Eric. said: Does that batten allow for seasonal expansion/contraction of the panel? Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look into it after the glue dries. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharleyL Posted October 20, 2017 Report Share Posted October 20, 2017 I've used dental floss to pull glue into cracks, but the vacuum will sometimes also work. Use tape around both sides of the crack to minimize glue getting where you don't want it and remove the tape before you clamp the joint together. If you can add another batten strip closer to the top of the door, it may reduce the chances of the crack opening back up. Cedar splits easily and it may re-crack there in time. A slow setting Clear Epoxy may be the best glue choice for this. Charley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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